■!®?%m I DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Treasure l{gom Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from Duke University Libraries http://www.archive.org/details/illustratedhistoOObenn fe° oq a, s. s; AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OK BRITISH GUIANA, COMPILED FROM VARIOUS via,: — WATERTON MAN MuXI'iioMKRV MARTIN DAI/1 HILLHOUSE HUMBOLDT SCHOMBURQH HANCOCK RNAU WOOD'S NATURAL HISTORY— CATALOGUE 01 CONTRIBUTIONS I KUIANA TO Till: LONDON INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION <•!' is j COLONIAL OFFII E LIST, etc. iinusiniAii'^iu w air in ipu i \ II V GEOJRGE ^y, BESNET& GEORGETOWN, DEMERARA : RICHARDSON AM) CO. fRlNTKU BT L. M'DKRMOTl', " COLONIST" Oll'lCB, WATER-STREET. 18GG. B«/ilI TO niS EXCELLENCY During whose administration o[ the Government, the Goionv o[ British Guiana lias grcatlv flourishes) anb prospered, aiu> has attained its present high position among the bepenbencies o[ the British Crown. ¥his Volume is, By) permission, BespectfuKv Inscribe^ Bv His Excellency's Most Obedient Servant, %€c. ffl. z&jcnntlf: PJREFACE In presenting tins volume to the notice of my fellow-colonists and the public, I desire to state that ray original intention was simply to reproduce,, in the form of an album, the illustrations and the letter-press of the beautiful and elegant work by the late Sir Robert Sciiomburok, entitled the "Interior of Guiana." Upon consideration, however, I thought that the hook would prove more useful and interesting to the general reader, if select extracts from other authors and travellers were included, so as to comprehend, not only a description of the interior, but a general history of the colony, embracing an account of its discovery and colonization; — its progress and political changes (continued up to the present time) ; also, to notice its geographical position, boundaries, climate, geology, natural productions, etc. How far my humble efforts have succeeded in accomplish- ing this object, the reader must decide. In noticing the natural produc- tions of the colony, it is not attempted to give a scientific classification, or a strict adherence to generic names, in describing the various orders and divi- sions of the Animal and Vegetable Kingdoms ; a preference being given to ordinary names, and such as are in common use. The authorities to whom I am indebted and from whose writings I have chiefly compiled the present work, are : — Humboldt, Hillhouse, Hancock, Watcrton, Montgomery Martin, Stedman, Schomburgk, Bernau, Dalton, Wood's Natural History, The Cata- logue of Contributions from British Guiana to the London International Exhibition of 18G2, the Colonial Office List, etc. From the popular writings of the talcuted Sciiojiburgk, the interesting " Wanderings" of the eccentric Waterton, and the valuable and compre- hensive " History of the Colony" by Dr. Dalton, I have made extensive quotations ; these works affording together, the fullest information wc possess on the general history of this important province. Ii may be urged as a plea for undertaking to publish this history of British Guiaua, that at the present time, the writings of the above authors are scarce, being mostly out of print. Notwithstanding the many defects and deficienci is in the general arrangement of this compilation (for which the reader's kind consideration is solicited), I am hopeful that my humble endeavours to pi idu a useful and entertaining volume, have not been alto- gether ur.siuvi ssful. With regard to the illustrations, I may mention, that they arc mostly VI. copies reproduced from other works, but with some original sketches from nature. A perusal of these pages will, I trust, convince the reader that British Guiana is not only a sugar-producing colony, or, in vulgar parlance, a land of mud, but that it possesses immense treasures and resources, requiring only the application of capital and industry, to become available for the use and benefit of mankind. The portion of the colony which is at present occupied by colonists extends little more than a few miles from the sea ; and the coast-lands alone are cultivated. The traveller, to appreciate the amazing grandeur of the natural scenery of Guiana, with its mountains, forests, falls, and cataracts, must penetrate the interior, where he will discover — " Rocks rich with gems, and mountains bright with mines, That on the high equator ridgy rise ; Where many a bursting stream, auriferous plays ;— Majestic woods of every vigorous green, Stage above stage high waving o'er the hills." G.W.B. Georgetown, Demerara, Oetoher, 1866. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. GENERAL HISTORY. — Introduction — Geographical Position or Guiana — Its Extent, Boundaries, and Divisions — Discovery by Columbus — Spanish Authority Established — Portuguese and other Adventurers — Sir Walter Raleigh's Expedition — The Eldorado — The Pomeroon Settled by the Dutch in 1580 — Eormation of a Factory — Privileges given to Traders by the States General ok Holland — Kyk-over-all at the junction of the Cuyuni and Massaruni occupied by the Dutch — Banks of the Beriske COLONISED' — ESSEQUIBO TAKEN BY FHE ENGLISn AND BeRBICE BY THE French — Returned to the Dutch — Plantations formed on the Demerara — Negro Insurrection in Berbice — Courts of Policy and of Civil and Criminal Justice on the Island Borselen, 20 miles up the Demerara River — Removed to Stabroek now called Georgetown — The Colonies of Essequibo and Demerara placed under the protection of Great Britain — Restored to the Dutch in 1802 — Again taken possession, of by the English — Insurrection in 1823 — Colonies of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice united AND CALLED BRITISH GuiANA IN 1831 The CONSTITUTION AND FORM of Government of British Guiana — Revenue and Expenditure — Imports and Exports, Population, &c. Page 1 CHAPTER II. CLIMATE. — Mean Temperature — Wet and Dry Seasons — Earth- quakes — Fall of Rain — Epidemics — Transparency of the Atmos- phere — Health of the Colony compared with other Countries. Page 28 CHAPTER III. GEOLOGY AND SOIL. — Delta of theEssequibo — GraniticRocks — Com- position of the Coast Lands — Artesian Wells — Forests ofCourida — Amazing Fertility op the Soil — Pegas Lands — Ochres, Iron, Mica and precious Metals found — Mining attempts by the Demi — Mountain of Solid Granite — Veins of Quartz — White Clay — Rock Crystal — Red Agate — Conoko Mountains — Fertile Savannahs. Page 30 VIII. CHAPTER IV. MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, CREEKS, AND CATARACTS.— Physical Aspect — Mountains — Falls — Cataract* — The Rivers Essequibo, Massaruni, Cuyini, Demerara, Berbice, and Corentyn — Principal Creeks. Page 31 CHAPTER V. THE INTERIOR OF GUIANA.— Luxuriant Vegetation ■«- Densb Forests — Victoria Regia Lily — The Elizabetha Regia Tree — The Comuti or Taquiari Rock on the Essequibo — Indian Picture Writing — Ataraipu, the Devil's Rock — Pirara — Pure-Piapv, a Remarkable Basaltic Column — Roraima — Pore mama, the Great Fall of the River Parima — Junction of the Kundanama with the Paramu — Esmeralda on fhe Orinoco — Fort San Gabriel — The Great Cataracts of the River Corentyn — WaNarE- Wono-Tobo, or General Sir Carmiciiael Smyth's Cataract — Itabru and Christmas Cataract on the River Berbice — Shooting the Rapids and Fall — Its Dangers. Page 4 J CHAPTER VI. THE INHABITANTS OF BRITISH GUIANA. —The Aborigi- nes or Indian Tribes — Their Origin — Arrawaks — WarrowS — Caribs — Accawais — Macusis — Arecunas — Wapisianas — Atorais Tarumas — Woyawais, and other Tribes — Personal Descrip- tion — Tatooing and Painting of their Bodies, Dress, and Ornaments — Form of Huts — Hunting Grounds — Blowpipe — Form of Pottery used — Their Chiefs — Custom at the birth of a Child — Boring the Lips, Ears, 1 and Nose — Expertness with the use of the bow and arrow — Endurance of Pain — Cruel- ties to Children before Marriage — Polygamy Allowed — Mode ok preparing food plwarry and cassiri drink mode of prepara- TION — Hohihit, or Bandmaster — Warrou Dance — Funeral Cere- monies — Obdurate Widows Punished — Ideas of Religion — Manners, Customs, and Superstitions of the various Tribes — Cannibal Indians — Indian Vocabulary. Europeans — Creoles — Portuguese — Africans — Coolies — Chinese — Statement from the Census of 1861 — Extracts from Immigration Returns. Page 84 CHAPTER VII. THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. — Principal Quadrupeds — Reptiles and Insects. The Tapir — Manatee — Wild Hog — Water Haas — Coatimonde — Deer — Jaguar — Tiger Cat — Ant Bear — Sloth — Potto-kinkajou — Opossum — Armadillo — Acouri — Labba — Crab Dog — Buck Dog — Howling Baboon — Monkeys — Alligator— Guana — Common, Ser- pentine and Salempenta Lizards — Chameleon — Woodslave — Scorpion — Centipede ■ — Rattle Snake — Busumaster — Labarri — Camoudi — CoraLj Water, and Parrot, Snakes — Guana Snake — IX. Turtles — Crabs — Frogs and Toads — Vampire Bat — Knife Grinder LanternCarrier — Fire Fly — Sand Flies — Bete-rouge — Mason Urn — Marabunta — Hardback — Beetle — Grasshoppers — Walking Leaf — Tarantula or Bush Spider — Chigoe — Ants — Groe-Groe Worm— Butterflies. Page 113 CHAPTER VIII. THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, (continued) — Birds.— Eagle— Falcons- King of the Vultures — Hawk — Carrion Chow — Owl — Parrots and Parroquets — Love Birds — Macaw — Toucan — Kiskadi — Fire Bird ■ — Wallababa — Bell BiRd — Sakis — Thrush — Lazy Bird — Cock op the Rock — Swallows — Goat Sucker — Mocking Bird — Trotjpialb — Bice Bird — Ibibouri — Jawaracikie — Humming Bird — HouToti — ■ Boclora — Cuia — Old Witch or Jumbi Bird-— Woodpeckers — Butcher Bird — Cuckoos — Maam — Powisfi — .Maud cm — DoUraquara Hannaqua — Stinking Bird — Sin Bird — Trumpeter — Tiger Bird — Pigeons — Gualdins — Snow White Egrette — IIeri — Jabiku — Spoonbill — Curry-Curris — Water Hen — Darters — \ icissy and Wild Ducks, etc. Page 163 CHAPTER IX. THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.— (concluded).— JJsAcs.^-Canoes— Corials AND METHODS OF CAPTURING FlSH BY THE INDIAN Tin RES— L VW- Law — |l \W \I.LA — BASHAW" — PACOOMA — GlLBAQRE — CaRTABAC AND M0RO1 I'm r — Pirai — Sun Fish — IIaimura — Mullet — Hassar — Floundj as Electric Lee — Yacuta — Snapper — Sting Ray — Jew Fish — Snook — Saw Pish — Snake Pish — Shark, etc. Page 198 CHAPTER X. THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM.— (Principal Hardwoods.) — Mora— GrEENHEART — PURFLEHEART — KaKARALLI — DeTERMA — HoUBABAl I I WallaBA — Bully Tree — SiRUABALLi — Ducaliballi — Itaballi— Su- RADANI — MORABALLI — CUCURITIBALL] — BitoWN AND WHITE CeDEB — CUAMARA OR ToNKA — Sou A HI — WaSHIBA — LOCUST TREE — HYAWABALL1 — CoUTABALLl SlMARUBA — MoXKEY PoT TlU'E — ItIKIRIBOURA Crabwood — Eb >ny — Candlewood — Letter or Sn lkewood — [ron- wood — Paddlewod — Yari Yari — Black Cinnamon — Silk Cottoj* Tree — Hsri Heri — Lignum Vit.e. r AGE %\q CHAPTER XI. Till; VEGETABLE KINGDOM.— (concluded).— Cabbage Falm— Coco- nut — Manicole — Eta — Cokarite — Tooroo — Acuyuru Palm — Am u; i — Troolie — Mangrove — Breadfruit — BrbadnI t — Snakenut Cocao — Coffee — Cotton — Tobacco — Rice- -Sugar Cane — Plantain Banana — Orange — Lime — Shaddock — Forbidden Fruit — Sapa- dillo — Semitoo — Marmalade Tree — Avogada Pear — Guava Tamarind Tree — Cashewnut — Wild Nutmeg — Mango — Pine Apple — Star Apple — Pom rose — Sour Sop — Melon — Ginger — Vanilla Arnatto — Indigo — Logwood — Lana — IIya IIya or Cow T be — India Rubber — Sandbox — Ipecacuanha — Physic Nut — Pa aw — X. Quassia — Balsam Copavi — Laurel Oil Tree — Hiary — Worali — Silk Grass — Mahoe — Cassava — Arrow Root — Indian and Guinea Corn — Yams — Sweet Potatoes — Ochroes — Sorrel — Peppers, etc. Page 226 CHAPTER XII. MISCELLANEOUS. — An Account of the Governor's Visit to the Tumulus at Warramuri, Rio Moruca, with Particulars Respecting the Excavation — Names of all the Commanders and Governors of the Colony — The Legislature — Public Offices and Judicial Establishments — Religious Denominations — Corporate Bodies and Public Institutions — Estimate and Ways and Means for 1866 — List of Plantations of the Colony and where situated — Names and Salaries of Public Officers. Page 247 1 Frontispiece— Guiana Public Buildings 2 View of the British Guiana Gold Company's Diggings on the (' II Til ni 3 View from the Georgetown Eighthonse— looking east 4 ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, south-east 5 ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, south 6 Cricketers on the Georgetown Parade Ground 7 Junction of the Rivers Essequebo and Massaruni and Kaon Island S View of Water-street from the Reading Rooms Tower — look- ing north D ,, ,, ,, ,, Eooking south 10 The Comuti or Taquiara Rock 11 The Ataraipu, or, the Devil's Rock 13 Pirara and Lake Aniucu, the site of the El Dorado 13 Pure-Piapa— A Remarkable Basaltic Column 11 Roraima a Range of Sandstone Mountains 15 P ii ru mania, the great Cataract of the River Parinia 16 Junction of the Rundanama with the Paramu 1? Esmeraldo on the Orinoco IS Fort San Gabriel 19 Itabru and Christmas Cataracts on the River Berbiee 20 Group of Indian Women eating Cassava and Pepper Pot 21 Wato-Ticaba a Wapsiana Village 32 Indian Sorcerer 23 Belle of the- Wapisiana's 31 Indian Snake Catcher 25 Caribi Village— Anal— near the River Rnpununi 26 The Macquari Dance 27 The Tapir 28 The Manati or Sea Cow 29 Group of Monkeys 39 Waterton's Ride upon an Essequebo Alligator 31 A Negro Skinning a Camoudi Snake 32 The Jaguar 33 The Rattlesnake 34 The Crested Eagle 35 The Bell Bird 36 The Cock of the Rock 37 The Jabiru 3S Manner of Capturing the Electric EeJ 39 The Essequebo Rapids 40 Portraits of Governors of the Colony St Reception of the Governor by the Indian* at TO'arramnri Mission, Rio Mornca "-'1 The Tuniulus at Warramnri 43 View of the Qnartz Itork at the British Guiana Gold Com- pany's Diggings on the Rio Cuyuni 44 Arms, Weapons and Furniture of the Indians e> CI IjSmujbJ ILLUSTRATED HISTOEY OF BRITISH (ill ANA. CHAPTEE I. Genkhw. rlrsTOBr. — Entroducfion -Geographical Position 01 Guiana — Its Extent, Boundaries, and Divisions Discover] by Columbus -Spanish Authority Established Portuguese and other Adventurers Sir Walter Raleigh's Expedition- The Eldorado The Pomeroon settled bj the Dutch in 1580 — Formation of a Factory— Privileges given to Traders by the states General of Holland -Kyk-over-all al the junction of the Cuyuui and Massaruni occupied by the Dutch Banks of the Berbice Colonised - Essequibo taken In the English and Berbice by the French Returned to the Dutch — Plantation,-, formed on the Demerara Negro Insurrection in Berbice — Courts of Policy and of Civil and Criminal Justice on the Islam! Borselen, 20 miles up the Demerara River Removed to Stabroek now called George- town The Colon lev; of Essequibo and 1 leraerara placed under the protecl ion of Great Britain Restored to the Dutch in 1 802 — Again taken possession, < it" 1 1 \ the English — Insurrection in 1823 Colonies of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice united and called British Guiana in 1 x:; l The constitution and lorn i of ( I o\ eminent of British (iuiaua — Revenue and Expenditure Imports and Exports, Populal ion, &c. No part of inter-tropical America surpasses British Guiana in the beauty or variety of its natural scenery. Only those who have explored its interior, ascended its noble rivers, and penetrated its dense forests can form an adequate idea of the fertility and profuseness of tropical vegetation that there exists. 2 ' It would appear as if the productive powers of nature, on receding from the poles, had collected themselves in their greatest strength near the equator, spreading their gifts with open hand, rendering every scene more imposing and majestic, ami manifesting the abundant fertility Of the soil. Gigantic trees raise (heir lofty crowns to a height unknown in the European forests, and display the greatest contrasts in the form and appearance of their foliage. Lianas cling to their trunks, interlace their wide-spreading branches, and having reached their summit, with aeriel roots descend again tow aids the ground, and appear like the cordage of a ship. Clusters of palm-trees, of all vegetable forms the most imposing, rise oi grandeur above the surrounding mass, waving their pinion-like Leaves in the soft breeze. Nature, as if not satisfied with the soil allotted to her, richly decorates the trunks anil Limbs of trees, the stones ami rocks; even the surface of the water is covered with a carpet of plants interspersed by magnificent flowers. Nothing can give a better idea of the luxuriance and richness of vegetation in Guiana, than the splendid \ ictoria Regia, the most beautiful specimen of the flora of the Western Hemisphere. The calm of the surrounding atmosphere, where frequently not a breath of wind agitates the foliage, not a cloud veils the azure vault - SlUUMlll'ftOK. GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION AND BOUNDARIES. ' of heaven, contrasts strongly with the hum of animated nature. The Colibri, with its metallic lustre, passes rapidly from blossom to blossom, sipping the nectar of fragraut flowers, or sporting with the (lew-drops which glitter on their petals. The ancient forest of noble trees re-echoes with the notes of feathered songsters. The plumage of the splendid Macaws and Parrots, perched on boughs, perhaps illumined by the beams of a setting sun, richly mingles with the brilliant and bright green foliage. Night approaches, and displays the firmament with all the southern constel- lations ; the musical notes of birds give place to the chirping voices of crickets, the sounds of the tree-frog, lizards, and reptiles. Thousands of phosphorescent insects flutter among the leaves, emitting a light, which, if it does not illuminate, tends to increase the characteristic features of a tropical night, and to realize that idea which imagination sketches when impressed with the most splendid descriptions in the Arabian tales.' 8 " 'The name of " Guiana'' is given to that portion of the continent of South America, which lies between 8 deg. 40 min. North and 3 dcg. 30 min. South ; and 50 deg. and 68 deg. 30 min. West, which area has been calculated to contain 690,000 square miles ; the coast line extends from the mouth of the River Orinoco to that of the River Amazon. It is divided into 1. Venezuelan Guiana, lying on both sides of the Orinoco and ex- tending S. and S.W. to the Rio Negro and the Brazilian set- tlements. Its north-eastern boundary is at a point near the mouth of the River Barima, which empties itself at the conflu- ence of the Orinoco. 2. British Guiana, extending from the Venezuelan line of division to the River Corentyn, having an area of 76,000 square miles. 3. Dutch Guiana, or Surinam, extending from the River Corentyn to the River Alarawini 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 Marawiui 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 bv Sir Robert Schomburgk, 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 Cassiquiere, 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 this region for inland navigation do not end here — for, with a little trouble it might be extended to Santa Fe de Bogota, and even, i Cat. fon. from E. Guiana to Lon. Ex. 1S62, DISCOVERY OF GUIANA. extraordinary as it may seem, to the Pacific Ocean on the West, and to Buenos Ayrea on the South. The River Napo offers communication with Quito : the Ucayali, with Cuzco ; and the Iluellaga, with Lima.' - ' The diseover// of Cuiuiia is by some Authors attributed to Columius in 1498 ; others pretend the honour belongs to Vasco Nunez, who landed on the coast of Guiana in 1504. It is likewise stated that the diseoveryof Guiana was accomplished hy Diego de Orbas, of the Kingdom of Leon, in the year 1581.' 4 ' There is good reason, however, to believe that Columbus himself first discovered, or at least made known, the land of Guiana ; for in August, 1 ins, in his third voyage, he made the island of Trinidad, and encountered much difficulty in the mouth of the river Orinoco. " Tnis river rolls towards the ocean such a vast body of water, and rushes into it with such impetuous force, thai when it meets the tide, which on that coast rises to an uncommon height, their collision occasions a swell and agitation of the waves no less surprising than formidable. In this conflict the irresistible torrent of the river so far prevails, that il freshens the ocean many leagues with its flood."* Columbus, having escaped the difficulty, "justly con- cluded that such a vasi body of water as this river contained could not be supplied by any island, but must flow through a country of immense extent, and of consequence that he was now arrived at that continent which it hid long been the object of his wishes to discover. ''t He accordingly sailed to the west, and landed on the continent Ml several placet. In the following year (1499), ALONZO DE O.iinv, a gallant and active officer, who had at mpanied Columbus in his second voyage, attended also by the famous A wriuoo \ imti n, a Florentine gentleman, who had the undeserved honour of giving a name to the world discovered by another, Bel out for a voyage of discovery in four ships, provided by the merchants of Seville. Availing themselves of the journal and charts of Columbus in his second voyage, they succeeded in reaching the eastern coast of South America, and ore supposed to have made the land of Surinam after a voyage of twenty-four days. They ran along the coast of the Gulf of Paria, passing several large rivers — amongst others, the rivers Essequebo and Orinoco. They saw no natives until their arrival at Trinidad, where, after trading with them, they stood to the west, and proceeded as far as Cape de Vela, ranging along a considerable extent of coast. .\ni long after, Vincent Jam:/, Pinzon, a companion of Columbus in his fir.-t voyage, sailed from Patos with four ships, January loth, 1 ,")00, and made the laud of Santa Maria de la Consolacion, or Cape St. Augustino, on the eastern angle of South America : he discovered the mighty river of the Amazons, or river Maranon, and lauded on the coast at its mouth. Prom thence he sailed onwaids, passing the rivers of Guiana as far as the river Orinoco, ('here it is supposed bj some that he also landed. He after- wards proceeded to Hispaniola and the Bahamas. The Spaniards, according to an old writer,} on ascending the several rivers, were astonished at their size and peculiarities. On exploring the countries in the neighbourhood of the Orinoco, they received information of a territory far in the ■OKBVBOK. 4 PaL'ion. • Bobertaon'a America, bookii. page lot t Ibid. % Hcrrera. SPANISH ADYEXTT'KERS. 4 ' interior, which abounded in gold and emeralds, and of a salt-water lake, called Parima ; tbus leaving no doubt that so early as the time I bare mentioned au acquaintance bad been made with some of the tribes belonging to Guiana, among whom a tradition of bis visit was known to have existed. A few years later another Spaniard received similar information on the opposite part of the coast. Although the discovery of the different portions of America succeeded each other so rapidly, it was not until about ten years after Columbus had made his first successful voyage, that the Spaniards practically attempted to form settlements on the main land. Unsupported by the crown of Spain, and at the sole expense of a few private individuals, this enterprising object was effected, chiefly through the famous Alonsso be Ojeda, who had acquired considerable reputation and wealth in some voyages of discovery; and who was assisted by another Spaniard, Diego ue Nicuessa, a successful adven- turer. Titles and patents (but nothing else) were granted by Ferdinand, and about 1509 two governments were established on the continent; one extending from the Cape dc Vela to the Gulf of Darien, and the other from this gulf to Cape Gracias a Bias, from which settlements parties were sent to explore the inland districts. The first government was given to 0.n;n.\, the second to Nicuessa. Much formality and time were wasted in pre- scribing the mode by which possession should be taken. They were to expound to the natives the principal articles of the Christian Faith ; to acquaint them with the powers of the Pope ; to inform them of the grant which that formidable prince had made of their country to the King of Spain, and to insist upon their embracing the Lew religion and submitting to the Spanish authority. In default of the fulfilment of these conditions they were to be punished with fire and the sword, and their wives and families were to be reduced to servitude. As a matter of course, such arguments being rather new to the independent Indian, and somewhat too subtle for their uncultivated understandings, caused considerable confusion and opposition. Force being employed by the Spaniards when they found arguments fail, the insulted Indian, roused to a sense of his dauger, replied to both by 'poisoned arrows (another proof that the natives of Guiana were concerned in these occurrences), and effectually annihilated their invaders. The Spaniards, prevented from escaping by the loss of their ships, perished within a year in the most miserable manner. A few sur- vivors, headed by Vasco Nines de Bilboa and Francisco Pizvkro, formed a feeble colony at Santa Maria de Antigua, on the Gulf of Darien. Such was the first receptions given to Europeans in America by the simple aborigines of the interior. The confused accounts which had been given to the Spaniards in the year 1500, about a rich city abounding in gold, silver, and precious stones, situated on the borders of the lake Parima, within the precincts of Guiana, inflamed the adventurous spirit of the age, and led to numerous enterprises, undertaken in the hope of discovering this famous regions Thus early were the cupidity and the credulity of the Spaniards excited with regard to an ideal city, with its golden palaces, and streets paved t Da no.*, ■ 'ITY OF MANAO— THE ELDORADO 4 ' with precious stones, reflecting their gorgeous beauty in the translucent waters of the Parima. Thus early was this El Dorado* of the west, this supposed laud of surpassing loveliness and wealth, held up as the greatest object of the Spanish conqueror's ambition. Mexico had been overrun, Peru had been conquered, but still the avarice of the invader had not been satiated, and El Dorado, the highest prize in the lottery of adventure, remained yet to be drawn. Hence ensued the romantic- and spirited exploits, of which the following are instances. A governor had been sent out by Fehdinand, King- of Spain, and was to reside in the then capital of the Guiana del Dorado, viz., Trinidad, an island on its coast. In the year 1530, Don Diego de Orbas, the governor <>f Quito, and one of the captains of Cortes, although Living upon the opiosite side of the continent, sent some of Ids people to explore Guiana. They had to pass high mountains and barren plains, and from the difficulty of the journey, and the lack of provisions, were obliged to return. According to the account of Raleigh, it would appear that one Don Martines was an officer under DlEGO DE OrdaCE, and got into a considerable scrape. " For it chanced that while OrdaCE, with his army, rested at the fort of Morriquito (situated some 800 miles within the land, upon the great Oronoco), and which Ordace was either the first or second that attempted Guiana, by some negligence, the whole store ot powder provided for the service was set on tire, and Martines, having the chief charge, was condemned by the general, Ordace, to be executed forthwith. Martines being much favoured by the soldiers, had all the means possible procured for his life, but it could not be obtained in any other sort than this, that he should be set in a canoe alone, without any victuals, only with his arms, and so turned loose in the great river." This Martines afterwards, who had the honour of christening the city of Manao by the name of El Dorado, escaped to Trinidad, and from thence to Juan de Puerto Pico, where remaining a long time waiting for a passage into Spain, he died. Don Diego subsequently returned to Spain, and procured letters patent from the Emperor Charles V., which secured to him all the land he should discover from Cape de la Vela, 300 miles to the east. Still intent on the discovery of the Kl Dorado, and whilst cruising near the mouth of the river Amazons, he captured some Indians who had precious stones resembling emeralds in their possession. Deluded by his prisoners into the belief that higher up this river there was a land abounding in similar productions and rich in g dd, he proceeded, in L531, with bis force, con- sist'ng of several ships and about 11)0 men, up this mighty river; but dismayed at the loss of one of his ships, and many of his mcu, and harassed by the strong currents and vexatious calms, he abandoned his i Daltoh. ■ 'I'lic term Kl Dorado was not originally applied to anj particular region, but rather 1,1 " lividual. According i" Father Gumilla, the fable had its origin on the coast of Oartha- i ' . whence it pa ed to Bogota ' i i prevailed through those regions i of a countrj which abounded in gold, when he appeared in public, had his body sprinkled over with gold-dust ; hence arose the expression of El Dorado, the gilded, or i.ii was subsequently applied to a supposed rich country. Others, however, derive the term from ;i religious practice among the Beet of Bochica, or Edaoancas, whose chief priest gold-dust ui»'i I" Bace and bauds before he perfonuedsaorifioe. FIRST TOWN BUILT IN GUIANA— DISASTERS. 4 ' object, and sailed for Paria, on the Orinoco, where he found a fort that had been erected bj the governor of the Guianas, Don Palameqtte. He took possession of this fort (although commanded by an officer of the governor's, Juan Goxc.u.ves), under pretext of the letter patent granted to him by the emperor, and ascended the river Orinoco,* and although suffering from the want of provisions, and from the mosquitoes, bats, and other plagues, he arrived at the dwelling of the cassiquc Viapari (the Indian name of the river Orinoco), where, being ivell received, he remained for some time. On attempting to make further progress up the river, he lost his largest ship, and was obliged in consequence to follow the banks of the stream, with about 200 men, and forty horses. On his route, he met only a few Carribcan fishermen. Having once more re-embarked his troops, he pro- ceeded up the Orinoco, about 300 miles from its mouth, when he met the large tributary stream, the Mcta, which, rushing down over the rocks in the form of a huge cataract, joins the Orinoco in this singular manner. Being now obliged to retrace his steps without having succeeded in discovering the coveted El Dorado, he descended the river, to about forty-five miles from its mouth, where, on its eastern bank, he built a town, which he called St. Thomas of Guiana. Thus had Diego de Ordas the honour of first erecting a town within the precincts of the Guianas. He soon afterwards returned to Spain, and died, either on his passage or shortly after his arrival. In the course of these expeditions lie had transported out of Spain 1000 soldiers. Situated at the confluence of the Caroni and the Orinoco, this town was never of much importance ; it consisted of about 150 houses, and the inhabitants planted tobacco, and, encouraged by the fruitf il soil and fine pasturage, endeavoured to grow provisions, and to breed cattle and horses, which they procured from Comana; but a few years after, the English and Dutch, jealous of the progress of the Spaniards, disturbed them in their possessions. It was not, however, until the year 1570, that these disturbances com- menced, and in 1629, on the 30th November, but according to others, on the 11th December, a Dutch force of nine ships, and some sloops under Admiral Pater, took the town, which they plundered and burned. Some of the inhabitants escaped to Comana, and others repairing about seven miles further up the river, on the same side, erected another town.f Previously to these occurrences, however, the governor of Paria sent his lieutenant, Alfonso de Hekreka, with 200 soldiers, and five vessels, to St. Thomas of Guiana in 1533. They had several skirmishes with the Cairibbean Indians, and killed many of them. Proceeding further, they arrived at the Meta cataract, already alluded to, and, undaunted by its roaring waters, they carried their vessels over the fall, and succeeded in making the ascent of the river. Their success was not unaccompanied by losses and disasters. Herrkha and his troops were constantly harassed by the tratives, who killed many of them with their poisoned arrows. Herrera himself was severely wounded, and became mad in consequence. 4 Daltun. * Sir \V. Raleigh says lie reached the river Orinoco by the river Viapari ; but this was the name given to the Orinoco by the Spanish and Indians. ■f St. Thome de Neuva Guayana, the present City of Bolivar. GONZALO PIZAH ISO'S K\ PEDITTON FROM QUITO. 4 ' During his temporary insanity, Ai.vako dk Okdas took command of the expedition, and considering discretion the better part of valour, returned to Paria, which lie readied in L586. In the same year another expedition was undertaken by Antonio Sidbnno, with whom Herrera and Augustus Delgado were associated in the conquest of Trinidad against E$AWCUNAR, a famous king of that place. Sidenno passed by Maeacapana with 500 chosen men to discover El Dorado. In this journey he is said to have got much gold, and taken many Indian prisoners, whom he manaelcd in irons, several of them dying on the way. Even in their deaths these Indians became formidable, for the tigers that came to feast on their dead bodies fell upon the Spaniards, who with great difficulty defended themselves from their attacks. Sidenno having died, was buried within the precincts of the empire, near the head of the river Tinad. is, and most of his people perished.* Doomed to disappointment by water, in search of the £1 Dorado, an expedition by land was attempted by Gonzalo Pizarro, who had been appointed governor of Quito, by his brother, the famous Francisco Piza&ro, who had deposed Ben ALCAZAR. Assembling together about 100 Spaniards, nearly half of whom were horsemen, and 1-00 Indians, to carry their provisions, which they had in abundance, GoNZAlO PlZARRO, a man of great, courage and ambition, left the capital of Peru (Quito), in the year 1540 (others say 1511), to explore the golden land. Passing over the lolly summits ot the Andes, where the cold was severely felt, they descended, after incredible hardships, into the low country, where an almost uninhabited territory, and torrents of rain, awaited them. Advancing for many weeks through dense forests, occasional mountains, and swampy marshes, assailed by numerous, insects, serpents, and some tribes of Indians; and suffering from the failure of their provisions, they still . perseTered, with the prospect of the glittering prize before them, until they reached the banks of the river Napo, a tributary stream of the Amazon, which, in L536, had been alreai.y discovered by Gonzai.vks Dias DE Pineda. Aware of the difficulties by laud, they contrived to build a bark for the purpose of seeking provisions, and facilitating their exploration of the country. The command of this expedition was entrusted to Francisco Okellana, the officer next in rank to Pizarro. He had with him about fifty Boldiers, and receiving his orders from Pizarro, was directed not to venture tar, but to keep within reach of his party; notwithstanding these Strict instructions, he boldly entered the river, and, carried away by the current, was soon out ot sight. Fearlessly following the stream, this enterprising, but unprincipled officer, reached at length the broader waters of the Amazon, where he held on his course towards the ocean. Struck, as well he might be, by its fruitful banks, In- occasionally made excursions on laud, where he procured provisions, either by traffic, or by force, from the native tribes. It was whilst combating with some of the-c, that he observed, with surprise, that the women fought equally with the men, giving rise to the fable, of the land of Amazons, for whatever might have been the ease in his day, nothing particularly warlike on the part of the female popu- 4 lUl.ms. * Raleigh, 8 FURTHER EXPLORING EXPEDITIONS TO GUIANA. * ' lation of that pnrt of the globe lias ever since been noticed. It was here, also, that his cupidity was excited by the sight of some precious stones, resembling emeralds, which the Indians declared abounded higher up the river. Having named the river Orellana, after himself (a name which, though attempted to be retained by some, has given place to the equally unmerited one of Amazon), lie, after incredible dangers, launched his adventurous bark into the ocean, and returned to Spain about the year 1545, where he pretended that he had discovered nations so rich, that the roofs of their temples were covered with plates of gold, and dwelt with enthusiasm on his wars with the female republics of the Amazon, and his long voyage, 1550 miles, up the river. Meanwhile, Gonzalo Pizarro, unwilling to believe in the treachery of Orellana, proceeded along the banks of the Napo as far as its junction with the Amazon, where a rendezvous had been arranged; hut receiving no account of the expedition, he tracked the banks about fifty leagues further on. Here, to his dismay, he discovered an officer who had been let to perish in the desert, because he had remonstrated against the perfidy of Orellana. The danger of his situation was now revealed to him, but with undaunted courage, he retraced his steps. Distant about 1200 miles from Quito, he had to lead his dispirited and disappointed followers back through the difficult road they had traversed. Their hardships were beyond description ; emaciated, worn out with hunger and fatigue, all the Indians, and the greater number of the Spaniards, perished in that fatal campaign — only eighty returned to Quito, and these in the most deplorable state, naked and famished. Thus, in the year 1542, ended one of the most famous expeditions in search of an ideal city, mocking the sun with golden mansions and silver waters. Nor were the Spaniards the only nation credulous enough to believe in the romantic tale which had now been circulated all over Europe. It would appear that the French, who were at this time (1550) in the habit of sending ships to the Brazilian coast, to trade with the Indians in pepper, dye, wood, and other native productions, actually undertook several voyages to discover the El Dorado, but with the same results. The cause of their failure is given in a very quaint manner by Sir Walter Raleigh, who, describing the French as taking the course of the Amazon in search of the golden laud, declared that they were mistaken in the road, " den rechten Weg niet genomen hadden."* In one of these voyages, about the year 1555, they rescued from the Indians a Dutch traveller, " Hanstaden," of Homburg, in Hesse, (who wrote an account of his travels), and were told by him that he had been a prisoner for about five years among the Indian tribes. Upon another occasion, one Pedro db Osua, a knight of Navarre, attempted to explore Guiana. Starting from Peru with 400 soldiers, he built his ;>• '..amine- upon a river called Orio, which riselh to the southward of Quito, and is very large. This Pedro dl Osua had among his troops a Biscayan called Agiri, a man meanly born, and who bore no other office 4 Dalton. * Hartsink, p. 158. PURTHEB EXPLORING EXPEDITIONS. 4 ' than that of sergeant, or alferez. This man induced tltc soldiers, wlio were worn with travail, and consumed with famine, to mutiny, and having murdered Ostja, and his wife Lady Axes, " who forsook not her lord in all his travels unto death," he tool; the whole charge and command to himself, with the purpose not only of making himself Emperor of Guiana, but also of Peru, and of all that side of the West Indies. His party amounted to about 700 soldiers; but nol being able to reach Guiana by the Amazon, they were " enforced to disembogue at the mouth of the said Amazon, thence he coasted the land till he arrived at Marguarita, to the north of Monpatar, which is, at this il^y, called Puerto de Tyranno, for that he there Blew Don .Juan de Vim. a Andreda, governor of Marguarita." Agiri put to 'he sword all those who opposed him, and took with him certain e. ivmoiies and other desperate companions ; with these he went to Cumana, and there slew the governor, ami otherwise hehaved in the same manner as | at Marguarita. lie afterwards proceed to the Coraccas, but was slain in the kingdom of Neuvo Reyno. The following expeditions were also undertaken about this period. A Spaniard, Juan. Corteso, arrived at tin river of Amazons, or Orellana, with 300 men, and marched into the country ; but neither himself nor Ills men ever returned again to tell the tale of their adventures. Gaspab ok S\i,\a, with his two brothers, departed from Teneriffe, accompanied by '.">() men, to assist Diego de Ordas. They sought El Dorado by the river of the Amazous ; but after staying there a short time, Proceeded to Trinidad, where they all died. Juan Gonsalves set sail from Trinidad to discover Guiana ; lie trusted more to the faith ol bis guides than to the number of his men. lie found the territory of Guiana, so far as he entered, to be populous, plentiful in provisions, and rich in gold. Philip de \ ken and Pedro de Limpias were leaders in another expe- dition into Guiana; the latter was slain by an Indian cassique, named Pouina. Jeronimo i>k Ortol, with 150 soldiers, failed in an attempt to reach Guiana by sea. He was carried by the current to the coast ol' Paria, and settled about St. Miguel ; after sufferillg great hardships, and his substance having been all spent, he dieil at St. Domingo. Pedro de Svlva, a Portuguese of the family of Rigomes de Sylva, in favour wirh the King of Spain, was seal with the fleet to explore Guiana, and failed also in his object, lie entered the Amazons, but was attacked by the natives, and utterly overthrown i of his whole army only a few escaped, and of these but two returned to their native country. A certain friar, Father Sala once made an excursion into the provinces of Guiana, taking with him only one. companion, and some Indian guides. He returned with good intelligence, and is said to have brought with him eagles, idols, and other jewels of gold, in the year 1560. On a second visit to the country he was slain by the Indians. An attempt to reach Guiana was also made by Pedro IIehnwdes de Serpa, who landed at Cumana, and took his journey by laud towards Orinoco ; but before he arrived at the borders of the river, he was attacked 4 U ALTON. 1() EXPLORING EXPEDITIONS. * ' by a tribe of Indians, the Wikiri, and so completely routed, that, out of 300 soldiers, besides horsemen, Indians, and negroes, only eighteen returned to give an account of their leader's failure. Another famous Spaniard, Don Gonsalves Cenunco uk Cas&ada, sought the country by the river Papamura, and effected his return, after a fruitless journey, with much difficulty and cost. It was at his instigation that the gigantic expedition of Don Antonio de Bekre.io was undertaken, which the latter declared cost him 300,000 ducats. Afterwards Diego de Vabgas, and his son Don Jiax, undertook a similar enterprise, but were slain by the Indians at their first setting out. C ACE RES attempted the exploration of Guiana from Nuevo Reyno dc Granada, hut came no nearer to it than Matachincs, which bordered upon the kingdom of Granada, where he remained and peopled that territory. It was also attempted by Alonqo de IIekkera upon two different occasions. He endured great misery, but never entered one league into the country. He sought it by Viapari, or Amana, and was at last slain by a tribe of Indians, called Xagtias. Augustine Dklgado explored the country to the southward of Cuina- nawgotto, with fifty-three footmen and three horsemen. The wars dien existing between the Indians of the vale am! those of the mountains assisted him in his object, lie advanced until he met with an Indian cassiime, named Gakamentel, who received him with much kindness, and gave lim some rich jewel', of gold, six seemly pages, ten young slaves, and tlrce beautiful nymphs, who bore the names of the three provinces from wheiee they had been sent to Garamental. Their names were Guanba, Poloqvaje, and Marouaeata. These provinces were reputed to be very healthy, and to possess a remarkable influence in producing fair women. The Spaniards afterwards requitted the manifold courtesies they had received, byabscondug with all the gold that they could obtain, and seizing the Indians >,s prisoners, whom they conveyed in irons to Cubagua, where they sold then as slaves. Dklgado was afterwards shot in the eye by an Indian, and die! in consequence of the wound. Diego de Losada succeeded in his brother'! place. lie had many new followers, all of whom, in the end, wasted them- selves in mutinies ; those that survived returned afterwards to Cubagua. Reyxoso undertook an expedition, but having endured innumerable troubles " in the discomfort of his mind gave it over, and was buried in Ili-puiiiola." The Dutch, although in the habit of sending ships for the purposes of trade, which cruised along the coast from the river Amazon to the Orinoco, do not appear to have seriously entertained any scheme for seeking this land of promise. Sedate, calculating, and phlegmatic, they resisted the infatuation, and addressed themselves to the real and practical advan- tages the country presented to them. In the year 1580, some vessels being sent from the province of Zealand to carry on the rude system of barter then practised, some of the peisons concerned in the expedition established themselves near the river Pomeroon, where they formed a settlement which tiny called New Zealand, while 4 L» ALTON, SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND THE ELDORADO. 11 4 ' others of the party formed similar settlements on tlie river Essequebo and at the mouth of the Abary or Wyabari Creek, where there was an Indian village called Nibie. Other expeditions followed, bnt pre-eminent among the early explorers was the gifted but unfortunate Sir Walteb Raleigh, who, after sending expeditions to the northern continent of America, and founding the colony of \ irginia, was sent to the West indies in command of a fleet of fifteen large ships to harass the Spaniards, with whom the English were then at war. That part of his enterprise, however, does not concern mil' narrative. Sir Walteb Raleigh, in his retirement, " having had many years since knowledge by relation of that mighty, rich, and beautiful empire of Guiana, and of thai great and golden city which the Spaniards call El Dorado, and the natives Manoa," contemplated a voyage to this country, and on Thursday, February 6th, 1595, set sail in Ins own ship, accompanied by a small hark ol Captain Cross's, besides a small gallego, and arrived at Trinidad on March 22, casting anchor at Point Curiapan, which the Spaniards called Puato de Gallo, situated in 8 deg., or thereabout. After having explored, a great part of the island of Trinidad, lie attacked St. JosQph, the capital, captured the Governor BsRREJO, and set tire to it, at the instigation of the Indians, who had been most cruelly illtreated by the Spaniards. Being reinforced by Captain George Giffobd and Captain Kkvmis, Raleigh proceeded to Guiana; but the distance (according to report, GOO miles,') being greater than he had anticipated, he concealed the fact from the knowledge of the company, who otherwise would never have been induced to attempt the exploration. " In the bottom of an old gallego, which 1 caused to be fashioned like a galley, and in one barge, two wherries, and a ship's boat, we carried 100 persons, and their victuals for a month, being all driven to lie in the rain and weather, in the open air, in the burning sun, and upon the boards, and to dress our meat, and t'> carry all manner of furniture in them ; wherewith they were so pestered and unsavoury, that what with victuals, being most fish, with the wet Clothes of so many men thrust together, and the heat of the sun, I will undertake there was never any person in England that could be found more unsavoury and loathsome, especially to myself, who had for many years before been dieted and eared for in sort far different." Thing obliged to return from many causes, Sir WaLTEB RaleIGH enters into a lull account of his travels and of the country, declaring " that whatsoever prince shall possess it, that prince shall he lord of more gold, and of a more beautiful empire, and of more cities and people, than either the King of Spain or the Ureal Turk" a singular prophecy, and in part fulfilled. Raleigh, having listened to the long account given of Guiana by Don Antonio Berrejo, resolved to make a trial to discover it, although urgently dissuaded by the Spaniard, who was hitherto Unaware of 15 \i. men's object in Cuming hither. On the 22nd o( May, after Inning been surrounded with difficulties in the neighbourhood of the Orinoco, as above noticed, he discovered some Indians, who made him acquainted with the country of Guiana. Having provided a vessel that drew very little water, he explored 4 llALTON. 12 SIR WALTEB RALEIGH AND THE KLDORADO. 4 ' the coast, and discovered several rivers. He saw birds of all colors, " carnation crimson, orange, tawny, purple, green, and other sorts, both simple and mixed." After innumerable dangers in ascending some of those wild and hitherto unexplored rivers, lie discovered on the fifteenth day the distant mountains of Guiana. On ins route lie fell in with Beveral tribes of Indians, with whom he entered into friendly relations, accompanied them to their several towns. Having arrived at the river Caroli, he marched over- land to view the strange waterfalls, and ascended the hills in the neighbour- hood to see the adjacent country. There he heard of a great silver-mine. The following is Raleigh's description of the scene: " I never saw a more beautiful country, nor more lively prospects : hills so raised here and there over the valleys, the river Minding into clivers branches, the plains adjoining without bush or stnbble ; all fair green grass, the ground of hard sand, easy to march on either for horse or foot ; the deer crossing in every path, the birds toward the evening singing on every tree with a thousand several tunes, cranes and herons of white, crimson, and carnation, perching on the river's side, the air fresh with a gentle easterly wind, and every stone that we stooped to take up promised either gold or siher by its complexion." Some of these stones were believed by the Spaniards at Caraeeas to be '• el madre del oro," and they affirmed that the mine was further in the trround. On the left of the river Caroli dwelt a tribe of Indians, called Iwarrawakesi (enemies to the Epuremie), and adjoining a great lake named Cassipa, reported about forty miles broad, dwelt other tribes, called Casse- pagotos, Eparegotos, and Arrawagotos. Beyond Caroli was another river, called Arvi, and next it two other rivers, Atoica and Caora, on which latter inhabited the people called Ewaipanoma, " whose heads appear not above their shoulders" which table, indeed, was generally asserted, and was partly credited by KALEIGH, who states that " such a nation was written of by Mandeville many years ago." To the west of Caroli was met with another river, the Casilero, " falling into the Orinoco, and larger than any in Europe. * * * The winter and summer in these regions, as touching cold and heat, differ not, neither do the trees ever sensibly lose their leaves, but have always fruit, either ripe or green, an:l most of them both blossoms, leaves, ripe fruit, and green at one time." To the north of Caroli was the river Cari, beyond it the river Linio, and between these a nation of cannibals, "in whose chief town, called Acamacaris, is a continual market of women, who were bought by the Arwacas for three or four hatchets a-piece, and sold by them to the West Indies. To the west of l.imo were the rivers Pao, Caturi, Voari, and Capuri, a branch of the Meta; and mention is also made of several other rivers and provinces inland." Raleigh next proc eded to trace the Orinoco toward the sea. He descii ' rigable for ships for nearly 1000 miles, and for smaller vessels nearly 2000 mil dch at the present day is known to be incorrect. The winter or wet season having set in, he departed toward » Daltok. SIR WALTER RALEIGH* AND THE ELDORADO. 13 4 'the cast, " for no half day passed but the river began to rage and oy< vci'v fearfully, and the rains came down in tet showers, and gusts iu great abundance." Raleigh having arrived at the fort of Morequito, sent for an old Indian, Tori.vw wti, uncle to Moreqvito, to give further information about the country. This old chid' dissuaded him from attempting the city of Manao for many reasons, relating at the same time marvellous tales about plates and images of gold which abounded among the borderers , but when Raleigh, excited hy these stories, urged an immediate attack, tie- crafty old Indian always prayed him to defer it till next year. Fully persuaded that these riches actually existed, be prudently deferred his attack till a more fitting season ; and leaving one Francis Sparrow and a buy, called Hugh Godwin, to make further inves- tigations into the country and language, he tools with him a son of the old Indian, as a hostage, and departed on his voyage, carefully exploring the country as he pro. ceded. lie found many beautiful valleys abounding in il :cr, and lakes lull of fish and fowl. In one of these lakes he met with " lishes big as a wine-pipe, which they called manati, and which is most excellent and wholesome mc The manati is better known qom ns the sea-cow. Raleigh having descended the Orinoco to where it. branched into three great rivers, divided his party, and explored the several branches, on the borders of one of which, the Willicapora, he discovered a mountain of crystal. "We saw it far off, and il appeared like a white church tower of an exceeding height. There fallcth overit :i mighty river, which touchcth no pari of the side of the mountain, but rushcth over the top of il, and fallcth to the ground with a terrible noise end clamour, as if a thousand great balls wire knocked one against another." Berrejo, his prisoner, told him thai this mountain con I diamonds and other precious stones, the shining light of which might be seen at a great distance. Kw.Kieu having explored several other rivers, or branches of the Orinoco, after numerous dangers and difficulties, at length succeeded in reaching Trinidad, where he had the happiness of meeting his ships, and shortly afterwards proceeded to England. His report of Guiana was most favourable. He represented it as richer than Mexico or Peru, as abounding in all maimer "of fish, tlcsb, and fowl," and states " that for health, good air, pleasure, and riid.es. 1 am resolved il cannot be equalled by any i either in the Hast or West." Out of lot) persons who accompanied him in his romantic and perilous expedition, exposed to all the hardships of human lile, such as want of \\nn\, raim< lit, habitation, and rest, and Subjected to all the vicissitudes of the weather, and perils both by land and sea, not one died. "The soil," he adds, " is so excellent, and so full of rivers, as it will carry sugar, ginger, and all those commodities which the West Indies hath." To conclude, he adds: "Guiana is a country that hath never yet been sacked, turned, DOT wrought. The face of the earth has nut been torn, nor the virtue and salt of the soil spent by manurancc ;" and he winds up his exaggerated description ot the country by declaring that among the prophecies in rent, si, me of which foretold the loss of the said empire, there was one which affirmed that from " Inglatierra a nation i tiuavK, II SIR WALTKI! RALEIGH AND THE ELDORADO. 4 ' would conic which would subdue the conquerors of the Ingas." He further states : " I had sent Captain Widdex, the year before, to get what know- ledge he could of Guiana; and the end of my journey at this time was to discover and enter the same. But my intelligence was far trom truth ; for the country is situate above 600 English miles further from the sea than I was made believe it had been. " But because there may arise many doubts, and how this empire of Guiana is become so populous, and adorned with so many great cities, towns, temples, and treasures, I thought good to make it known, that the emperor now reigning is descended from those magnificent princes of Pe v u, of whose large territories, of whose policies, conquests, edifices, and riches, Pedro de Ceizok, Francisco Topz, and others, have written large discourses. For when Francisco Pacaro, Diego Al.magro, and others, conquered the said empire of Peru, and had put to death Atabalipa, son to Guaynacapa (which Atabalipa had formerly caused his eldest brother Guascar to be slain), one of the younger sons of Guaynacapa fled out of Peru, and took with him many thousands of those soldiers of the empire called orcioncs, and with those and many others which followed him, he vanquished all that tract and valley of America which is situate between the great rivers of Amazon and Baraquan, otherwise called Maraquon, and Orinoco.* " The empire of Guiana is directly cast from Pern toward the sea, and lieth under the equinoctial line, and it hath more abundance of gold than any part of Peru, and as many or more great cities than ever Peru had when it flourished most. It is governed by the same laws, and the ernpmor and people observe the same religion, and the same form and policies in government, as was used in Peru, not differing in any part; and, as I have been assured by such of the Spaniards as have seen Manoa, the imperial city of Guiana, which the Spaniards call El Dorado, for the greatness, the riches, and for the excellent scat, far exceedeth any of the world, at least of so much of the world as is known to the Spanish nation. It is founded upon a lake of salt water of 200 leagues long, like unto Mare Caspiunq, and if we compare it to that of Peru, and but read the report of Francisco Lopez, and others, it will seem more than credible. " It seemefh to me that this empire is reserved for Her Majesty and the English nation, by reason of the hard success which all these and other Spaniards found iu attempting the same." Another strange prophecy. " Sir Walter Raleigh, after his return to England, still brooded over iu his mind (already filled with numerous schemes) his " favorite but visionary plan of penetrating into the province of Guiana, where he fondly dreamed of taking possession of inexhaustible wealth, flowing from the richest mines in the New World. "f Prevented himself at that time from undertaking the voyage, he sent out Captain Laurexs Keymis, in 1596, to pursue the exploration. This navigator carefully traced the several rivers between the Orinoco and the Amazon, and described them in his travels as sixty-seven in number, enumerating also the names of the Indian tribes that inhabited their banks. On the 6th of April, 1596, he arrived 4 Dalton. * Disooverie of Guiana by Sir Walter Raleigh, Kut. t IStibet tson, book is., p. 184. CAPTAIN KEYMIS-S EXPEDITION. 4 'at the Orinoco, sailed up that river, passing by two havens, Topamerica and Topiawari, without meeting any Indians, who since the time that they had trafficked with RALEIGH, had been driven away by the Spaniards. Ki-.vmis returned to England without making any discovery of importance. Nor did any better success attend another expedition, under Captain M isham, in the same year. The following is an account of Captain K i:vmis's expedition : On Monday, January 26th, 1596, he sailed from Portland Road in the Darling, of London, having in company the Discoverer, a small pinnace, which parted from them at sea in foul weather the Thursday following, and which they supposed to he lost. Friday, February Willi, fell in with the Canary Islands, and afterwards steered for the islands of the ("ape Verd. Thence they sailed February 28, and on Sunday the 14th of March descried a low land in the bottom of a bay, the water very smooth but muddy, and the colour red or tawny. They anchored in the mouth of the river Arrowari, a fair and great river, and there explored the country, meeting the following rivers, Areooa, Wiapoco, Wanari, Caparwacka, Cawo, Caian, Wia, Macuria, Cawroor, and Curassawini. While ascending some of these streams, lie met with Indians, ami stated to them that he had come only for the purpose of trading with them. These Indians exhibited a friendly disposition, and sough* the aid of the English against another nation, tin- Arwaceas. Keymis procured a guide from tin 1 tribe of the Iaos, "who mark themselves with the tooth of an animal, after divers forms," and this man requested to be earned to England, which was done. In addition to those already mentioned, the following rivers are enumerated by Key.MIS : Cuuanamma, VracCO, Maivari, Mawarparo, Aniouiia, Mai'owini, Oncowi, Wiawiami, Aramatappo, Camaivrini, Skuri- nama (now the Surinam), Shurama, Cupanamma, Juan a, Guritini, Winitwari, Berbice, Wopari, Maicaiwini, Mahawaica, Wappari, Lam/ran:' Desnekebe,* Caopui, Paurooma, Moruga, Waini, Uarima, Amacur, Aratoori, Raleana, or Orinoco. On the 6th April Keymis and his people came to anchor within the mouth of the last-mentioned river, after spending altogether about twenty three days in discovery upon the coast. Having made friendship with the Indians, and promising to assisl them against the Spaniards, our parly were now in a fair way to obtain some authentic information with regard to Guiana. They heard of several towns in the interior, and of a nation of clothed people, called Cassanari, who dwell close to the place where the river first took the name of Orinoco, and learned that far within they border upon a sea of salt water, named Parime. The famous city of Manoa, or the El Dorado, was reported to be within twenty days' journey from the mouth of the Wiapoco, sixteen from Barima, thirteen from Amacur, and ten from Aratoori. They were told also, of a raco of headless men, with mouths in their breasts, exceedingly wide, called by the Charibes, Chiparcniai, and by the GuianianSjEwiapanomos; and hyperbolical descriptions were communicated to them uf the wealth of the interior, anil of mines of gold, and precious stones. 1 I ' V L u 1 1 * i riven of (he Dcmerara anil Ewequebo. 16 CAPTAIN KEYMtS'S EXPEDITION. 1 ' Having quitted tin- Orinoco after repeated conferences with several Indian chiefs, they fell in with their long-losl pinnace, the Discoverer, which, after parting from them in a storm, had made the land to the south- ward of Cape Ceeil, and had spent three weeks ranging along the coast. The pinnace being found not seaworthy, was burnt, and the party then proceeded to Trinidad, first making the island of Tobago, and afterwards setting sail through the islands to England, winch they reached on the 29th June, having spent five months in their voyage. Writing to Sir "W.u.tek Raleigh upon the subject, Captain Keymis urged strongly upon an English government, the policy of taking possession of Guiana. " England and Guiana conjoined, are stronger and more easily defended than if England alone should repose herself on her own force and powerfulness. for here," says lie, " whole shires of fruitful rich grounds, lying now waste, for want of people, do prostitute themselves unto us, like a fair ami beautiful woman in the pride and flower of desired gi'ace." And he concludes in this strain, " In one word, the time serveth, the like occasion seldom happeneth in many ages, the former repeated consideration do all jointly together importune us, now or never to make ourselves rich, our posterity happy, our prince every way stronger than our enemies, and to establish our country in a state flourishing and peaceable. Oh, let not then such an indignity rest on us, as to deprave so notable an enterprise with false rumours, and vain suppositions, to sleep in so serious a matter, and renouncing the honour, strength, wealth, and sovereignty of so famous a conquest, to Leave all unto the Spaniards." In the following year, 1597, Raleigh again appeared in the we*t, under command of the Earl of Essex, but the object of this expedition was rather for plunder, and to annoy the Spaniards (in which they were evidently successful), than with any view to discovery. The following is an account of this voyage to Guiana : Upon Thursday, October lit]], 1596, the pinnace called the Wat departed from Limchouse, but owing to contrary winds, and other accidents, did not get beyond Weymouth before December 27th. On the 25th January, 1597, they made the Canaries, and meeting with several other vessels, both English and French, sailed in company with them to various places j at last, on February 12th, they set sail from Mayo, and stood for the coast of Guiana, and on February the .'27th, they made the land, which appeared low, somewhere about ('ape Cecil. They next reached the river Wiapoco (about 4 dcg. north of the line), and explored it as far as the fall (about sixteen leagues), and found it full of islands, but met no Indians. They then sailed along the coast ami traded with the natives. The traffic was principally in tobacco. They passed by the rivers Euracco and Amana, explored the Marawinne, and on the 1th of April reached the falls, having had frequent and friendly intercourse with the Indians. On the 18th April they entered the river Coritine,* and met with a small town named Warawallc. In this river they also met a bark, called the John, of London, with Captain Leigh on board. They were told here, that on a neighbouring river, the Dessekeberf there were lately about 300 Spaniards, but that most 4 DitToK. * The Curentyn. t The present river Essequebo. EXPLORES THE CORENTYN RIVER. 17 4 f of them were now destroyed, or dead. They also learned that this river stretched so far inland as to be within one day's journey of the lake, called Parima, whereupon Manoa was supposed to stand; " and finding that the river Coritine doth meet with Dessekebe up in the land, we made account to go apinto the country, to discover a passage unto that rich city." Accordingly, on the 38th April, a party, composed of about forty men and twenty Indians, proceeded in two shallops and two eanocs to explore this passage. They diligently ascended the Coritine, sleeping at night in tin' woods and visiting several Indian towns, and arrived on the 2nd of Maj al the falls, over some of which they passed; hut here their detcrminati in failed them, for learning that there were other tails not passable, and thai the Indians higher up w raid probably oppose their icss, (hey resolved to abandon the undertaking, although .Mr. Masham yielded divers reasons to the contrary. On the Ith of May they regained their ships, and a report having reached them that there were ten canoes of Spaniards in the mouth of the Coritine, they made ready for an assault. It appeared afterwards, however, that this w as merely a foraging party in search of provisions for the settlers in Orinoco, Maxouco, and Dessekebe. They described the river Coritine as about fifty leagues from the mouth to the lirst falls, crowded with island;, and having three tributary streams and si\ towns. Having no further object to detain them, they cleared the river upon Sunday, the 8tll of May, and took their COUTSe to the West Indies. Passing by St. Vincent, St. Lucia, and Martinique, they arrived at Dominica upon May 13th. Visited Guadaloupe on the loth, and sailing along Montscrrat, Antigua, and Barbadoes, steered across the Atlantic, and arrived at Plymouth on June 28th, without any casualty. The account given of Guiana by Mr. Masham confirmed the favourable evidence of Sir Wn.iini Raleioh. in point of climate they found it temperate and healthy. " I'm- besides that we lost not a man upon the coast, one that was sick before he came there was nothing sicker for being there, but came home safe — thanks lie to Cod." The Indians he describes as "tractable and ingenious, and very loving and kind to Englishmen generally." There was greal store of fish and fowl of divers sorts, "Tortoise's flesh plentiful, and tortoise's eggs innu- merable; deer, swine, conies, hares, cocks and hens, with potatoes, more than we could spend, besides all kinds of fruits at all times of the year, and the rarest fruits of the world — the pine, the plantain, with other variable reel plcasanl things growing to their hands without planting or dressing. lie makes particular mention of Cassari ' assava), "which, says he, i^ as good bread as a man need to Cat, and better that we can carry thither." lie describes accurately the mode of preparing it, which is the same as that practised at the present time. With reference to the commodities of the country, h speaks of a 18 RALEIGH'S LAST EXPEDITION TO GUIAXA. 1 ' Bpeciea of hemp, of cotton woo!, pitch, gums, pepper, &c. ; also of parrots, monkeys, and other animals. Not discouraged by the ill success, Sir Waltek Raleigh, whilst in prison, still cherished his romantic visions about Guiana, and every second rear during his imprisonment continued to send vessels thither to encourage the Indians against the Spaniards, ami to prepare them lor the protection of the English. At Length, when liberated from the 'Tower, in 1816, he made arrangements for a grand expedition — raised about 10,500/. by selling his own and his wife's property, and attracted a great number of adventurers jy the splendour of his reputation. A < ton, dated 26th of August, 1616, was procured from King James through the influence of Sir Ralph Wiwood ; but although released from confinement, and holding this com- mission, Raleigh had not obtained a formal pardon. It is true that a pardon was offered him for 7007. by some of the courtiers, but this he refused, strengthened by the opinion of Bacon, who gave him the following advice : Sir, the knee timber of your voyage is money ; spare your purse in this particular, for upon my life you bave a sufficient pardon for all that is past already, the king having, under his broad seal, made you admiral of your fleet, and given you power of the martial law over your officers and soldiers." Seven months after the date of the commission a fleet of l-l vessels was ready for sea, the largest ship being the " Destiny," -lit) tons. burden with 3G guns, being under Sir Walter Raleigh's own command. On the 28th March, 1G17, Sir Walter Raleigh droped down the Thames. In the May following, he published his order to the fleet at Plymouth, hut it was late in June, or early in July, before he started. The violence of the weather compelled him to put into Cork, where he was detained till late in August. lie made the Canaries in September, the Cape de Verd Islands in October, and finally reached the continent of South America iu November, after a very bad passage. They made Guiana on the 12th November. On board of Raleigh's own ship, principally filled with his friends and relations, a great mortality had occurred. Forty-two persons had died on the voyage, as many more were ill. the great commander himself being amongst the sufferers. In a Letter to his wife, after expatiating upon all the disasters he had experienced, he :oncludcs in these words : — "To tell you that 1 might be here king of the Indians were a vanity. But my name bath still lived among them here. They feed me with fresh meat, and all that the country yields : all (Her to obey me." This letter was dated : " Prom Caliana, iu Guiana, the 14th Novem- ber." Raleigh remained at the river Caliana until the 4th December, 1617, recruiting his shattered forces, and subsequently despatched five small v scls, under the charge of Captain Keymis, to the Orinoco, to discover the mines. This little squadron had about 250 men in companies of fifty each, under the command of Captains Parkek, North, Paleigh (son to Sir Walter), Thornhvrst, and Citidley. The remaining vessels CAPTAIN KEYMIS IN THE ORINOCO. 19 4 c of tlic fleet (live in number, some having deserted,) proceeded to Trinidad to await the result of tlic expedition against Orinoco, and to watch the Spaniards. The forces under Captain Ketmis having landed on the Orinoco, marched up to the town of St. Thomas, which they attacked and captured, hut with considerable Ions. Amongst others, young Walter Raleigh fell at the head of his company. Captain Keymis, disheartened at the loss of his hest troops, relinquished his search for the mines, and after slaying tint governor of the El Dorado, Don Diego Palamica, and several of his captains, withdrew from the town and re-embarked his troops. Raleigh's interview with this commander led to a melancholy catastrophe. Keymis, unable to justify his conduct, retired to his cabin and destroyed himself. Some of the other adventurers under Captains Wiiitnkv and Wal- LASTON sailed hack to Grenada. These circumstances preyed upon the mind of Raleigh. The darling object of his ambition seemed no longer attainable, and after having sacrificed his son, his health, and his fortune, he left the Quianas for ever, and repaired to England, doomed to end his chivalrous career upon the scaffold. Perhaps there is no tissue of romantic adventure in the history of human delusions more extraordinary than the narrative of these expeditions. I'll- a period of upwards of one hundred years the belief in a kingdom abounding in gold and silver, whose capital was paved with the precious metals, and outshone the sun with the splendour of its precious stones, continued to dazzle the imaginations of men in all parts of the world, notwithstanding the repeated proofs which the failure of one undertaking alter another furnished of the fallacy of their expectations. The "Arabian Nights" hardly contain an enchantment so marvellous as that which was exercised oxer the adventurous spirits of the sixteenth century by the teal failles thai were circulated of the El Dorado. They sought it in the east on margin of the Atlantic ; th y pursued the phantom to the north of the banks of the wild Orinoco; they followed its imaginary track to the west over the might] Andes, through savage valleys, interminable forests, and perilous swamps, and to the south over the dark waters of the river N sgro and the island-studded Amazon ; hut the land of promise vanished as they approached, and the further they advanced the more hopeless was the pursuit. I > u i disappointments, instead of damping their ardour, fired their determination anew, and accumulated disasters deemed to confirm their faith. Their hones whitened the hanks of rivers — successive expe- ditious |: 'fished and tl e few survivors w ho came hack to tell the tale, only d to stimulate the delusion their example should have reproved and dispelled. In this more instructed age we look hack with wonder upon the infatuation that led to so vast an expenditure of energy and capital upon so manifest a chimera; hut it is impossible at the same time not to admire the courage and perseverance that were wasted upon its pursuit. The resolution of these desperate adventurers mounted with the difficulties and era thai surrounded them; the poisoned arrows show.. ,| upon them 4 l)ir , , 20 THE ELDORADO AX ILLUSION, 4 ' from the ambuscades of the trackless woods — the sickly heats of tin- climate — the horrors i>t' the rainy season — the pestilent morass — the atmosphere charged with miasma — the earth and the air alive with reptiles and insects more formidable than the human foes through whose possession they had to pass — were encountered with a fanaticism which nothing short of the thirst of gold Could have inspired or sustained. The vision of the Golden City has now faded in the awakening light of knowledge, li has been n served for a distinguished philosopher of the present age to submit the delusion to tin scii nee, and dissipate th« gorgeous phantasy for ever. "In the universal search for El Dorado, two pear more particularly to have attracted g tcntion — viz.. the regions along the eastern slope of the Andes of Candiuan \ . \\ Granada), which have been considered as the birthplace of the fiction, and that part of Guiana which lies between the rivers Rupununi and Braneo. A large inland another Caspian Sea, as Raleigh expi ' him: 'If, was the con companion of the golden city. Whether or no this locality referred to the Andes south of Mexico, or to Guiana, we Hud it surrounded by water. Thus when the space where El Dorado was situated was supposed to be in Guiana, the name of the river Parima, and th i inundations to which the flat country or savannahs were n ,'h which the rivers Parima, Takutu, Xurumn, Maku, and Rupununi take their course, gave rise to the fable of the White .Sea, or Laguna del P Rupununi. Captain Keymis, who, at the expense of Raleigh, undertook a second voyage to Guiana, identified the locality of Dorado with this lake, which, as he imagined, contained the town of Manao ; and Humboldt, after fully examining into the subject of the lake Parima, proved that it no lo existed. Its erasure from the maps put an end to the ! j .1 painful illusion of the El Dorado." It has already been stated, thai the Dutch in the year 1580, had formed settlements on the Pomeroon and the Essequibo. Upon the former they had a factory called Nieuw Zealand, and, in the following year 1581, 9 'the States-General of Holland privileged certain individuals to trade to the coast. These proceedings were viewed with a jealous eye by the Spaniards, who, aided by the Indians, drove the Zealandcrs from their station. The persevering character of the Dutch would not allow a first check to daunt their efforts j their - i tier Joo.st Van Den Hood suc- ceeded in gaining possession of a small island at the junction of the Mazerooni and Cayuni, called Kykoveral, and in 1602 Jan Van Peeue, native of Flushing, attempted to open a trade with the Indians of the Orinoco, but was defeated by the Spaniards; the Zeelanders, however, about this time el ttlement on th of the Essequibo : in 1613 they reported their colony to be in a flourishing condition, and in 1621, the Dutch Government undertook to supply the colonists with negro slaves from Africa ; for the prosecution of which a company was formed and a monopoly granted. J.vx Van Peers, with his companions, when 1 Dalto*. 9 Montgomery Minus, PLANTATIONS FORMED ON THE BERBICE AND ESSEQUIBO. 21 'driven by the Spaniaids from the Orinoco, commenced colonizing on the banks of the Berbice river, and cleared a large extent of territory between tlic rivers of Berbice and Courantyn. In 1057, Che Zealanders colonized en the river Pomeroon, and the creek Morocco, and erected thereon the towns of New Zealand and New Middleburgh. It is said that, in 1662, after its settlement, the whole coast was ceded by Charles II. to Lord Willoughby, the then Governor of Barbadoes, who named the principal river wherein Paramaribo is situate, and, in fact, the whole colony, Surryh&m mm honour of the Earl of Surry, the term being afterwards changed into Surinam), aid that the colony was purchased from the heirs of Lord Wii.- i.oit.nnv by tie- British Crown, and exchanged with the Dutch Government I'm' New Holland, in North America mow New York). Essequibo, in 1665, w as taken by the English, and afterwards plundered by the French ; but both were expelled from the Dutch settlements, in tin- following year, by an expedition from Holland. In 1669 the whole of Hutch Guiana was transferred from certain gentlemen in Amsterdam, flushing, &c, who aed to be proprietors, to the Dutch West India Company. In 171'- the French took possession of Berbice by force from the Hutch proprietors j but, in 171 t, returned to its former owners, on the payment of a sum of money. \t this period the States- General contracted for the supply of negroes to the Colony, in the proportion of two-thirds male, and one-third female, at the rate of 250/. each. In 17.-0 the proprii tors of Berbiee, not having a capita] equal to the cultivation of which the colony was capable, raised a fund of o, 200,000 florins, divided into 1600 shares of 2i)0() each, to he employed solely in cultivating sugar, cocoa, and indigo ; 50 per. cent, was to be repaid in l?:.'l, the remainder when required bj the Directors, who consisted of seven Proprietors (afterwards increased to nine), of 20.00!) florins each, residing at Amsterdam: the former Proprietors of Berbice were also to be paid 800,000 florin?, or allowed to purchase 1.00 shares. From this p, the Colonics rapidly flourished and extended ; coffee cultivation was intro- duced from Surinam, and a fort built at the junction of (he Canje. A From the river Amazon to the Essequibo was discovered, in L735, by a Poile Lamed Sn.\ \ m: R.OSA, who had been private secretary to the \ iceroj of Brazil ; but, having killed a nobleman in a duel, he I'cd with some negroes in a canoe alone, the Rio Branca, Tacusa, or Tatacotu, Maou, and across the lake Arnica ; thence entering the Rupununi, ami finally reaching Essequibo. In 17 11 the planters at Essequibo, thinking the low lands near the ea more productive than the upper COUUtry, over which they had previously settled, began emigrating to the former; and, in 1717), the Directors of the Chamber of Zealand gave permission to form plantation <»n the unin- habited coast of the river Hemerara. A most disastrous aegro insurrection took place in Berbice in L763, from which the colony was not relieved until after eleven months' d in, and only \\w\\ by the arrival of a Btrong squadron from Holland. Courts of policy and of civil and criminal justice were established for Hemerara 177:!. on an island named Borsden or 9 ttOKTOOME&T Martin. 22 SEAT OF GOVERNMENT KKMOYED TO GEORGETOWN. ' Borsclcn, about twenty miles up the river ; but, the following year, the scat of Government was removed from thence to the cast point of the mouth of the river, and named Stabroek, now George Town. In 1781 the colonic* on the Esscquibo and Demerara were placed under the protection of Great Britain by a squadron of Admiral Lord Rodney's fleet ; but, in 1783, the French took temporary possession of the whole Dutch settlements, which, in 1796, surrendered to the British forces under the orders of Sir Uali-h Abeiuromme, and commanded by Major-Gcneral White. These settle- ments were, however, restored to the Hutch by the treaty of Amiens, in 1802, but again taken possession of by England on the breaking out of the war in 1803; since which period they have belonged to Great Britain. In 1812 all distinctions between the colonies of Esscquibo and Demerara, whether of jurisdiction or otherwise, were abolished — the office of commander of Esscquibo was done away with, the courts of civil and criminal justice of both colonies united at Demerara, and the judicial establishment at Fort Island discontinued ; the name of the capital was also changed from Stabroek to George Town, and a board of police appointed for its internal manage- ment, the financial representations of Demerara and Esscquibo combined with the college of Kiczers, and the right of suffrage extended to all persons paying income tax on 10,000 florins, or possessing twenty- five slaves. In 1807 the slave-trade was only finally abolished. By an addi- tional article to a convention signed at London, 13th August, 1811, Demerara, Esscquibo, and Berbice were finally ceded to Great Britain, with the condition that the Dutch proprietors had liberty, under certain regulations, to trade with Holland. The year 1818 witnessed the first introduction of trial by jury and the commission of oyer and terminer. In 1820, after much angry dispute relative to the enormous and illegal exac- tions of fees, a tariff of the same was fixed, and a petition to the Crown, praying for an inquiry into judicial abuses agreed to, which enquiry was ordered. A serious insurrection of the slaves took place on the cast coast of the Demerara river, in 1823, which was finally suppressed, and Mr. Smith, a Missionary of the London Society, being accused of inciting the negroes to rebellion, was condemned to death — a sentence which was commuted at home, to total banishment from the West Indies : Mr. Smith died in prison pending the sentence. The members of the London Missionary Society and many others, believing him innocent and his sentence undeserved, have erected to his memory in the City of George- town, a place of worship called Smith Chapel. Under the Dutch, Demerara and Esscquebo constituted one govern- ment, and Berbice another, which arrangement continued in force under the British Administration down to the year 1831, when the Colouics of Demerara, Essequebo, and Berbice were united unto one government, and called British Guiana. 1 13 ' The constitution of the Colony of Berbice dates from the year 1732; under it the Governor was nominated by the Directors of the Mer- cantile Body called the Berbice Association, and he was assisted by a council of six ; any vacancy occurring being tilled by the Governor's P Al UM UU.UJiUT Mash*. 13 Col. OllKcLut. s? .•=0 M £° -1- •* COURT OF POLICY ESTABLISHED. 23 13 ' selection of one out of two nominations submitted by the remaining councillors. In the year 1 . when the first step in the process of amelioration was affected by the passing of the Ordi- . No. 15, for regulating the elective franchise, and i the Colony into Electoral Districts. The great principle of the whole system of Government is evidently centralization. Until the year 1826, there existed not even local sub- divisions of the Colony. Demerara and Essequebo "ere then distributed into ten Parishes, and the same process was subsequently applied to Bcrbice. This arrangement, however, was simply ecclesiastical, involving no civil authority or jurisdiction, for the Members of the Vestries, constituted o administer them, were, and still are, nominated from time to time by the Court of Policy, while the Combined Court grants the only funds at their disposal whether for maintenance of the fabrii pport of the poor, IS Col. I * During the discnl l I 1818-9, it of p . .i ., i i ided. t Proa I Lo tli< Functions of the Financial I 2G PRESENT CO.\ of 1849; and the enlarging of ihe qualification for a seat in cither body, by including the tenure of property under lease, and income from whatever source derived, of not less than 300/. duty per annum. All preceding Proclamations and Laws (except lo of 1849) were repealed; so that this would have become the Constitutional Charter of the Colony. Since that time no legislation has been attempted in the same direction until the passing of Ordinance No. 1 of 18G4, which, however, is a mere declaratory act, defining the meaning of the term " Colonist," as employed in the " Plan of Redrcs " above noticed; and Ordinance No. 1G of 18G4, to remove some difficulties in the exercise of the functions of the College of Electors. The constitution may be summed up very briefly. It consists of a Governor, Court of Policy, and a Combined Court. The functions of the Executive and Legislative Councils, and of the Assembly, are performed by the Governor and Court of Policy, assisted by the six Financial Repre- sentatives for certain purposes. The Court of Policy is composed of five official and five elective members. The official members are the Governor, the Attorney-General, the Receiver-General, the Auditor-General, and the Government-Secre- tary, who is also the Secretary to the Court. The elective members are chosen as follows : — When a vacancy occurs the seven Kiczers, who arc chosen for life, meet and submit to the Court of Policy the names of two persons, from whom one is selected by the Court. All laws are enacted by this body, which also takes a prominent part in the general administration of the affairs of the Colony. The Constitution, however, requires that for the purpose of voting the annual expenditure and framing the taxes, they shall call to their assistance the six Financial Representatives, during whose attendance the Court is called the Combined Court. The Colony is divided into five Electoral Divisions, each of which has its Kiczcr or Kiczers chosen for 13 Col. Olhix List. ^8 "a £° ej KKYKXIH AND K\ PEtfDITtfRE.— POLU'LATION. 27 13 ' life, and one or more Financial Representatives, elected for two years, and eligible for re-election. ELECTOR IL DIVISION. 1 County of Demerara . 2 Cit v of Georgetown . ."> County of Essequebo. I County o!' Berbice 5 'Town ol New-Amsterdam 1 RE PRESENT ATI) BS, REGISTERED I'.l.l'i I I\ 1 1 I ir 1 J financial 160 > 1 >> 502 ) >> 137 ,, 1 •• 40 „ 1 i] 68 7 6 907 In the Colony of British Guiana the Roman Dutch law is in force in civil cases, modified by Orders in Council and Local Ordinances, the Criminal Law is now the same as thai of Great Britain, and is adminis- tered in the same manner, exeepf that (here is not the intervention of a ( Irand Jury. There is no House of Assembly or Executive Council. Revenue and Expenditure. I £ 1856 230,595 235,013 1859 271,615 215.217 1860 279,821 802,533 1861 803,753 305,1 1 1 1862 275,007 296,959 1863 261,625 251. is:, 1864 308. 8l)() 2 19. 70S 1865 309,371 300,611 Total Vqlue of Imp Exports. is:,;, I860 e 886,016 1.1 15,958 L 1,381,871 1,513,452 1861 1862 1863 1,339,712 1,107,181 1.121.979 1,583,649 1,365,295 1,679,385 1864 1865 1,508,560 1,359,292 1,845,351 2,089,639 Population in 1861. Nat vea of British West India Madeira or Cape dc Guiana. Islands. Verde. 93,861 8,309 9,859 Europe. North America Other places. 1,482 1 17 Immigrants. 298 Africa, .Madras. Calcutta. ,,, ^Miscellaneous China. 1 ovulation. . i ,.».». i 3,664 18,416 2,629 913 Total poi tulation, 118,907 The aboriginal Indians were estimated iii 1851 at about 7,000 ; but the best authority in the Colony, Mr. .M'Clintock, Superintendent of Rivers and Creeks, Pomeroon district, carries the number now as high as 20,000 or 21,000. He is of opinion, that the return in 185] was greatly under-estimated, and that the disturbances in Venezuela have caused large accessions to the numbers of the tribes within the British territories.' Yi Col. OtlicL Libl. 28 CLIMATE. CHAPTER 1 1. Climate. — Mean Temperature — Wet and Dry Seasons — Earthquakes — Fall of Rain — Epidemics — Transparency of the Atmosphere — Health of the Colony compared with olher Countries. 2 'Though Guiana is situated in the torrid zone, it enjoys comparatively a more temperate climate than other countries under the same latitude. The mean temperature for the year is 81 deg. 2ra., the maximum 'JO deg., the minimum 74 deg. It is generally considered that two wet and two dry seasons constitute the changes during the year. The great dry season commences at the coast regions towards the end of August, and continues to the end of November, after -which showers of rain follow to the end of January; the shori dry season commences in the middle of February, and continues to the middle of April. The rains descends afterwards in torrents, and the rivers commences to inundate their shores. During that period the wind is frequently from the west and south-west, and, coming from the land is thought unhealthier than the regular sea- breeze, which during the dry season begins to set in between ten and eleven a.m., and continues until sunset, sometimes even through the night. The months of October and November are the most delightful in the year ; the sky cloudless, the heat moderate, and the thermometer at noon tide scarcely higher than 85 deg. Fart. During the rainy season the oppressive weights of the atmosphere is tempered by northern breezes, and in the months of September to November the breezes from the east and south- east, which have passed over a vast extent of the ocean, are invigorating, and refresh the air to such a degeee, that through the night the ther- mometer has has been known to fall to 7 1 deg. Fahr. The moisture necessary to maintain vegetation is then replaced by dew; and not only in the interior, where the country is uot extensively cleared, but likewise in the open savannahs, the trees and plants will be found in the morning dripping with dew. The change of the season marked by severe thunder-storms ; but however loud the peals of thunder may reverberate, ami however vivid the flashes of lightning which precede them, fatal accidents by lightning seldom occur in Guiana. Gales arc scarcely known, much less those terrible phenomena of nature, hurricanes, which in the neighbouring islands destroy in a brief time the fruits of many years' labour, causing devastation and loss of life to a vast extent. 2 SCUuMDVBOK. CLIMATE. 29 2 ' A few shocks of earthquake are ore: ionaily felt, but they are so insignificant that the inhabitants notice thi >ecur. The temperature of the interior is still more mild, ami the climate healthy. The season in the interior is only marked by two changes; from the month of August to the mouth of March there are only occasional showers, but from March to August the rain descends in torrents, ami the rivers com- ■ to swell ami overflow their banks, to a greater or less extent a icording to their locality. It is usually assumed thai the year is divided into two wet ami two dvy seasons, but latterly the periods of such changes have net been well i!.' 8 • 1'i'oni table- given by the late Mv. Sandeman, of the Colonial Observatory, it is shewn that the annual fall of rain, during a series of cd from 7 to 11 feet, it is, I . in be remarked, that although the amount of rain is so great, it si for 1'-' hours co ay rarely passes without fair weather and sunshine. ded a- unhealthy, and prejudicial to Europeans especially ; but that it is ii ider i irdinar] circum nces as favoui lan life as that of many i luropi an countrie .' l ' It is bcli the ran i I mortality e\ ci! among the laboui i 37 to 10, but in London and Prance ii is equal a- regards the whole population, rich and poor, ami in oilier countries ii is even more: thus in Naples 1 in ."• I ; unburg, 1 in •"•">; Par 32; Madrid, 1 in 29; Rome, 1 in 25; Am cord 'ii, 1 in :.' I ; Vienna, 1 in 22\ ; and a comparison of the mor- tality in Demcrara and the healthy county of Rutlandshire in England s that duration of lite is in favor of the Colonj : ' ' It is nevertheless true that the climate is not well adapted to the titution of whiie persons coming from temperate regions to he employed in the cultivation oi the low lands. The unfavourable impression in regard to the insalubrity of the Climate of Guiana has probablj originated in the occasional occurrence of the l'ellow Pei mic, the subjects of which arc almost exclusively from the stranger population, including seamen especially. Such epidemics arc chiefly confined to the Sea Port Towns oi Georgetown and New-Amsterdam, and rarely extend inland. Sir It. Si iioMiuue.lv states, that " the salubrity of the interior is proverbial, and there are many instances of longevity among the settlers' on the banks of the Rivers Demerara, Berbice, and Essequebo. The natural drainage is here so perfect that all impurities are swept oil' by the torrents of rain, and the purity of the air is so great that the planets Venus and Jupiter may be seen in Hie day time. While descending the upper Essequebo in December, 1838, we saw, on. «>n at three o'clock, the Sun, the Moon, and the planet Venus."' 2 Scboxbokgi, I Cat. cod. from II. Guiiu to 1 on. Ex. ISM. * .YlojJrookBRT MAKn* ■ History ui t fl i In 80 GEOLOGY AND SOIL. CHAPTER III. Geology and Soil. — Delta of the Essequebo — Granitic Bocks — Composition of the Coast Landa — Artesian Weils — Forests of Courida — Amazing EVrtihty of the Soil — Pegaa Lands — Ochres. Iron, Mica and precious Metals found — Mining attempts by the Dutch — Mountain of Solid Granite — Veins of Quartz — While Clay — Rock Chtystal— Red Agate — Conoko Mountains — Fertile Savannahs. 9 ' Little is known of the geological strata of Guiana. An alluvial Hat extends along the sea-coast for about thirty miles inland, terminating at a range of sand-hills. Artesian Wells have since been sunk in various pares of the colony, and water obtained at depths varying from 100 to 145 feet. This supply has proved a great advantage to the inhabitants. At twelve feet below the alluvial surface, an irregular stratum of fallen trees (of a hind called the Courida, and still known on the coast) was discovered, in a semi-carbonized state, and, at forty feet depth, blue clay ; at fifty feet below the surface, another similar stratum of decaying wood, twelve'feet thick; nine feet deeper, a compact of whitish grey clay ; thirty-one ditto, yellow sand, mixed with clay ; six ditto, violet-coloured clay, diminishing in shades to yellow light straw, and again merging into slate-coloured clay; the remainder, to a depth of 120 feet from the surface, is argile, the lower part being of that smooth, soapy surface indicating the purest Wedgewood clay. Mr. Hillhotjse say-, t}i:\t it seems evident from this, ' that, some ages ago, this continent was habitable fifty feet !> low the present surface, and that it was then covered with an immense forest of Conridas, which was destroyed by conflagration, as appears by the ochrous sub-stratum. The sea must, at that time, have beeu confined to the blue water, where there is-now eight or nine fathoms; and, whatever may have been the comparative level between the Pacific and Atlantic, on this side of the Isthmus of Darien the surface must have been then fifty feet lower than now.' It ni."y, however, lx- supposed that the bed of the Demerara river had been gradually filled in by the alluvial deposit of earthy materials brought down by the floods, together with Courida and drift woods, as is now going on along the Guiana coast. The delta of the Essequibo, anil to a considerable extent along all the rivers, is decayed vegetable matter, forming a fertile black mould, oia a clayey sub-stratum. As the Essequibo is ascended, the alluvium of the estuary changes to white sandstone, with scattered appearances of black a AlONTOOMEEV MABTIN. GEOLOGY AND SOIL. 31 9 'oxydcof manganese, or black sand ; to the sandstone felspar succeeds, and thou granite. The mountain ranges seen on pasriug from the Essequibo into the Mazarooni, appear to 1);- white quartz, 5000 feet high, having the appearance ol gold, from the numerous shining particles of mica in the quartz, which give to the mass the appearance of the precious metals; (1ms forming the far-famed El Dorado of the chivalrous and ill-treated Raleigh. Raleigh's Peak is supposed to be volcanic, and. according to the Indians. several volcanoes exist in the interior, particular! I en the Siparoonee and Ripanoone rivers. On the Dcmerara river, the firsl indication of rock is met with at seventy miles from* .'own. underwater; it appears to be porphyritic sandstone. At the p . which is said to he (I deg, 80 in. (ninety-tour miles from George Town), there is a large bed of rocks, of a granitic nature, with some hornblende; and at the rapids. 10(i miles up, or seventy miles, a-- the crow flics, from G sorge Town, there is abundance itilicd greenstone. The structure of the mountains is principally granite, with a. large proportion of iron-tone. The coast lands of the whole colony are princi- pally compos (1 of an alluvial blue clay, intermixed with narrow strata of sand, and, on the Mahaica coast, with sand and shell reefs. This tract is most particularly adapted to the cultivation of sugar, cotton, and plantains, to which it is mainlj devoted ; nor does there exist in the known world a soil possessed of such amazing richness and fertility. It is never manured, though an acre has been known to produce upwards 000 Hi-, of sugar, or 20,000 lbs. of farinaceous food (the plantain), iu a year. As we go deeper into the interior, 'lie clay loses its blue tinge, and gradually bee How ; at this stage, if is always covered with a stratum of vegetable residuum, called - . which is (he half-dec I table mould fn ra iss and leaves, and is, in many places, several fcit d.cp, forming a great impediment to eultiva Plantains do not thrive in this laud ; hut it is peculiarly favour- able to the growth of coffee, which has now almost ceased to be cultivated. Behind the pegas finds com' high ridges of sand, interspersed with valleys, in which is a slight admixture of clay. These sand reefs present many fertile spots for the cultivation of coffee, cocoa, arnotto, fruits, and ground provisions of all kinds ; and, extending in their direction parallel with the sea-coast, are occupied exclusively by tin- Arawaak nation. To the south of this belt the rocky region commences, consisting of elevated ridu'es and detached conical hills ig on bases of sand, stone, granite, and silicious crystal, containing a great variety of ochres and iron ores, mica, prismatic, hexagonal crystals, and, in some instances, slight, indications ol' the precious metals. Though it is fully as probable that gold and silver exist in the primitive mountains of the west, as well as in those of the eastern const, yet no native specimens have ever been produced by the Indians within our territory. Two or three attempts at milling were made by the Dutch, on their first, settlement in Essequibo, but the ore was not found worth the expense of working. The most probable site B IfOHTOOMUl Martin. 32 GRANITE MOUNTAINS.— QUARTZ.— PRECIOUS METALS. s ' of the precious metals is in the mountains of the Attaraya and other distant natiot The rocky region is p I by the Accaways and Caribisce, inter- ed with small settlements of Macousi and Paramuna; but these latter arc principally found in the debatable land at the foot of the mount whore they become the alternate victims both of the coast tribes and the mountaineers. In addition to the foregoing details, derived from various sources, I am indebted to the urbanity and science of Dr. Hancock of Demerara, for the following development of the geology of the interior of British Guiana, in which the learned and philanthropic doctor has long resided. Nothing of pel i ifactions, sea shells, or the organic remains of Murine animals has yet been observed in the mountains of the interior of British Guiana. The principal Component parts of the interior mountains are granite, porphyry, and their various modifications, all denoting a primitive formation; while the exterior ranges towards the coast of a minor elevation, arc chiefly composed of indurated clays, with sand and gravel stones; indicating a secondary order of formation. The great rocks of the interior arc chiefly of a conoidal figure. On a savannah in 2 deg. 50 m. north latitude, there is a mountain called Weive or Wey-wey, c d oi one entire solid block of granite, seven hundred feet high; and about forty miles to the north-east is another still higher, called Taripoor (devil's rock) ; they are both of the cone or pyramid shape, much exceeding the Egyptian piles in elevation and magni- tude. Veins of quartz are very common traversing the great masses of granite, and most perspicuous along the channels of the rivets in the dry season; the directions of all the strata in Guiana being almost uniformly from north-east to south-west. Vast quantities of iron are met with in the mountains, the soil of which, as also that of many parts of the interior, consists of a strong and fertile Loam ; being a mixture of clay, sand, and vegetable mould, with little calcareous earth, but much ferruginous matter, giving to the soil a reddish tinge in some places. The soil of some of the upland savannahs 18 composed of clay and gravel, very close, and though apparently sterile, yielding food for the immense herds of cattle and horses that depasture along the Rio Branco. Of a very pure white clay there are immense masses forming the high banks oi the Essequibo above the falls, which would probable prove a valuable article in the manufacture of stone- ware or porcelain, as would also the huge blocks of milk-white quartz found in varii I ces. Some indura lays, leu-dee -s, have beeu found mixed with send, mica, u at li, oxyde of iron, &c, amorphous and full of particles oi a metallic brilliancy. These indurations, which are of various dej of har in horizontal s rata, breaking into diagonal plates ; they are found along the edge of the water, and, Dr. Hancock thinks, are caused from the influence of the sun and water, assisted by a deposition of he! r< i neous earthy matters. Sub- stances of a metallic nature, which have the appearance of ores, arc also very abundantly met with in the mountains, but still more plentiful among the falls and rapids of the river.' (The existence of Gold in various parts 9 MOMTQOllm v Martin. 4 i s ^ V 5 1° .1 <3 2 «5 s a $ o< 05 R '5 05 * V r ROCK CHRYSTAL— PRIMITIVE ROCK— YAKIHTY OF SOIL. 35 ' ' of British Guiana is now an established fact. On the Cuyuni, 3 days journey from the City of Georgetown, the British Guiana Gold Company has erected machinery for the crushing of quartz. The yield is stated to be considerable, and a good return to the enterprising Company may be anticipated.) 9 ' Rock crystal is found upon several mountains of Demerara, growing (if it may be so said) out of beds yf quartz. Dr. Hancock only met with one species, and tliat always crystallized into hexagonal columns, and generally terminated by a single pyramid with from three to six faces. These columns arc commonly found solitary, hut are sometimes met with in groups, standing together, as it were, agglutinated. They are perfectly transparent, of a water colour, taking a line polish, ami nearly as hard as agate. Red agate is found in the Rio Maow opposite, and not far distant from a crystal mountain. .Much of the land at Moroko is thickly red over with silicioua gravel stones of an iron colour. • At this ■ of mountains, primitive rock, in smaller or larger portions, is every where to be seen : no traces of a secondary formation are visible ; on most of them arc found large masses of indulatcd clay, scattered in loose masses amongst the granite, hut no calcareous matter or organic bodies are to he found ; and they appear as if undisturbed since the creation of the world. The Conoko mountains (belonging to the chain of the cataracts of the Ori form an insulated group, seated on the elevated plains, which separate two great systems of rivers; the tributary streams of the Essequibo flowing north-east, and those of the Taeutu, Branco, &c., south- west, towards the Rio Negro and Amazon. From the summit of these mount. \ias can he seen the spot where the Taeutu and Rapanooni take their rise. The soil here consists chiefly of a pure white clay, (uot chalk ime suppose) giving to the i!i'> Branco and other rivers a milky colour, to the quantity of clay therein diffused, and in such a minute state of sub-division as to require several days before the waters trill become transparent by deposition. In line, as regards geological science, British Guiana presents a wile field lor the st, ami, in reference to the agriculturist, a great diversity of soil ; the three leading features of which are first, the clayey alluvia! soil of the coast, extending eight to ten miles inland : second, hills of silicioua sand or gravel, which, with intervening fertile savannahs, extend to the falls sixty miles inland ; third, a rich primitive soil j and lastly, a mountainous country, with divers coloured pchres, indurated clays, and various mixtures of loamy earth and vegetable mould on beds of granite to a vast extent ; all offering food, and the means of obtaining every u,'/: 1 comfort of life, to the hand of the indus- trious and skilful emigrant. 8 UoKTOOMIftl Mill IT. 84 MOUNTAINS, RIVERS; CREEKS, AND CATARACTS. CHAPTER IV. Movxtaixs, Bitees, Cheeks, and Cataracts. — 1'1.\ sit 1 Aspecl — Mountains— Falls — Cataracts — The Rivers Essequibn, Ma>saiuui, Cuyuni, Deuierara, Rerbice, and Corentyn — Principal ('. ' ' With the exception of ranges of sand-hills, about 20 miles inland, and rarely more than forty or fifty feet above the level of the rivers and creeks (some on the vest hank of the Demerara river are from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high, and nearly perpendicular), the whole country inhabited by the Europeans is perfectly flat and alluvial, bearing a striking resemblance to Holland and Flanders, and, like those countries, drained by canals and sluices, with lofty dams or mounds of mud, of considerable thickness, embanking each estate, and kepi, together with the numerous bridges, in repair by the proprietors of the land in which they are situate. As the country is ascended from eighty to one hundred miles inland, its fine savannahs arc interrupted by, in some places, a beautiful hill and dale territory, varied with high and frequently rocky laud — presenting a strong contrast to the rather monotonous scenery which a dead flat pos- sesses. Further southward, at the Coomarow Fall (vide river Essequibo), the granite table-land belonging to the Cordillera rises to trie height of six thousand feet above the level of the sea, at three hundred miles distant from the ocean. The whole face of the coast of Guiana, from trie Maranon to the Orinoco (except at Cayenne, where the chain of Maerepan forms a buttress to the ocean), is low, and generally bordered with a sandy flat, extending far out to seaward ; — moreover, the various huge rivers with which it is intersected, continually bring down from the upper country vast quantities of alluvial matter and sand, which on depositing, form a margin of low ground, covered with mangrove bushes, and appearing an inaeces: ible barrier at low water, hut yet completely hidden at full tide. About five hundred paces within these mangroves, the low and level savannahs commence, extending irregularly inland, and every where intersected by rivers, rivulets, and creeks, with a dense, luxuriant, and magnificent vegetation. The planta- tions are regularly ranged on either side of the great rivers or along the coast running parallel to each other, and extend like immense garden slips from the sea to the forest, in allotments of from five hundred to one thousand acres each. •J MUVTOOXIK! MiUJIK. MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, CHEEKS, AND CATARACTS. 35 9 ' The three principal rivers within British Guiana, are Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice, with their numerous tributaries. The most westerly, the Essequibo, is nine miles west of the Demerara river, at its embouchure, from one side of the main land to the other is from 15 to 20 miles wide, and covered with many beautiful, low, and bushy islands, with shoals or sandy spits, extending from the north parts of the islets a con- siderable distance to seaward, and dividing the" navigation into four separate channels. The most eastern island is termed Leguan, between which and the east, side of the river is the ship channel, a wide passage, but much encumbered with shoals. To the westward is a long and narrow island, called Wakenaam. To the north-west of the latter, and near the West shores, is a small islet, tinned Tiger Island. A succession of other islands* (one termed /•';/■/ Island, about fifteen miles from the mouth) extend to the southward and further up the river, from twenty- five to thirtj miles, between all of which there are channels ; but from the extensive deposits of mud. it is difficult to state the soundings for any length of time, the depth of water on the whole coast being continually undergoing a change, according to the heaviness o( the rains or the duration of the winds that blow on the shore. Emm Fort Island the Essequibo runs nearlj south for about thirty miles, where it is joined by the large river Cayuni, which runs nearly south-west, afterwards north-west, through the province of Colombian Guiana, where it is supposed to join some of the interior branches of the Orinoco; a little further, or inland, the Cayuni is ed by Ihe Massaruni river, which makes a considerable sweep to the north-west, ami then returns, so as to form a large peninsula, enclosing lofty mountains and considerable creeks or rivulets ; indeed, for more than HID miles inland the breadth of the .Massaruni is so great, and the wooded islands and creeks so numerous, that it has more resemblance to a lake than a river, and the influence of the tides is felt, at leas! in the Esse- quibo, sixty or seventy miles frem the ocean ; i. e. at Acetaca, the fall. The enterprising Mr. TIiLLiiorsi:, an engineer ollieer at Demerara, has recently explored the .Massaruni river, and from his manuscript journal, as kindly lent me by the intelligent ami active Secretary of the B graphical Society, 1 glean the following description of the river and the adjacent country. The distinguishing island feature of the Massaruni river commences at ('aria ishmdt ; from tins point, for nearly 100 miles, an innumerable string of islands divide the river into from five to ten different channels, in which space the two banks id' the river are scarcely once visible together, and even one bank but seldom, the river continuing from three to tour miles broad throughout the archipelago. The rapids commence between these islands, and at the Fourth rapid (Warknambo) is a large open space in the centre of the river, which in the rains nomi Martin. * Hoi; Island, the largest in the Buequibo . its truth and i e m la -■■'- Port Island. t Cariawas onoea Dntofa Ibrt, and several plantation! then en-el a ik. but now only to bo traced by a few cocoa trees. 3G MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, CREEKS, VNC CATARACTS. H ' Las the appearance of a vast lake, and in the dry season that of a rugged rocky plain.* Some of the falls arc most difficult of ascent ; the Cahoory, for instance, is full thirty feet high, in four different ledges, and requiring an hour's hard labour to get over a space of about one hundred yards. The manner in which the falls arc ascended is thus described by Mr. Hilxhouse : — 'The rapids do not run in one sheet over a level ledge, but force thems through a number of fissures — large intermediate blocks of granite dividing the different .shoots of the fall. At the base of these blocks is an eddy, into which the boat is forced, and becomes stationary, having no current either way. The crew then spring on the rock, and wade as far as they can find footing; by means of a long stout rope they then pull the canoe, or corialj into one of the shoots of the fall, where there is wafer enough to float her, and by main strength haul her up the ascent. They then take h( r out of the current, and lay her stern against the upper part of the rock, from the lower part of which they have thus ascended ; and with her head right up the stream, at a given signal they all spring in, and, pulling with their whole might, endeavour to cross diagonally the different currents til! they get into another eddy. This is the time of the greatest danger: if not active in seizing their paddles, the head of the canoe is taken by the current , and she drifts broadside down the fall and upsi ts. If not strong-handed also, she cannot stem the currents above, and goes down the fall stern foremost; the currents, at most of the rapids, run at the rate of tenor twelve miles an hour ; and thus frequently many hours are consumed in gaining a few hundred yards.' On emerging from the almost interminable confusion of islands, creeks, and falls, and with the open and placid Massa- runi river like a great inland lake running south and west, the eye of the lowlander is agreeably astonished with a sight of Arthur'* Tables (the first visible point of the mountains of Merumah or St. George, the great central chain of Guiana), at an apparent distance of about sixty miles, and which would seem by a comparison with other parts of the chain to be six thousand feet above the level of the sea. At the thirty-fourth and last fall, named Teboco (and the extreme southern limit of Mr. Hillhouse's expedition), a lofty mountain was observed due south, with a conical peak at the north extremity, like the crater of a volcano, equal in height to Arthur's Table and named by the voyagers Raleigh's Peak : the Caranang creek appeared to lead towards it, but was not explored. At the fall of Teboco the river narrows to one-third of its usual breadth, but widens again immediately after; and at Aramayka the cliffs of Marybyacrev • visible, about one thousand feet high, with perpendicular northern faces, with a remarkable detached peaked rock on the west face of the cliffs called the Caribisee, the legend of whose nation states it to be a man turned into stone for presump- 9 MONTGQMERT MAHTIN. * A mi 3 ac '■■■ I occi and the Marshal's falls in the Septcu i >. A. partyof gentlemen who were entertaining some friends, with a trip to the Massaruni cataracts, decided upon descending or ul in| the falls at a dangerous part, which resulted in the boat being capsized, and the loss of seven lives. Those drowned were Captain BEmEsroBD, (son-in-law of His Excellency Governor J-Iinok-s), Mr. Kowi.ey of H. it. siiiji "Steady," Mr. Stewart, and Mr. Christie, of Georgetown, Mr. Pints of Barbados, and two Connote. MOUNTAINS, &IVERS, CKEEKS, AND CATARACTS. 37 ' tuously daring to scale the i lifis. At the point of Teboco, the granite, for the first tim a sumes a regular formation, and as the river is ascended is eontinued to be found in strata, at an angle of about five degrees above the horizon, its apex being nearly northward : it forms the base of all the dill's, to a heigli i hundred to one thousand feet, when a perpendicular and cubical form: uartz i the general superstructure to one thou- sand five hundi higher. Prom a little above Aramayka the chain of Merumah or St. George is seen i tiding the hori etching to the north, where it appears highest, and terminates abruptly", in perpendicular . like t!ie oilier branches of the chain. Near the extremity, in a clear day, a white cun li umtnit to the base of the chain; this is tl living its way from the table land, a h I uui. A( the fall of Macrebah ■ ition ceases : the creek winds about i,i the in site direction , and at every turn a large bold spit of white sand projects. The water, though perfectly transparent, is of a deep h "late colour, and tl;!- sands are reflected in it of a bright claret or purple ; the dark and s'.iil creek is fringed with a dense and gloomy foliage. While journeying in the midst of tins gloomy valley a perpendicular cliff of 1500 feet high is suddenly seen, and, thoi tit, it appears as if it could be touched. Around are detached masses of rock, which seem abruptly lorn from the gigantic walls of nature, and every two or three hours an immense block ol granite must be passed in a deep channel, barely wide enough for tin' corial (canoe) ; then suddenly the channel widens into a shallow claret- coloured lake, 150 yards broad, but scarcely deep enough for i raft to swim in, and at last a us basin is entered, surrounded bj a hold extensive sand-clay, a.s white as chalk, while the waters are as black as ink, without any perceptible current, though a fall of water is heard, and there is a foam like yeast on the surface, which remains the whole day without any visible alteration, save when a gust of wind coining down the fall, scatters the foam in (lakes exactly resembling snow. At a distance a broken white line (the fall of Macrebah) of 100 feet high is •ecu struggling through a cluster of granite rocks, at the base of two quartz cliffs of mixed character. Halfway up the Macrebah fall, a small spring of clear, transparent, and slightly effervescent wat ir, exi ts without the least ferruginous tincture, and issuing from a superior quartz formation! indicating, perhaps, that the extraordinary purple til ■ softhe creek is owing to a decom- position of granitic iron, in combination with a solution of a stringent 1 Carulang creek (in which the Macrebah fall is situate) from th is estimated. a1 four hundred miles, including inuosities of the river; an. I the height above the sea, roughly calcu- lated by the boiling of water at JJ08 Fahrenheit, above three thousand feet. A cataract above Macrebah, named Coomarowj is six hundred feet high, and exceedingly difficult of access ; the greater part of the rise being an forty-five, with tin til:.. at, and only ladders of roots. On the crest ■ c is not more than two feet of water iu dry weather ; 9 MokieoMtHY Mami.n. 58 PEMERARA ftlVEft. CITY OF GEORGETOWN. 9 ' but in the rains the rise is above ten feet, when the surrounding country is totally submerged. The table land above the Coomarow fall is evidently tbo extreme height of the horizontal granite formation, the laminae being here perfectly horizontal, and that of the bed of the creek in large plates or layers, of from one to three inches thick. The creek itself was one hundred yards broad and two feet deep, but completely choked with a sort of long grass, having stems as thick as a man's arm, dividing at top into a multiplicity of long threads, like the tails of horses, and completely covering the surface of the water. The descent of the falls is accomplished with great rapidity. In less than oue day the ascent of three may be got over, eighty or ninety mil,-; being an easy day's jourucy. The middle channels are now chosen, where the current is most rapid, and the greatest body of water rushing to the coast. It requires four stout hands, two ahead aud two astern, to give steerage way whilst shooting many crooked passages ; that of Itacheck is a zig-zag of four turns, where uot a few accidents have occurred to the small craft of the Indians.' The Cuyuni for a considerable distance from its junction with the Massaruni, has also numerous falls aud cataracts, aud is dangerous at all times to ascend or descend. The principal falls, are the Acaya, Styla, Arrowak Matopaj the latter only a short distance from the Gold Fields of the British Guiana Gold Company. ' The Demerai'a river situate to the south-eastof Abe F]ssequibo, sixteen miles from Leguan island, and about fifty-seven miles westward of the bar of the Berbicc river, in G cleg. 40 m. north latitude, and 57 deg. 45 m. west longitude, nearly three miles broad at its mouth, and becoming narrower as it is a.scended. The capital of British Guiana, in latitude 6 deg. 49 m. north, longitude 58 cieg. (5 m. west, formerly called Stabroek, now called Georgetown, and is situated op the eastern bank of the river Demerara, being distant from the town of New- Amsterdam, Berbicc, about 57 miles, and mouth of the river Esacquibo about 20 miles.'' The city of Georgetown, was formerly known as Stabroek, and consisted during the occupancy of the Dutch of a large street, with houses and lots on each side running from the river eastward to the bush, called the Brick-dam. The last increasing trade and commerce of British Guiana, has caused the city of Georgetown to rapidly increase in population, extent, and improvement. It now contains about 30,000 iuhabitants. No city in the West Indies can be compared with Georgetown for the beauty of its general appearance, well laid out streets, and substantial public edifices. The eifects of the disastrous fires of 1864, which almost totally destroyed the stores of Water- street, have already disappeared. Broad new streets, stores, and buildings, have already sprung up with astonishing rapidity. The new streets arc much broader than those existing before the fires, and have on each side a conve- nient shaded pathway for pedestrians. This city, occupying as it does a fiat surface on the brink or margin of the river, is not seen to advantage when approached by sea or land. Viewed from the rivei - , or opposite bank, it presents a longe range of buildings of »t' numerous churches and chapels, white, and glistening in the sunshine, piercing the summits of trees with which the city is so profusely ornamented, the towery masts of the shipping in the harbourj all bombined has a most picturesque effect. 'The river is navigable by ships of burthen for one hundred miles up, as Car as the cataracts, and affording an excellent harbour, capable of holding the win i!e navy of Great Britain ; bu1 unfortunately the bar will DO) allow vessels that draw more than eighteen or twenty feet to go over it. For thirty miles inland, along the banks of the Demerara, the country consists of extensive level meadows or savannahs; several sand-hills then appear, and, as the river is ascended, the country becomes more broken and mountanious. The general directi n of the rixer, ascending it, is south, with a slight inclination to east ; the rapids, in a straight line, being not more than seventy English statute miles south by east of George Town, but one hundred and six by the course of the river. The difference of level between the water above and below the rapids is only twelve feet, and the river describes at them a very considerable are of a circle, the chord of which is about one mile and a half. The rapids are descended safely in small canoes. Of its source we know, nothing certain. The Berbice River, fifty-seven miles east of the Demerara, reaches the Atlantic in 6 (leg. 2 1 min. north latitude. At its luxuriant-looking entrance, a little to the north of Fort St. Andrew, it is about three miles wide, with low cleared lauds on both sides, covered with trees, and at a distance resembles a number of islands. In the middle channel lies Crab Island (so called from its numerous crabs), about one mile inoircumfen with a spit of land running out to the north and south, dividing the river into two navigable channels ; the east with 17 to 20 feet, the west with but 8 to 1:5 feet water. Eight miles north of Crab Island is a bar of sand, with only seven feel on it al low water, thus ! die importance of thu harbour. There are several '-mall creeks on tin' coast, but navigable only by boats ; .and a shallow flat extending along the shore renders it impossible Is except those of small draught, to i within a I :ague of the coast. Moderately sized ships can go tip the river Berbice as far as Port \i sau, which is at the distance of i i j 't \ miles in a straight line from the entrance; ami vessels drawing fourteen \\-vt water may, it is said, sail two hundred miles tip the Berbice. The banks of tin- river are low, and covered with numerous plant. i also along the sixty miles ol' sea- rritorj of Berbice the roads through which, close along thi mmumcating with Demerara, are kept in excellent repair at the 9 MoMGOMtsT M«Riiy. 40 RIVER CORENTYN— NUMEROUS CREEKS. 9 'expense of the individual proprietors through whose estates they pa?.s, and may be said to he almost entirely formed of brick. The early Dutch settlers constructed a fortress fifty miles up the river, called Zelandia; but this was subsequently abandoned, and New-Amsterdam built on the side of the river Canjee, at its confluence with the river Berbice, two miles above Crab Island, on the east bank of the river, where it is intersected by canals, and has all the advantage of the tides. The Canjcc river, or creek, waters the Berbice district, and is navigable for schooners for fifty miles • but its course is then impeded by falls and cataracts. About forty miles below its head there is a creek, communi- cating with the Corentyn river, by which dispatches have been conveyed from Surinam to British Guiana by the Indians. Sixty miles east of Berbice river lies the Corentyn, about three miles wide at its entrance, with the navigation obstructed by many small islands and quicksands. The islets are fertile, covered with trees, and having on the west side good clean anchorage in five fathoms. The west banks of the river, which form the eastern boundary of Berbice, are under British juris- diction, where there are several estates in cultivation. Besides the fore- going, there are numerous other rivers, which in Guiana are termed creeks, though they would be considered large rivers in Europe. Among the principal is the Mahaica creek, about twenty miles to windward or eastward of the Demerara, between that and Abary creek ; the Mahaicony is also on the east or windward coast, not far from the Mahaica ; the Boerasire is on the leeward coast, near the Esscquibo. Along the interior or southern portion of the colony there are numberless small rivers and creeks, inter- secting wild and almost impenetrable forests, which, during the rainy season, empty themselves in torrents into the larger rivers, Essequibo, Cayuni, Massaruni, Demerara, Bei'bice, &c. ; which latter rivers generally flow towards the ocean in discoloured streams at the rate of six or seven knots an hour. 9 No.Mloimf MA»rv 8 View of Water-street from the Reading Rooms Tower — looking north. THE INTERIOR OF GtlANA. < 1 CHAPTEB V. The Isteeioe or Gviana — Luxuriant Victoria Regia Lily- The Elizabeths R( i c Comui Taquiari Roek on the Essoquebc I ■ liau ] raipu, the De\ [1*8 R< ck— Piarara- -Pnre-Piapa, a H Lioraim i Pu"r< hi ima, I • I i ' in — Ju in of the Eundauanw \\ Lh (he I eralda un I he Orinoco- fori San Gabriel— The Great Catarac if the River Corentvn W -M or General ^n- l'armieh»l Smyth's < mas Cata- ract on the Rivei Rapid* and Fall Jisl> 5 ' When a traveller newly arri\ the first time into the forests of South At I Ids nature under an ui ect. He feels step, that he is nol on the confines but in the centre of the torrid zone; no) in one of the West India Islands, bul on a vast continent where everything is gigantic, — mountains, rivers, and the mass oi vegetation. If he feel strongly the beauty of picturesque scenery he can scarcely define the various emoti ins which crowd upon hi-- mind ; he can scarcely distinguish what n i itcs his admiration, the silence of tho i solitudi thi individual beauty and contrast of forms that vigour and freshi ess of vegetable life whicb characterize the climai the tropics. It might be said that the garth, overloaded with plants, docs not allow them space enough to unfold themselves. The trunks of the trees are cveryw] ere concealed under a thick carpet of verdure ; and if we carefully transplanted the orchidese, the pipers and the pothoses, nourished by a single courbaril, or. American fig-tree,'" we should cover a vast extent of ground. By this singular assemblage, theft well as the flanks of the rocks ami mountains, enlarge the domains of organic nature. The same lianas which creep on the ground, reach the tops of the trees, and pass from one to another at the height of more than a hundred feet.' " • A Tine called the bush-rope by the wood-cutters, on account of its use in hauling out the heaviest timber, has a sic. earance in the forests of Demerara. Sometimes you sec it nearly as thick as a man's body, twisted like a corkscrew round the I ees, and rearing its head high above their tops. At other times, three or four of them, like strands in ble, join tree and tree, and branch and branch together. Others, tiding from on high, take rool and as soon as their extremity touches the ground, and appear like shrouds and stays supporting the mainmast of a line of battleship; while others, sending out parallel, oblique, horizontal, A UlMBOLDT. A WaTK&IU.S. • Ficu* nyrapkaufolia. 4$ THE INTERIOR OF GHANA. 5 'and perpendicular shoots in all directions, put you in mind of what travellers call a matted forest. Oftentimes a tree, above a hundred high, uprooted by the whirlwind, is stopped in its fall by these am: cables of nature; and hence it is that yon account for the phenol seeing trees, not only vegetating, lm; sending forth vigorous shoots, th •■ b far from their perpendicular, and their trunks inclined to every di from the meridian to the horizon. Their heads remain firmly supported by the bush-rope ; many of their roots soon refix themselves in the earth, and frequently a strong shoot will sprout out perpendicularly from near the root of the reclined trunk, and in time become a tine tree.' 2 'The coasts of Guiana, washed by the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, covered with mangrove and Courida hushes, and present a verdure of perpetual freshness, forming as it were a seam or fringe to the rich carpet behind. They are enlivened by numerous flocks of the scarlet Ibis, the white Egrette, and the splendid Flamingo, which, disturbed at the approach of an intruder, soar into the air, or perch on the summits of the trees. Where cultivation has not stamped its seal on the landscape, the marshy plain changes to savannah, resembling the meadows of Europe, watered by rivers and limped streams interspersed by groups of palms or tufts of trees. On ascending the great rivers, which have been happily called "the veins of the country," we find them covered with verdant isles ; and as we approach the primitive forests the landscape assumes the features peculiar to the tropics. The dense and almost impenetrable forest of the interior offers inex- haustible treasures, not only for architecture in all its branches, but likewise for the manufacture of furniture, and for many other purposes that minister to the restoration of health or to the comfort and luxury of man.' The luxuriance and grandeur peculiar to Guiana (as described by the late Sir R. Schomburgk)* is ' 4 ' nowhere more strikingly exhibited than in the magnificent Victoria Regia, no doubt one of the most remark- able productions of the botanical world. During our ascent of the river Berbice, we met with difficulties of no common nature. The river being broken up by numerous rapids and cataracts our progress w,.s but slow, and, having been deserted by a party of Wacawais, we could not muster a sufficient number to man our canoes, and had therefore to abandon one. After we had passed the cataracts, which extended for nearly fifteen miles in almost an uninterrupted line, the river narrowed considerably, and numerous trees, which from age, or the undermining effects of the current, has fallen across, disputed our advance, so that we were: obliged to cut our passage through. In order to increase the obstacles many of our Indians were unfit for work in consequence of indisposition, and so tardy was our advance, that on the 1st January, 1837, and five weeks alter we had departed from New-Amsterdam, we were only SWatbbtoh. 2 Scm.Miii it'.K. 14 Scaoaisvaax'G, Interior of Guiana. * The following description of the Interior of Guiana, ■•mi! continued almost i<> the conclusion .,f the prese h i a from the valuable work ; ed bj Sir it. Schomberqk in 1841, anarrativc o >n >" the Interior under the auspices cf the Boyal Geographical Society of London and iter Majest/s Government. THE VICTORIA REG I A LILY. I'; " ' within one hundred and twenty miles from the coast. A succession of adverse circumstances had taken place since we undertook the second i dition into the interior of Guiana, and difficulties had beset us from the. outset; the entrance of (lie new year was therefore well calculatl enhance the feeling of disappointment. Such thoughts were passing in my mind when we arrived at a poinl where the river expanded, and formed a smooth basin on its eastern hank, while the current directed its course along i rite shore. Something on the southern point of the basin attracted my attention; I could not imagine what it might be, and urging the crew to increase their rate of paddling, in a short time we were opposite to the object of curiosity — a vegetable wonder ! All calamities were I : I felt as a botanist and was rewarded. A gigantie leaf, from five to six feet in diameter, salver shaped, with a broad rim of light green above, and a vivid crimson below, rested upon the water: quite in character with the wonderful leaf WW the luxuriant flower, nearly four feet in circumference, and consisting of many hundred petals passing in alternate tints from pure whit' to rose and pink. The smooth water was covered with them, and 1 rowed from one to the other, constantly finding something new to admire. When the flower first opens in the morning it is white, with pink in the middle, which spreads over the whole flower, as the sun in his daily course proceeds towards the western horizon ; and is generally found the next day of a pink colour. As if to enhance its beauty, it is sweci-seented, and chiefly so in the morning when it first opens : but even the heat of the day does no! entirely overcome its fragrance.* An account of this plant having been transmitted to England, Dr. Linuley found il to be a new and well marked genus; and Her Ma having graciously consented that it might be dedicated to her. gave permis- sion that it should he known by the name of \ KTOIil V REGIA. The most exquisite species of every type hi Flora's kingdom appears t» belong to the equatorical regions. The addition of agenus of indigenous plants at once so beautiful and remarkable, has proved of the greatest interest, and adds to the characteristic features of the equinoctial zone, already distinguished by l'alms of majestic aspect, and the gigantic repre- sentatives of the Banana tribe, the Musas and llelieouias. The richness and grandeur of which 1 speak, is not restricted to the Monocotyledons, hut refer likewise to the Exogens. What can be more noble than the sight of a forest interspersed with trees of the Laurel tribe, the Lecythidee,theAnonaccse, theCaesalpincae, andMimoseas vi ith their airy leaves and splendid clusters of golden and purple (lowers ? Of such did the vegetation consist on the sides of the river l'arima, above the Cataract 1'urumama. A Bignonia with digitated leaves, and large white odorilerous flowers, the it Schokbuaok's, Interior of Guiana. * Hr. Lindlet, wiih lii> writ known iil nblishcd ied h ' '>f Hi'- plant, half its natural size; and .-ii my in Europe, Mr. Bahtholomot mad', under inj Bup , a lull aire which is now in the fjosaessiou of His ss where to commence in order noi to overlook i tut picture; hut as if by a charm, my eyes were fixed for so of granite which rose before me, - themonum mof nature. What arc the famed piles of the Elartz mot , what the celebrated iestal of the state of i\ ti r 1. if compared with these which I uow saw! On the left rose the pile, called by tic id * of three huge blot ks of hln ■ lie Ltcd upon th one by only three supporting points; the third has entirely the si a large jar, ami is covered by a fourth rather flat. These likened by the Indians to a jar with its cover, and so iblance, thai ii does not require much vivacity to detect it, nor does it I ■ i resemblance by being vii im the river or its immediate vicinity. The second pile, of pyramidical shape, was on our right, and is called Svamai. We stood on the third pile, which, by measurement, 1 found afterwards to be 1 and six , I igh. The two other piles appeared inaccessible; but their h urpas es the one we measured. At our feet exl inded a beautiful lai ; to the south the Makarapan mountains arrested the eye: to the eastward, the abrupt peak of the M.ieeari. resembling the gable end of a gigantic building, was not to be mi taken, for the sun's rays were reflected on its white rocks; to the south-west meandered the river Siparuni, while at our feet, the Bssequibo, dividing into numerous branches studded with islands and rocks, los\ itself amidst the dense forest. The large cataracts were perspicuous by their white foam; and the uproar caused by the turbulent waters of the one at our feet was even at tic heighl at which we stood; it sounded like breakers on a lee shore. The hills < I Akaiwanna were opposite to us. a dark cloud, which dissolved itself into rain on their eastern peak, heightened H StuoMDi iiqe'i, Interior of Guiana. 40 THE CO.MUTI, OR TAQUIABJ MOUNTAINS. 14 'the effect, and a column of smoke pointed out the Indian habitations, which wc had left the preceding day. The Arissaro hills, distant upwards of fifty miles to the north, appeared as if enveloped in a veil. We fired our muskets while we stood on the rock, and were answered by the guns of the party which had remained in the camp below ; their report reverberated through the mountains, but out's appeared almost lost, there being no object to return the sound. The echo at the foot of mount Comuti is beautiful, and perhaps one of the most distinct in the river Essequibo. The sun had set when I was obliged to leave " the giants of the hill," as Mr. Waterton, in his amusing- " Wanderings," has so appropriately termed these heaps of granite. So attractive and charming was the view, that on my return in 1839, from my last expedition, I gladly availed myself of the opportunity of revisiting these interesting piles, in order once more to enjoy the prospect which they afforded. On our ascent, one of the Carib Indians who accom- panied me, pointed out, on a large granitic block, some Indian "picture writing," which we had not previously observed. Its lines were more regular, and there was more symmetrical arrangement in it than 1 had generally observed in these sculptured figures. It bore a resemblance to the sculptures found to the eastward of Ekaterinburg, in Siberia, near the sources of the rivers libit and Pishma, tributary of the river Tura ; and at Dighton, near the banks of the Taunton river, twelve leagues south of Boston in the United States of America. The granite on which they were engraved was decomposing, and the figures much effaced ; I took however a drawing of a compartment of the rock. A mystery not yet solved hangs over these sculptured rocks. What- ever may be their origin, the subject is one of high interest, and demands the full investigation of the antiquarian and historian. I have myself traced these inscriptions through seven hundred miles oflougitude, and five hundred of latitude, or scattered here and theie over an extent of three hundred and fifty thousand square miles. I have copied many of them, and although they do not denote an advanced state of civilisation, in my opinion they have a higher origin and signification than that generally ascribed to them, namely, the idle tracings of hunting nations. It is remarkable that the situation of those which 1 have seen was generally near cataracts and rapids.* The Indian races of the present day can give no account of tliei. origin ; some ascribe them to the good spirit, others to their forefathers ; and the Taruma Indians, on the river Cuyuwini, a tributary of the upper Essequibo, gave me, in answer to the question, who had made the figures which I saw sculptured on some bloeks of greenstone in that river ? "that women had made them a long time ago." In the general uncertainty which prevails with regard to these monu- ments of by-gone races, it was particularly gratifying to me to find during my last expedition, some sculptures which afforded a clue to the date when 14 Schombuuok's, Interior of Ouiana. * In a paper which I addressed ten years ago to the Antiquarian Society ol London, I gave an account of some sculptured rocks which are near a cascade in the Island of St. John's, one oi the Virgin Isles. They closely resemble those at the ota • cfcof Waraputa, on the riyer Essequibo. r Xhc island of .St. John's is kuowu to liuve been inh..' bv CariU. \ ATARATPU, Till: DEVIL'S ROCK. 17 14 'they were executed. Among the numerous figures which we found carved in hard granite blocks at the Ilha dc Pedra, on the Rio NegrOj and about twelve miles west of Itarendaua, or Pedrero, we likewise observed the representation of two vessels under sail; the smaller with two masts, the larger not unlike a galleon ; there remains therefore no doubt that these pictures were made at a later period, and after the discovery of the Amazon, when tin! vessels of the Conguistadores floated on the mightiest stream in the world. The other figures are representations of bjnls, animals, and men. Among others there is a group of thirteen men arranged iii a row as if dancing; and they possibly relate to an event, which caused great rejoicing, perhaps the first arrival of Europeans on the Amazon ; little thinking that the destruction of their own races would be consequent on the landing of their European tyrants. 'Tie' Indians of the present day, in the vicinity of PedrerOj admit the antiquity of these figures, and say, that they were engraved by means of constant friction with quartz pebbles. Such may have been the case; but our attempt to produce such results proved fruitless, as indeed did our endeavours to produce fire from two sticks, though it is done with comparative ease by the Indians: unwearied patience may have accomplished it. These figures, it should be remarked, are not so deeply cut as those on the Corentyn, or at Waraputa, on the Essequibo. ATAIIAirr, THE DEVIL'S ROCK. LATITUDl 2 DEO, 15 MIS. K, l."VU TTHi: 68 DUO. 48 HIS "'. Disappointed in two journies in our wish of attaining tin- centra] ridge of mountains which the river Essequibo is supposed to take its rise, we determined, when the expedition which started in September is:;?, from Georgetown, reached (he confluence of the river Roiwa with the Ilupu- nuni, to ascend the former, and it, tributary the Guidaru, and by crossing the savannahs, try to gain one of the rivers which flow from the west into the upper Essequibo. An opportunity was thus afforded tons of seeing another of those geological phoenomena which add to the picturesque magnificent scenery of Guiana, namely, the AJaraipu, a natural pyramid, which rises on the western bank of the river Guidaru, and is estimated at. a height of nine hundred feet above the river.* There was no account of any of the travellers who preceded me having reached this remarkable rock. Doctor Hancock saw it from a distance, but did not approach it within twenty miles; and its situation lias been so erroneously given, that there is a difference of eighteen miles of latitude between its assumed and real position. On reaching 'he rapids .ailed Carabiru by the Caribs, we encamped, and accompanied by a party of Indians, 1 struck off in a westerly direction, through woods so dense, that we w ere at times obliged to clear our path with cutlasses As we forced our way through the wood, we were greeted from time to time by the finest perfume, which wc traced to a liana, or creeper, and one id' the bush-rope vines of the colonists. This sweet- 1 1 Bobohbi m'l, Interior "f Guiana. * Guidaru ligailice iu the linyua geral a kind of war-club. 48 ATAUAIPT', THE DEVIL'S ROCK. 14 ' smelling plant was Schnella brachystachya (Benth.) with white flowers, of which the Largest petal was spotted with pink, growing in voluminous clusters, its stems twisted and cont< rted in so remarkable a manner as well to deserve the name of buli-n pe. To describe the various ways in whitdi these twists and contortions take place would be difficult ; sometimes the stem is delicate as a ribbon, while at others it presents a bundle of stems so closely twined together as to make it no easy matter to separate them with an axe. A troo!) of little Saekowinkis, or squirrel monkeys (Callithrix sciurcus), some of the most beaut iful and most activeof their kind, leaped with the agility of a true squirrel from branch to branch, and alarmed by our appearance, uttered their plaintive call, resembling more the voice of a bird than an animal, and then hastening away, ucic soon hidden among the thick foliage of the large forest trees. We had scrambled for about, two hours through the woods when the nature of the soil changed, and in lieu of a vegetable mould, shelfy pieces of rock were lying heaped upon each other ; among them grew numerous plants of the pine-apple tribe, and 1 refreshed myself with the fruits of the Bromelia penguin, the date of the West Indies, a plant which I saw for the hirst time in Guiana, although so common in the former place. We ascended a mass of granite about four hundred feet in height. Wherever a layer of black earth had accumulated a species of Clusia had fixed its roots in the shelves of granite, surrounded by numerous Orchidese, of which an Epidendrum, with large umbels of bright pink flowers was the greatest ornament; Oncidium, Monochanthus, and Cyrtopodium grew there in voluminous clusters. Several Cacti, with only a few inches of soil, in which they could take root, raised their huge limbs in the form of a Can- delabrum, while a more humble station satisfied the curiously formed Melocactus, or Melon -thistle, which, like the BromeliS penguin, I here met with for the first time. We crossed some hollows, which appeared to have i scooped out by the frequent torrents caused by the tropical rains, and noon after reached the northern side of the hill, when the magnificent natural pyramid of Alaraipu burst on our sight, raising its bare head from an abyss of dense foliage, which spread around in all directions at its foot. The base of this mountain -is wooded for about three hundred and fifty feet ; from thence rises the mass of granite, devoid of all vegetation, in a pyramidical form, for about five hundred and liftv feet more, making its whole height nine hundred feet above the Guidaru, or thirteen hundred feel above the sea. We ascended the summit of Hutu-cubana, as the Indians called the hill on which we stood, in order to have a more extensive view. At the distance of two miles the remarkable mass of granite appeared to be one of these eminences which the poet says, " Like giants Bt«nd To seiitiiu'i enchanted land." In the distance, mountains rose above mountains, partly bare and rocky, partly wooded, and forming an amphitheatre. To the west I recognised the blue outline of the Canuku chain, the remarkable Saeraeri mountains H Schombvruk'i, Iutcrior of Guiana. ATARAIPU, THE DEVIL'S BOCK. *$ 14 ' with their conical peaks, the dome-shaped Vivi, and the Bororu rising out of the vast savannahs, the scene of my former wanderings in 1836. Then the eve again reverted to that monument of unnumbered ages. What changes may have occurred since th~ word which called it into existence was pronounced ? Had the earthy substance, which probably once sur- rounded it, been washed away by tempests and torrents, ami left nothing but the column impervious to the tooth of time? Had it risen out of the bowels of the earth ; the child of that earth's convulsion ? Whatever intermediate cause may have brought it forth, it is a wonderful monument of Him who is Almighty! As 1 gazed around on this romantic and picturesque scene, and on this striking pillar now lighted up by the rich glow of a tropical sunset, my thoughts naturally reverted to the companions and incidents of my preceding journey, and I could not but look forward with hope, not unmixed with anxiety, towards the distant south, the object of my present expedition. The Saeraeri mountains, which form such a striking feature in the Landscape when seen from Hutu-cubana, rise, an isolated group, on the western bank of the river Rupununi, in the approximate latitude of 2 deg. 50 niin. north, and longitude .">!> deg. 23 inin. west. They are conical and rugged, but well wooded at the base. They are probably the Sierra I'assari* of ancient maps; the Indian tribes, however, living in their neigh- bourhood call them Saeraeri from a species of bird. At their eastern extremity is a pyramidical mountain, the top consisting of granite. shape is so peculiar that it cannot fail to attract attention ; it is quite isolated, and called by the Wapisianas Ochlopan, or Dochlopan. The height of the north-eastern peak of Saeraeri. according to some trigonometrical operations which 1 made in the savannahs in the vicinity of the Wapisiana village of Kuiaraton, is two thousand one hundred and sixty feet above the savannah, ami two thousand eight hundred feel above the sea ; and that strange mountain, Dochlopan. is one thousand and seventy feet above the savannahs. They appear much higher, but this may arise from their standing entirely isolated. Their formation is peculiar, and they are easily recognised at a gnat distance by their three peaks. At their western foot flows the small river Saraou-auri (Saruru, Sarauri in maps), between which and the Rupununi there is a path, or portage, by which the Indians keep up a communication between the Rupunnuni and Takutu, dragging their corials from the former, a short distance over land to the DC O } Saraou-auri. This portage was traversed as early as 1789 by Nicholas IToki'sm AN.t The Stream has received its name from a species of Palm (Astrocaryum Jauari) which the Wapisianas call Saraouauri, and is a tributary of the river Takutu, which Hows into the Rio Hrauco. II sciionduiickV Interior of Oniann. • Humboldt'i tow. I> arret., rol. vi, p. 518. f Humboldt's 1'ers. Narrat., toI. t, p. 480. 50 PIRARA. PIRARA. LAHTTJDK S DM, 88 MIX. X. LONGITUDE 59 DBG. 1G SIIX. W. 14 ' Centuries have elapsed since the supposed existence of an extensive auriferous district fired the imagination of all Europe, and found ready belief, at a period when chivalrous enterprise seems to have been succeeded by a thrist for adventures in the newly found part of the world. The marvellous discoveries and narratives of the first conquerors had already prepared the minds of the credulous for the greatest wonders, and disposed them to admit the accounts given of a still more recently discovered country, called El Dorado, the gold-coloured capital ol which was built upon a vast lake, surrounded by mountains so impregnated with the precious metals, " that they shone with a dazzling splendour." This picture excited the desires of thousands, and by alluring them to follow the phantom, led them to encounter dangers, privations, and a waste of human life unparallelled in the history of imaginary schemes. The mania for the discovery of these auriferous regions was not con- fined to Spain, it spread equally over England and Germany, and such was the influence of this seducing picture, first sketched by rumour, and then coloured by imagination, that like another Scylla and Charybdis, the more victims it drew into its vortex, the more were found to embark in the plans laid for its attainment. If we look at that splendid army of adventurers, who to the number of several thousands were beguiled by the persuasive Domingo de Vera, and his highly wrought description of the boundless riches of the great lagoon with auriferous banks ; the opulent city of Manoa, over which reigned a grand Patiti, which was covered with gold dust, and the golden roofed palaces of which could be seen afar off, while hundreds of canoes floated on the bosom of the surrounding waters, or lay stranded on their glittering sands — or if we turn to the pages of British history, and there find recorded how, deceived by these reports and his thirst for adventures, the chivalric Raleigh led forth from England's shores several armaments with the lofty object of conquering the golden capital of El Dorado, we everywhere meet with a series of disasters, and read a con- tinued narrative of human privations and sufferings. It is related of those deluded adventurers, whom the flattering accounts of Domingo de Vera induced to leave their homes, that only two or three returned to Spain. Disappointed in his undertakings, and assailed by his commander with reproaches, Keymis, the faithful follower of Raleigh, with his own hand ended his career ; and the accomplished Raleigh himself, he whom his contemporaries called " the gallantest knight that ever was," paid the forfeit of his illusions with his life upon the scaffold. What wonder there- fore that the fable of El Dorado was reprobated as a device, invented by Satan to lure mankind to destruction ! The existence or non-existence of the Dorado and lake Parima, continued to occupy the imagination and attention of adventurers until the close of the last century, at which late period (1766 and 1777) Don Manuel Centurion, the Governor of Santo Thome, sent an expedition from the Orinoco in search of the Laguna de Parima and the city of Manoa; enterprises equally marked by the endurance of the greatest hardships, and the sacrifice of human life. 11 Scmuuci:>ok'«i Interior of Guiana. 2 >5 2 2 PIRARA. 51 :< ' In tliis universal search for El Dorado, two places appear to have more particularly attracted general attention; namely, the regions along the eastern slope of the Andes of Cundinamarca (New Grenada) which have been considered as the birth-place of the fiction, and that part of Guiana, which lies between the river Rupunnuni and the Rio Brauco. A large inland lake, "another Caspian Sea, as Raleigb expresses himself, was the constant companion of the golden city, and whether this locality referred to the Vndes, south of Mexico, or to Guiana, we find it surrounded by water. Thus when the space where El Dorado was situated was supposed to be in Guiana, the name of the river Parhna, and tin 1 innundatious to which the flat country or savannahs were subjected, through which the rivers Parima, Takutu, Xurumu, Mahn, and Rnpununi, take their course, gave rise to the fable of the white sea, or Laguna del Parima or Rupununi. Captain Kr.wis, who at the expense of I! m .i:n:ii undertook a Becond voyage to Guiana, identified the locality of Dorado with this lake, which, as he imagined, contained the town of Manoa. The researches of the must eminent traveller of our age, to whom every physical science is indebted for his contributions, the celebrated di 1 1 1 m couit, proi eil by deep reasoning, founded cither upon personal experience, or upon the inspection of everj document which related to this lake Parima, that it no longer existed, and with its erasure from our maps vanished the last vestiges of that delusive bubble, El Dorado. The errors of geographers respecting a g'cat interior lake having been corrected and explained by de Humboldt's able pen, the long enter- tained and pleasing idea of a surrounding country, rich in gold, has been abandoned in our enlightened times ; yet such is the charm of these illu- sions over which the description of Sir Walteb Raleigh has spread so romantic a hue, that although we are now aware of their exaggerated tone, We vet read them with avidity and interest. How much that interest increases on approaching the classical soil, which Kevmis described as the site of I'll Dorado, thai traveller alone can conceive, who treads a terra incognita connected with such associations. In the course of our first expedition into the interior of Guiana, we landed on the 5th December, is:',."), at Wai-ipucari, or Marocco, a small inlet which the river Rupununi forms in 3 deg, I.'- miu, N. latitude. The village of I'irara, inhabited by Macusi Indians, is about eleven miles distant from this inlet, and is situated near a lake, through which the river I'irara directs its course. The occurrence of this name, its situation on a lake, and the extensive savannahs, or plains, which, according to the information of the Indians, surround the village, brought the accounts of Kkvmis, HoBTSMANN, and Svxion. of the locality of the lake Parima to our recol- lection, and persuaded that we stood on the holders of that enchanted land, we prepared for our excursion to I'irara with increased interest, On Leaving the river Rupununi, we passed over undulating ground, thinly covered with Malpigbias shrubs of stunted appearance, and bright yellow or pink flowers. We turned round a small hillock, and before us N Scuoxm hok's, Interior of Guiuia. 52 PIRARA. H 'was one of those grorea of Mauritia palms, which give to the savannahs of South America so characteristic an appearance, rhis graceful tree, with its fanshaped leaves, alone afforded the scanty shade to he found in thosearid places, while it contributed to the picturesque scene before us. The different tiuts of the savannah, which extended to the Pacaraima mountains, might have been compared to a sea of verdure, which illusion was powerfully increased by the waving motion of the deceptive mirage. Isolated groups of trees rose like islands from the bosom of this sea, and a few scattered palms, with their tall trunks appearing like masts in the horrizon, assisted in conveying to our imagination the seducing picture of the Laguna de Parima, with its hundreds of canoes floating on its bosom. Towards the west, where the savannah was bounded by the horizon, we observed some Indian dwellings, and having crossed a small stream, we soon after entered a village consisting of fourteen huts, and inhabited by eighty Indians of the Macusi tribe. It was situated upon rising ground, affording an extensive view over the savannahs to the chain of mountains known to geographers under the name of Pacaraima. At the foot of this small elevation is a lake, which extends east and west for about three miles, and which, at the period when rain seldom falls, is almost covered with rushes ; only here and there presenting patches of water. It is however an inland sea, when, during the tropical winter, the rivers overflow their banks. Three islets rise from the middle of the lake, and a small stream flows through it, which has its source somewhat south of the village. The lake is called Amucu ; the group of islands, the Islas Ipomucena, described by Santos; and the stream, thcPirara*, names so closely associated with the fable of the Dorado and the Leguua do Parima, that we looked with redoubled interest on the landscape before us. The vast savannahs, on which Pirara is situated, are encompassed by the Pacaraima mountains to the north, the Canuku and Carawaimi moun- tains to the south, the thick forests of the Essequibo and isolated mountains to the east, and the mountains of the Mocajahi, and branches of the Sierra Parima to the west ; and, accordirg to a superficial computation, cover a space of fourteen thousand four hundred square miles. The geological structure of this region leaves but little doubt that it was once the bed of an inland lake, which by one of those catastrophes, of which even later times give us examples, broke its barriers, and forced a path for its waters to the Atlantic. May we not connect with the former existence of this inland sea the fable of El Dorado and lake Parima ? Ages may have elapsed ; generations may have been buried and returned to dust ; the nations who once wandered on its banks may be extinct, and exist even no more in name ; still the tradition of the lake Parima has survived these changes, and transmitted from father to son, imagination has connected it with El Dorado ; while these accounts, carried across the Atlantic, have caused those i adventurous expeditions, and that sacrifice of human lives, to which allusion has already been made. U ScBouSDmoK.':, Interior of Guianl. • The Macusi Indians call ike ferruoineout conglomerate, which form" extensor' str.itn in an m«t and we«t. direction on the saTannah?, Pirara, from which the river and village hare received their uamei. PIRARA. 53 14 "Three years had elapsed since my first visit, when in the pursuit of discovery I again approached Pirara, and remarked with surprise and pleasure the change which had taken place in the appearance and number of dwellings which composed the village. 1 counted upwards of thirty Indian huts, the highest place being occupied by a building somewhat European in construction, the walls of which, plastered by the redochreous claj of the savannahs, ami the roofs with gable ends neatly thatched with palm leaves, formed a strong contrast to the surrounding dome-shaped huts of the Indians. Another building, a little to the east of the former, and of larger dimensions, hut of similar construction, was in the course of erection, and men, women, and children, appeared equally eager to lend an assisting hand for its completion. This house wasintended to be dedicated to the service of the only true God, the former tor the dwelling of their missionary, to whose arrival and residence among them they appeared to look forward with great delight. It was pleasing to observe their zeal in such a good cause, and the more so when 1 considered that the light of Christianity bad not yet been diffused among them. Their wish to become Christians had been awakened by the temporary visit of a missionary from the mission at Bartika Point, at the continence of the Massaruni with the Essequibo, who, as they expressed themselves, only opened the sacred book, which the white man possessed, without telling them of its coutcuts. In anticipation that their request for a missionary to come and settle among them would be ultimately granted, they had begun to erect these houses according to their idea of the mode of building among white people, and twenty-nine of their tribe had been selected to proceed to the coast-region, in order to assist in conveying the missionary to his new station. At my first visit 1 had formed a predilection for Pirara, not only from the historical interest connected with it, but likewise from it* picturesque situation between the two mountain chains of Pacaraima and Canuku, and not least from the kind hospitality of its untutored inhabitants. It was uot surprising, therefore, that I dumld select it partly for my winter quarters, when 1 resolved to remain, during the rainy season of 1838, in the interior of Guiana. 1 have not regretted my stay in Pirara, although my comfort was alloyed by sickness, for it has given me ample opportunity to increase my researches in natural history, and to study the character and manners of that interesting race, among whom I was a guest, the Macusi Indians. How frequently have I been sitting near those three Palm trees, which we see in the picture occupied by a Macusi family, ami allow >d my eye ge across the village of motley architecture, and the enchanted lake with its verdant isles, until it has bceu arrested by the chain of mountains clothed in blueish tints, and the play of extraordinary refractions over a soil strongly exposed to the full influence of a tropical sun. The course of the Malm, which river emerges from thr mountain chain al the distance of twenty miles from Pirara, between the peaked mountains of Cueuye, a little to the right of our group of Macusis, and the truncated bio Tupanaghe, was then designated DJ a whitish mist, appa- ll ' i yt.i i ..x s, Intern. i of (iuiann. * Th.' Uftcuni .-nil Mm ipi eiej of palm, YmraiU\ it is an Aitrocaryum. 54 PIRARA. M ' rently hovering over the trees which fringed its hunks ; or indeed the mirage adopted frequently such an aqueous appearance, that the river itself might have been fancied to be suspended in the air, and to flow over the tops of the trees. At other times the mountains appeared so close, that every tree in the tufts of wood, which partly covered them, might licvc been counted, and their distance might have been supposed to be hall' a mile in lieu of twenty. I shall never forget the splendid spectacle I witnessed one evening after darkness had set in, when, towards the north, the whole horizon was illuminated ; for the grass on the savannahs, which had been burning for the last four days, had communicated the fire to the mountain chain, which now blazed for a distance of many miles. A thunder-storm approaching from the north-west, much enhanced the sublimity of the scene, and mingled its forked lightning with the fiery eolumns, which, as if arranged in battle-array, seemed to storm the heights of the Sierra ; and the vivid lightning and the rolling of the thunder were the ba.bteriea employed for the onset. While residing in this place I was present at the arrival of the first pro- testaut missionary among the Indians in the interior of British Guiana, and the joy which it caused to those who were to be confided to his spiritual care, although they were as yet walking in perfect darkness, was a proof of their earnest wish to become Christians. The efforts of the missionary were crowned with success, and I have seen from four to five hundred Indians assembled in the chapel ; and although in the commencement they attended in their naked and savage state, young and old appeared equally zealous for conversion, and to receive instruction. Our party left for San Joaquim, the Brazilian boundary fort, at the end of June, 1838, where we intended to stay during the remainder of the rainy season. The new mission at Pirara already promised the best results, and at that period great changes 'might be observed in the conduct and manners of the Indians, when, under the plea of pressing natives for the Brazilian Imperial navy, one of those slaving expeditions arrived at San Joaquim, which have been practised by the Brazilians for ages, and have been the bane of the Indian races. The expedition was to be directed against Pirara, where, from the then populous state of that village, they thought they might seize a large number of unsuspecting natives. Many favourable circumstances combined, enabled me to have some influence in saving the new mission at Pirara from the evil effects and subsequent miseries of a descimento, as these slaving expeditious are called; it fell, however, upon some settlements at the Ursato mountains, on the eastern bank of the river Takutu, which they surprised at midnight, and having set fire to the houses, captured the greater part of their inhabitants, and ransacked the huts of every valuable article which they contained. 1 saw with the deepest sorrow, that the number of those who were led away into slavery consisted of forty individuals ; namely, eighteen children under twelve years of age, thirteen women, and nine men, of whom only four were less than thirty years old, and consequently fit for the avowed purpose of 14 ScBoii Bi'iai'i, Interior of Guiana. PIRARA. 53 14 'serving in the Imperial navy. The sensation which these cruel proceed- ings caused among the Indians at the new mission cannot be described, i hundred of them assembled at Pirara, where they thought that the presence of the missionary would protect them against the barbarous atrocities of unprincipled men. Our expedition left San Joaquim in October, and after having explored mo i than two thousand miles, and visited many spots which never had been trod before by European feet, we returned to Pirara in May, 1839, and found it occupied by a detachment of Brazilian national guards, under Senhor Pedro Ayres. The church, in which formerly hymns to the praise of our Lord hail been sunjr, and where the first seeds of Christianity had been sown among the benighted Indians, was now converted into barracks, and the theatre of obscene language and nightly revels. Urgent business had called the missions colony, and during bis absence it had been take, i if by the Brazilians. On his return an official despatch was delivered 10 him from the commander of the upper and lower Amazon, who, it appears, assumed authority over Pirara, and desired him to with- draw and in disperse the mission. The Brazilian detachment had orders the mandate obeyed, or to enforce it in ea>c of refusal. The mis- sionary removed to the eastern bank of the Rupununi, and after his depar- ture the inhabitants of Pirara dispersed and have since wandered about the wilderness. The traveller who maj pass from the present village of Pirara to the place of embarkation on the rivulet Pirara. will observe a spot which evidently shows that it was once the site of human habitations : but posts, on which the vestiges of fire are observable, a few cashew and arnatto trees, as well as some straggling shrubs of cotton, are all that remains of this once happy Macusi settlement. His guides will tell him, that on one dark uight a lawless band of slave hunters arrived from the Rio Branco, Bur- prised the poor inmate- I er having sel their huts on fire, carried old and young away to die far from their native land in bondage and slavery. Too many desolated pi ■• now to be seen in the savannahs, which were once the site of villages, and which met with a similar fate. May the moment soon arrive boundaries of the rich and productive colony of British Guiana shall be clearly defined, then only can peace and hap- piness be insured to the poor remnants of those who once roved in full it\M\ over the soil which Europeans and their descendants have usurped. Taught by the past, let them settle on the British side of the frontier, and thej will soon be aware, that ■■ '\ !i re Brit lin'a powcris (hit, Mankind «ill feel bier blfssiiige to to the occupati m of Pirara by a detachment of Brazilian mili ia, th • Bi were not In actual possession of the re<;- : m* further cast than Port aquim dc Bio Branco. This boundary fort, which is pleasantly situated in the midst of the savannahs, is built on the eastern shore ot the river Takutu, within a few hundred yards of its onfluence with tin Rio Branco, the Pariama of the Macusi Indians, or I : uiquera of flVBoi'a, Interior of Guiana. 56 prniM'i \r\. 14 'the Paravilhanas. A detachment of Spaniards from Nueva Guayana, on the Orinoco, arrived in 1775 by the Caroni and the Uraricapara at the Rio Brauco, and fortified themselves in the vicinity of the confluence of the river Yurame. They were dispersed by the Portuguese, who, against the incursions of the Spaniards as well as against the Dutch, erected the boun- dary fort San Joaquini. It is constructed of red sandstone found in the vicinity, and has fourteen embrasures mounted with eight nine-pounders in tolerable condition. A commandant, who is an officer in the provincial militia, and ten privates garrisoned it when we were there, and a small chapel and five houses constituted the village. Every two or three years a priest visits ths fortress to administer to the spiritual wants of its inhabitants. Our party spent the rest of the dreary time of a tropical winter in San Joaquim. We had received permission for that purpose from the commander of the district, Ambrosio P. Ayres, at Manaoa, or Barra de Rio Negro, who had sent bis brother, Pedro Ayres to welcome us at the Brazilian boundary, and to afford us every facility, which such a distant spot could yield towards our geographical pursuits. Two comfortable houses outside the fort were given up to us for our quarters, as long as we might think it convenient to use them. This reception form a Government whom we knew to be at that time fully engaged in suppiessing an insurrection, which had lasted for more than five years, and had therefore little leisure to pay attention to scientific objects, was more than I could have expected in my most sanguine hopes, and I felt truly grateful for the kindness and civility I experienced. The same hospitality had been shown on former occasions to Mr. Charles Waterton, the author of the delightful " Wanderings," and to those two unfortunate travellers Lieut. Gullifer, R.N., and Mr. Smith, both of whom lost their lives in the attempt to visit the interior of Guiana. The circumstances connected with their death are of so melancholy a nature that they deeply excite our sympathy. PURE-PIAPA, A REMARKABLE BASALTIC COLUMN IN GUIANA. LATITUDE 3 DBO. 59 MIN. N. LOSGITUDE 59 DEO. 28 MIX. W. The second day after we had left Pirara, on our journey to Esmeralda, and when that village was in a south-eastern direction, about thirty miles from us, we entered the chain of mountains, which we had hitherto followed only along their southern offsets. A large valley was before us, hounded ou each side by precipitous and rugged mountains, crowned with war-like masses of trappean rocks, the strangeness of the forms of which did not fail to excite the attention of the Indians, who, as usual, were frightened at approaching what thev believed to be the abodes of evil spirits. We traversed this valley, which was but thinly covered with grass, and bore evidences of having been lately inundated, and after a turn to the northward, we entered a basin-like expanse, surrounded by high mountains, and remarkable for 14 Scboiuoksi'i, Interior of Guiln*. ^ *3 0, as Oh PURE-PIAPA. 57 ' the singular appearance of three masses of rocks. Mara-etshiba, the highest; appears to be of columnar basalt, terminatiug on the summit in one abrupt pillar about fifty feel in height : a portion which bulges out in the middle of this mass of rock has. by the ever-fruitful imagination of the Lillian, been assimilated to the Mar»ca, a large rattle made of the fruit of the calabash-tree, filled with pebbles, feathers, and snake-teeth, and which is the indispensable instrument of the Piatsang, Pioi-man, or Indian sor- . ►during Lis conjurations. N.ar the entrance to the valley, and rising from sixty to eighty feet abo\ ■ the plain, is a columnar group of trap-rocks, the largest of which lias been named by the Macusis, Cauuye-piapa, or the Guava tree-stump. Haifa mile further westward, and uot quite so high, is another mass of rocks, which the traveller might mistake for the trunk of some large old tree, deprived of its leafy crown. I: is a great object of wonder amongst the Indians far and near, who call it Pure-piapa, " the felled tree." So i plete was the illusion, that I almost doubted my guides when they told mo it was the work of nature, and was composed of stone. The rock rises Btraighl to a height of at least fifty feet i re partly covered by a red Lichen, and in sonic places it is more acted upon by weather than in others : the delusion being inert play of colours, the mind can scarcely divest itself of the belief that it is the gigantic trunk of a tree, the head of which, stricken by years, or shivered by lightning, lies mouldering at its foot. On its summit, a Jabiru, a species of stork,- had built its nest, above which we saw the head of a young one. On out approach its mother hastened from a neighbouring savannah to its protection, and perched on one leg, on the summit of the rock, stood sentinel over the plain around. The rock may be consider i by the Macusi Indians, but it did not a fiord an asylum to the poor bird; for before 1 was aware of it. or could prevent it, we heard the report of a gun, s:iw the poor bird balance itself for a few moments, and, pierced by the ball, fall at the foot of the column. One ot the Indians had taken my rifle, and he being too unerring a marksman, even the height which the bird had selected for its nest could not preserve its life. We fixed our night-quarters near a it, and as soon as the. necessary arrangements for our camp had been made, I 31 I off to visit this Bingular rock. The access to it is difficult, in consequence to the nume- rous boulders which lie on the side of the hill, with which we also found the summit to he strewed in confused masses. Sharp-pointed rocks, inanv thirty feet Ion-, and scarcely sis to eight inches thii id either e or overlaid each other. They were of .rap, and similar to tUOse in the vallej of the Mahu, and at St. Bernard's in Tortola. Interspersed with these broken rocks we found a few Palms, Cacti, the Agave Americana, Bursera gummifera, Lecythideae, and the wild Jatropha manihot. Amongst those in blossom, the snow-white flowers and purple fruits of the Cactus repandus were strikingly conspicuous. H Sciiombuiigk's, Interior of Guiana. • Myetcria Americana. When full grown they stand from six to six and a half feet high. 58 RORAIMA. u ' It is not to be wondered at that three such remarkable objects as the Mara-etshiiba, Canuye, and Pure"-piapa have given rise to some tradition, the more so since the Indian who inhabits the mountains is like our mountaineers, more vivid and fanciful in his imagination, and possesses a larger stoek of traditional history than he of the forest or of the plain ; consequently it is related, that when Makunaima, the good spirit, wandered still upon earth, he passed these savannah:-, and fatigued and thirsty, he observed a tree on the summit of a hill, which, in the hope of finding it covered with fruit, lie cut with a stone axe. He Mas disappointed, and proceeded farther eastward, and discovered the Cannye or Guava tree full of fruit; lie cut. it likewise, and after having refreshed himself, he proceeded on his journey. It appears that whatever Makunaima touched was con- verted into stone, and thus the trees were changed into this substance. Every rock among these mountains, which is of more than ordinary size, or fantastically shaped by nature, is compared to some bird, animal, or tree, and is supposed to have been petrified by the powerful wish of Makunaima. After having taken a sketch of this remarkable mass from the north, where it stood in the most advantageous point of view, we met with some delay in returning to our camp. The Indians had set the savannahs on fin;, and we found it difficult to make our way through the columns of dense smoiie, which for a time separated us from our companions. The Pure-Piapa is no doubt of equal interest to the lover of the picturesque and to the geologist. An almost perfect column (for as such it would be taken if seen at the distance: of a mile, and the architectural skill of the Indian permitted the idea that it were the work of art) crowns a hillock of inconsiderable height. Shall we adopt for its origin the theory of elevation, or has the ground which once surrounded it been washed away by tropical rains ? Both theories will leave their doubts, while its picturesque appearance and the tropical vegetation which surrounds it. only tend to increase our admiration of the wonderful works of Clod. RORAIMA, LATITUDE OT KASTEBS TOINT 5 DEO. '.I M1M. 40 SIC N. LONGITUDE, i',ll DEO. IS "HIV, W. Yagne accounts of a mountain, steep as a wall, and from the summit of which water flows in abundance, had been given to me during my first visit to Pirara-in 1835 and JK:}(). I compared tli.se with some details concerning a lake, which are to be found in the manuscript journal of Hortsman, who, says, that "at the di fan : oi two days' journey, below the confluence of the Malm with the Rio Parima, a lake is found on the top of a mountain, which is stocked with the same fish as those in the Rio Parima, but the waters of the former were black, and those of the 11 Schomihrgk's, Ulterior of Guiana. 5 B a RORAIMA. 59 " ' latter white*." Neither direction nor distance however agreed with that which I bad heard, and it was therefore planned, when we departed from Pirara in L836 For the Orinoco, to make a detour in order to visit this remarkable mountain. After we had passed Mount Mairari, instead of following the longi- tudinal valleys of the Pacaraima chain, we turned northward over the mountains, and on the 19th of October entered the countryof the Arecuna Indians, a tribe of people, which it appears formerly inhabited the river Uaiipes, and whom MoNTl mss of cannibalism. Our v. i h wever mosl hospitably received, and the first white people who had come to visit tl is! curiosity, and whenever we >assed through oui I rtaiumeuts prepared for us. A ridge of mountains, differing widely in appearance from those we had hitherto seen, extei I west, which on. our approach we found to consist of red and white sandstone, and after we had ascended them, we continued our march on table- I the fluvial district of thc-Orinoco. At an abandoned settlement we got the first view of those remarkable mountains, to visit which was the object of present journey. Wrapped in dark clouds, and dis to the north north-east, they rose like a gigantic wall, and contributed to the enchanting view which we enjoyed, while on tint surrounded us displayed an interesting and peculiar aspect, [n lieu of granite rocks, we observed only compact sandstone more or less crystaline, and with this change in the geological feature ofi the country, the form of the plants appeared to have undergone a similar alteration. Almost all were new to me ; but one of the most interesting was an Orchidea, doubtless the largest vet described, and which, for the gracefulness of its stem, the splendid shape of its flowers, and its aromatic smell, i- perhaps not equalled among this most singular and most fragrant tribe of plants. Long before we reached it the eastern breeze wafted the delightful odour towards us, and 1 looked inquisitively from side to side to discover th iree of this frag- rance ; at last I espied flowers, white as a lily, w!i eh rose on graceful stems above tin- surrounding shrubs. 1 hesitated m pranouncing it to be an Orchidea, strange and eccentric as till this tribe may be in their forms ; on coming nearer no uncertainty was left, and it proved to be one of the most beautiful of its class, and has since been named Souhalia Elizabeth \ in honour ol Her .Majesty the Queen of Prussia. Such were the interesting features of the landscape in which Roraima H Sohohbubok's, Interior of Gniom. Humboldt's Pers. Narrative, vol. v., p. 800, The mountain 1 d to is the Caruma or Sierra I rrande, situated I about thirty miles below Fort S i Joaquin ' ic nee of I lis lake still existed when we sojourned n i tained. i | lann< I ■■ I 'i i >r > Ayrks, an upon \nukks '•■■■ k.i ■ ■ . , h patria ' ueiros, or li i I ae i, to acoon p tij it if we, n i» had still ] i ■ of life, could i « years likely to be granted bo him. We reached the topai oils, but no lake was to be seen, nor isthe seoond traditiou mucli tol> tri I d— I within a year is the penalty for treading upon the summit of Caruma ; tor while I write this, two years have elapsed since I enjoyed a splendid prospect From its highest point. flO RORAIMA. 14 'capped by clouds, formed the most striking object, and heightened our desire to visit it; but various circumstances intervened before we could execute our design, and the 25th of October approached before we left the Air. una village, Uruparu. We continued our journey in a northern direc- tion, upon an extensive table-land, and followed the southern foot of a range of sandstone bills, remarkable for their resemblance to fortifications on a gigantic scale. After we reached the foot of mount Anauparu, our path turned over hills so cleft and rugged in their structure, that we could only ascend them by treading in the exact steps that had been worn, or perhaps cut out by the Indians. Having ascended mount Canaupang, one of the highest we had yet crossed, and perhaps not less than four thousand feet above the level of the sea, our road led us on the descent towards a wood, which we shortly after entered. We issued from it again, entered a savannah, and turning round a small hillock, a pretty prospect opened before us. An Indian village occupied the foreground, and unlike the other Indian settlements we had seen, it was enclosed or barricaded ; and Roraima, that remarkable range of flat-topped sandstone mountains, resem- bling basalt in their outline, rising like a wall iu the north, formed the background. Dark opaque clouds hovered round their summits, which, chased by the morning breeze, produced such a sudden change of light and shade on these mural precipices, that they appeared perpetually under new shapes and colours. Our delight at this varying scene was of short dura- tion, the mountains were suddenly enveloped in clouds, and hidden from our view. We reached the Indian village of Arawayam-botte, at eleven o'clock, which was inhabited by Arecuna Indians, and consisted of three square houses, with gable ends, and around cabin. Unfavourable weather detained us here eight days; the mountains were almost constantly clouded, and no day passed without thunder and lightning. We started at last, on the 2d of November, for the Roraima range, crossed several intermediate ridges and rivulets, and ascended Kaimari, a mountain about four thousand feet above the level of the sea, iu doing which a tract of the finest white clay attracted our attention. On reaching the summit we could not but admire the regularity with which a number of blocks of different sizes were placed. If human hands had set them with line aud compass they could not have been laid more regularly.* We halted at the foot of Roraima, at a settlement of two houses, built on the left bank of the river Kukcnam, the inhabitants of which fled to the woods when tiny saw us approaching; but we soon reassured them, and they returned, when they told us that they had taken us for Brazilians come to capture and lead them into slavery. After we had rested and refreshed ourselves, we 14 Schomjjviigk'6, Interior of QaUna. * They consisted of decomposed Eelspar, and their dir etion was S. 84deg. VV. We found similar blocks at the foot of Roraima, and the white elaj which we no i ■ d was do doubt toe remainder of decomposing Felspar, We likewise saw, i ftunl Kaimair, a fen blocks of compact felspar, of a blue colour; the surface, however, from exposure to the air, was white and pulve- rulent. At tlie river Kukenam, where it pasi the I ro of Roraima, .similar compact stratified felspar occurred a bed of yellow ochre re.-ti>iu upon it. Red Jasper (Homstone) is frequently met with in the vicinity of Roraima, chiefly at the river Cako, but the predominant rock is sandstone more nr less compact, which surmounts the other formations, and forms the mural precipices. iK as I ied to find limestone and gypsum in the vicinity of this mountain group, 1 could not discover either. RORAIMA. fil 11 ' commenced (lie steep asceut, and stood; at si\ o'clock in the evening, within a mile of the perpendicular walls of Roraima. AW- encamped for the night in a hollow, about three thousand seven hi I ibove the Arecuna village of Arawayam-bottc, where we li!ii the Rculty in procuring fire, the constant moisture which prevails on these heights having rendered the brushwood too damp to bum. At midnight the th trm »ra stood at .">!> dcg. Fahr., and the cold rendered us quite uncomfortable, for our constitutions had become sensible to such a decrease ol heat, accus- tomed as we were to tin- uniform temperature«of the lowlands; nor did the fires, which wd could not kindle into brighl flames, afford us any warmth. Before sunrise, and hall an h »ur after, Roraima was beautifully clear, which enabled us to see it in all its grandeur. These stupendous walls rise to a height of one thousand five hundred I sir summit is therefore live thousand two hundred ' ^.rawayam-botte. They are as perpen- dicular as if erected with a plumbline; nevertheless in some parts they are overhung with low shrubs, which, seen from a distance, give a dark hue to the reddish rock, and an appearance of being altered by the i if the atmosphere. Baron di Humboldt observes, tli thousand six hundred feet of perpendicular height has in :n sought (or in the Swiss Alps, nor do 1 think that Guiana icample of that description, A much more remarkable feature of this locality, how- ever, lies in the cascades, which fall from this enormous height, and str as it may appear, aft srwards flow in different directions, into three of the mightiest rivers of the northern hah' of South America, namely, the Ama- ihe Orinoco, and the Essequibo. Th i <•> this abundam water can only be explained by the circumstance, that the precipitation of atmospheric vapours is much promoted by th »se 'Mid and high mural precipices: local peculiarities, and among these the thick foresl towards tin' north extend from the foot of tuese monntains to the coast of the Atlantic, while large savannahs spread to the south, may in .many respects contribute ;> the increase of aqueous vapours. The summit of the mural precipices is somewhat rounded, and overgrown with shrubs; but that part which rises in a rounded form over the walls, must he of incon- siderable elevation, perhaps not more than fifty feet; nevertheless at this height from the summit, where the mountains assume the wall-like appear- ance, the supply of water is so great that it falls in streams, and forms those wonderful cascades for which Roraima is famed among the Indians, wdio in their dances siii£ of the wonders of " Roraima, the red rocked, wrapped in clouds, the ever fertile source of streams:" and in consequence of the darkness which frequently prevails, when thick clouds hover about its summit, it is likewise called the uight mountain — "Of Roraima, the red rocked, 1 sing, where with daybreak night still prevails." This was one of the burdens which we heard many times repeated, during the dance of the Arecuna Indians, in the vicinity of this mountain group. Roraima and the neighbouring mountains of the same structure represent, on a large Bcale, that which the spring ot the Brockeu in die Hart a mountains offers )i St lONivibK s, Interior Of Guiana. 62 Roii.\ni\. 11 ' in miniature; namely, water breaking out from the side of the mountain only a short distance below its summit. We left our ramp soon after sunrise, and attempted to reach one of the cataracts which appeared more voluminous in water than the others. We had tn cross a marshy savannah, abounding in most curious and inte- resting plants. Among these was an Qtricularia, the prettiest of its tribe, and which I have since had the pleasure of dedicating to the most distin- guished among American travellers, Baron DE Humboldt. The stem is of a dark purple colour, rises to a height of three or four feet, and bears several flowers about two and a half inches in diameter, also of a beautiful purple. Another plant of great interest was a new genus of Pitcher plant, the Heliamphora nutans, with radical leaves, and a hollow, urn-shaped petiole open at the top, the.lamina forming a small concave lid, which differs however from that of the Nepenthes in not closing over the pitcher, or urn- shaped petiole. Thescape bearsaloose racemeof from two tosixnoddingflowers, sometimes white, sometimes tinged with rose colour. Of uo less interest is a Cypripedium and a Cleistia, the latter with deep scarlet flowers and stem, and purple leaves, growing by the side of the Utricularia and Pitcher plant. We found another species of Sobralia, differing from the S. Elizabetha in its having sheathing, hairy leaves, and the labellum and petals being of a bright pink. The execution of our design to reach the large cascade, which the Indians called Kamaiba, was no easy task ; the surprising strength of vegetation, and the entanglement of trees and creepers, only permitted us to advance slowly, and numerous craggy precipices, which we were forced to descend by means of lianas and ladders of roots, even presented dangers. A humid vapour appears to be here constantly held in suspension, and the rays of the sun are scarcely admitted through the thick canopy of foliage. The trunks of the trees are thickly clothed with Mosses and Lichens. The Arums aud Pothos, almost gigantic in size, Uranias, Heliconias, arbores- cent Ferns, in appearance more resembling the stately Palm than the Peru of our northern countries, and numerous Alpinias contested for the pos- session of the soil which had gathered between large blocks of a black colour, their surface also affording a peculiar vegetation of Orclii. !. ;■ , Gcsncrias, Pcperomias, and numerous succulent plants, all attesting the humidity of the spot. Large trees, rooted in the clefts, and overhanging the glens, added to the sombre character of the scene. An oppressive solitude prevailed ; there was no sign of animal life; only the noise of falling waters was heard, which served as a guide to direct our steps thither. We had continued our dangerous path fur several hours, sometimes asccuding, sometimes descending almost perpendicular cliffs by means of the roots of herbaceous plants, or those natural ropes formed by the Bauhinia tribe, when the thunder-clouds which had been threatening, pass< d the mountains and enveloped us almost in darkness ; the rain fell in tor- rents, and thunder and wind appeared to vie with the cataract in producing the greatest uproar. The forest opened, and, as if it had been called forth by magic, a perpendicular wall stood before us, from w r hich the Kamaiba, M ScHOHBDnas'6, Interior of Guiana. RORAIMA. 63 14 'swelled by the torrents of rain, precipitated itself with a thundering noise Into a spacious basin below. The whole environ i d as if envel in foam, and the gusts of wind which accompanied the storm raised the froth befoi'e it in flakes. The summit of the wall was perfectly hidden from us; even the cliff opposite tin- a i which we stood was only seen occa- lly as through .1 veil, illuminated by vivid flashes of lightning. Numerous blocks, apparently torn from flu e gigantic walls, which were lying in great confusion around, conveyed tin- possibility thai a similar accident might imn occur, an idea, which was strengthened by the uproar of the elements ; .mil r of being near to these cliffs «as so fully Impressed on me, that instead of enjoying this romantic scene. 1 felt oppressed, and a wish to escape from it. Ii red to have commu- nicated a similar feeling to my companioi s, for nol a. word was spoken ; the Indians squatted on die ground a.. itedj indeed every one appeared to lee! relieved when 1 • for our return. This, how- ever, was not done before we I d to the basin, and had tried the temperature of the water, which we found to be 56 deg. Fahr., thai of tin air being then (11 deg. Fahr. The perpendicular wall of Roraima, whence EAMAIBA tails from the summit, had been ascertained from A.RAWAYAM to be fifteen hundred fee h '■, ii therefore surpasses in rated Staubbach in the Swiss Alps, which is nine hundred French feet, and presented, ai the time of our vi.it, a read ci mere precipitation of mist. In height it surpassed the Ca Gavarnie in the Pyi by nearly two hundred feci, which has been hitherto considered the highest; being one thousand two hundred and sixty-six French feet. I estimated the breadth of the fall at . venty yards. Of the extent vi' the are which this mass oi water formed in its descent 1 could not judge : the basin which received it mi 1 compared to a vast cauldron, the water foaming and bubbling within it with 11 Turbulently pushing itself a way throu mmerous blocks which fill the bed of the mountain stream, it continues for B few hundred yards, and, approaching another cliff, it precipitates a Lime, down a height bouf one hundred and twenty feet.* We returned by the path which we had partly cul through the thick wood on on:- way, and the continued rain ami 1 perature chilled us completely. When we issued from the wood and again approached the mountain savannah! we found ourselves perfectly enveloped in clouds, driven ra] idlj across by ^u^ts of wind, and the thermometer tell to 57 deg, Once or twice it partially cleared, and we observed a sunny land- scape within a, fen mi] 1 the fool of this mountain ; the thunder- storm was therefore perfectly local. Roraima is the mosf eastern, and the highest of ibis remarkable group of mountains, the grcate 1 extent of which between Roraima and Irutibuh is about twenty-five miles in a north-west ami Bouth-east direction. 1 1 s. 11 .\i bi iiuk' , I nirt ior ol ' luiana. * 1 : of quarts and ] .1 that I lound it 1 ' rerthel sthewat 1 had li arise h ' 1 iwedouta targe basin for itself. The perpendicular, high walls uctur'e, the sandstone i.-. Low • '•i RORAIMA. M ' North-wesl of it is Ikukcnam ami Ayang-catsibang, and to the north Marima, which form almost a quadrilateral figure. This quadrangle from south-east to north-west oacupies ten geographical miles ; the eastern end of Roraima, which lias entirely the appearance of a gigantic portal, is, according to my calculations from astronomical observations in Arawayam- botte, in 5 deg. '.) min. 10 sec. X. latitude, and five thousand one hundred feet above that village, and the north-western point of Ayang-catsibang in 5 deg. 18 min. N, latitude. At the distance of two miles north-west from Ayang-catsibang rises another rocky wall, Invarkarima, to a height of three thousand sis hundred feet, remarkable for an urn-shaped rock at its eastern end, which, standing as it were on a pedestal of three thousand one hundred and thirty-five feet above the Arecuma villag ■, is four hundred and sixty- six feet high, and at its widest part three hundred and eighty-one feet.* Next follows Wayaca-piapa, or the felled tree, another of those monuments of stone, which, formed by nature, has been compared, like Pure-piapa, to the trunk of a tree deprived of its crown, and the Indians have attached a similar tradition to it. Wayaca is less in height than the rest of the group, and resembles an obelisk with a truncated head. The three moun- tains, Yuruaruime, Carauringtebuh, and lrutibuh conclude the group, which, if seen from the Arecuna village, appear like one. 1 can but imperfectly describe the magnificent appearance of these mountains, with their thundering and foaming cataracts, and the peculiar aspect which these gigantic wails otter if seen from Arawayam-botte. They convey the idea of vast buildings, and might be called nature's forum, or associating them with those splendid remains of man's gigantic conception and execution, we may imagine what the forum would have been, if its columns and walls could have been raised to a height of one thousand live hundred feet, and if it had covered an extent of ten miles. Although this village is between tifteen and twenty miles from the mountains, which form the quadrangle, I recollect one afternoon, when a severe thunder-storm had just abated, that with the naked eye we counted fifteen cataracts, which precipitated themselves from their walls From the eastern end of Roraima and a short distance from that gigantic portal, ilows the Coting or Cotinga, mingling its waters with the Takutu, Branco, and Negro, and ultima r ely falling into the largest river in the world, the Amazon. A little to the north of it descends the Cuya, a tributary to the Cako, which, joining the Mazuruni or Mazuring, flows into the Essequibo. Several streams from the south-western side of Roraima flow into the Kukenam ; among them is Kamaiba ; which forms the cascade before described. The Kukenam has its source in the neighbouring mountain, I kukenam, and forms, at its confluence with the Yuruani, the River Caroni, a tributary of the Orinoco. The Yuruani itself, which the Indians consider as the head of the Caroni, flows in numerous streams from the north-eastern side of Ikukcnam, and is joined by others from its western side, and from the mountains of 14 Scuoiibvrgk's, Interior of Guiana. * These measurements are nil the results of trigonometrical operations in Arawaynm- botte : it must be however reoollected that, they were performed only by mea»s of a seitant, and arc c,j".6tguently merely arir^siu'ation*. Si p ^ >a 27 The Tapir. 28 T7ie Manati or Sea Cow. PURUMAMA. 65 ' Ayang-catsibang, Zarangtibuh, ami [rwarkarima. The river Aripam al»o flows iu numerous streams from the rocky wall of Marima. The Cako, one of the chief branches of tin' upper Mazuruni, rises on the eastern sida of Irutibuh, while the Cama, which flows from the western side, joins the Apauwanga, a tributary of the Carom. The abundance of water which proceeds from these mountains may he judged of from the circumstance, thai the Kni.enam, within three miles) of its source, already forms a stream from forty to fifty yards in breadth. This group of mountains is the culminating point of the Sierra Paea- raima, and here unite the natural boundaries of British Guiana, Venezuela, and Brazil. This mountain range is therefore not onlj remarkable for its picturesque scenery, and its importance in geography, hut it likewise possesses peculiar interest from political considerations. PUR! M \M \. Till: (.HIM PALL . 20 MIS \ u IT! il 62 DM UIJ. ». After otir visit to Roraima wc travelled ab " one hundred miles, in a south south-west direction, over savannahs and mountains, ami embarked in canoes on the river Parima, which some Indian tribes call Urariquera, and the Brazilians, from the colour of its water, Rio' Branco, or white river, in contra-distinction to the Ri ro, which has black waters. From the information which 1 had collected from some Maiougkonp Indians, one of whom was particularly acquainted with the regions of the Orinoco, I thought it advisable to follow the Parima, in order to reach Esmeralda cm the upper Orinoco. We embarked on the 6th of December, and found the river mueh obstructed by falls' and rapids, and our progress Mas consequently very slow. Iu the morning of the 10th of December we reached the mouth of the Uraricapara* which joins the Parima from the north-wesl . Towards the cud of the lasl century, namelj in 1775, the Spaniards, who claimed the sovereignty over those regions, erected a small fort on the right bank of the Urari called Santa Rosa, which however was not many years after abai I mi I. and its site was already overgrown with bushes when the Portuguese surveyors visited it in the commencement of this century. V chain of hillocks, which crosses the Uraricapara, likewise traverses the Urariquera or Parima, and not far from the junction of both rivers tonus the forinii ' : taraets, The Purumama Imeru is without doubt one of the largest falls in Guiana, and vies in si; - and magnificence with the cataract of William [Y, on the Essequibo, and the falls of the Corentyn. This powerful obstacle to navigation seen:- to n the river having forced its way through the hilly rangi i which 1 have already alluded. Diminishing lo 14 Scuombvrok'i, IntCli'T «.f Gl * Uraricapara and I impound terms of Urari, the plant of which (he Indians make their arrow poi I . i pecies oi StryehnOB. Capara signifies "river, Btream;" but the signification of quera, or as it is pronounced by the PnravUianai> a not able to give. 66 PUEUMAMA. M ' about fifty yards, it divides into two streams, and precipitates itself from a height of forty, or forty-five feet to the basin below. The grand and awful appearance of this large body of water is sublime beyond description, and in consequence of stony dykes, has for miles previous lo its reaching the large fall, formed an uninterrupted succession of rapids and whirlpools^ and ultimately dashes down a precipice of forty-five feet between two immense pillars of black shining rocks, which rise at the brink of the precipice from the foaming waters. The outflow from the basin here owes its existence to the narrowing of the main channel of the river on either side, in eon- sequence of two or more abutments of rocks, and was not more than thirty feet wide when we saw it. Through this contracted channel, the whole mass of the waters of the Parima, just after havii jrusl ! over a precipice, is forced to make its way. On meeting with this new obstacle an indraught is caused and rushes hack in an eddy, am! forms in the middle of the basin a vortex or whirlpool, which perhaps more powerfully realizes the picture of the Charybdis as painted by the ancients, than we find that whirlpool docs in reality. In order to witness its power we sent some Indians above the fall, and ordered them to cut down one of the !: trees which lined the bank. How great was our admiration when, after having been directed into the midchannel, it approached the chasm, and with its numerous branches was hurled down ihe precipice ! Scarcely had it approached the whirling gulf, when it was sucked under, and win n it reappeared it was already in the middle, of the outflowing stream, a naked trunk, its countless branches broken, and rushing down the impetuous channel. The grandeur of the tropical scenery, the numerous Palms and Uranias with their gigantic leaves, which skirt the Cataract, and add sub- limity to the mountains around, enhance the picturesque view of the Purumama Imeru. We distinctly heard the roar of the great cataract before we reached the junction of the Uraricapara with the Parima, and at least at a distance of a mile and a half from the fall. A little beyond, a second fall occurs of about twenty-five feet, making altogether a deseenl of from seventy to seventy-five feet, and to overcome this formidable impediment t't our navi- gation of the river, we had no alternative but to carry our corials over the range of hills, which rise about three 1 uudred and fifty fei i above the river. Though the ascent was for about a third nf the way at an angle of sixty degrees, and the Indians had to support the uselves bv steps arid ropes of lianas, which had been made by our pre'l sccss irs, v ■ nevertheless com- pleted the portage by four o'clock in the .afternoon, aud embarking above the cataracts, once more proceeded about half a mile further to a ce nient resting place. Rapids aid cataracts oppo.-el numerous difficulties to our progress the next morning, which we safely surmounted, and arrived at one o'clock at a Zapara settlement, where we found the people located in a very wild spot, almost inaccessible from the falls and rapids by which it is encircled. The 11 SCKOMSVsen'i, lnMriur ef Guiina, 5 JUNCTION OF THE KfXDAXA.MA Will! THE PARAMU. 67 14 'men and women of this tribe were so hideously ugly that we called them the Ugly Faces. Thej seem ! to suffer, most of them, from inflammation in the eyes; man) squinted horribly, and others were evidently dropaical. Their voices were squeaking and very disa p ibl ■ ; the chief was, however, a good looking personage, and one young girl formed a striking contrast, she being the pretticsl I: tliatt 1 had as yel seen. Altogether there i be about forty of theui crowded into three huts; these were built in a round form, neatly thatched with palm leaves, not poiuted at the top as the Maeitsi houses arc, though with an opening for smoke. The interior was clean, the only thing comu among them. The Zuparas, if app have arisen from the intermarriag Macusis and Arecuuas Th j principally inhabit the mountains Tupae-eng and Waikamaug, though there an- likewise a few of their settlements along the hanks of the Parima, of which this was one. Their whole number probably amounts to not more than three hundred. They differ little i'i appearance from the Macusis; if any thing, they are mora slender, and not so robust in figure. I had no opportunity of collecting any of their « but their language i^ merely the variety of tha parent tribes, the Arecuna and Macusi. JUNCTION OP THE &UNDANAMA WITH Till; PARAMU. irn ... 30 ms u. lokoitddx 65 dkg 34 ins « We continued the of the river Parima from the Zapara settlement, in latitude 3 deg. 16 miu. N.. to the confluence of the Arekatsa, which falls mto that river in latitude 3 deg. 11 min. X., and Following a north- west directio . ascended the mount; ich divide the Merewari and its tributaries from the .; t I a id Parima, am! entered the countrv of the Guiana and Maiongkoug Indians, many of whose tribes live in a pel state of nudity, but to whom, in spite of their savage state, hospitality was no stranger. Chej had no knowledge oi Esmeralda, or mount Duida, by those names, thou Further explanation [ concluded that Esmeralda must he their Mirava, and the Duida, mount ^ eouamari. Under these eireue, I determined, as soon as m\ invalids (several of the In. who had accompauied me) were convales< snt aftet fet to cross the peninsula formed by the Merewari, and t> proceed westward in search of the sources oi the Orini Wi had already entered the fluvial system of tie Orinoco, and I' i- which we er. ssed, flowing south- > ! into the Ot . guides pointed out i niiig part of a chain utlincs of which wc -;m to the southward, where the] the i'i . and Parima i eil their sourc tli i had reason to that we should reach them in a Few d the cveuiug of the I put ;m end to our anxious t We arrived at a Maiot i settlement, the inhabitants of which wi Found in great < m- Btcrnation, and about to fly from the place in cot of the massacre of twentj of their tribe by the Kirishanas, who inhabit the iuouu • Ml • 1 ' :ioi of Guim». 68 JUNCTION OF THE Kl M'W.Y.MA \\ 1TI1 Till: PAfi \.Ml\ "'between the Oriuocu and Ocauio, and who had treacherously fallen upon them, when by invitation they had been on their way to visit then for tin- purposes ot traffic. The same savages had immediately afterwards surprised a Maiongkong settlement, only ;i day's journey from where we then were, and with the exception of a child, who had found means to liide herself, killed every person. These outrages had caused a general panic, and my party of Maiongkongs became infected with the same fears to such an extent, that not only did they peremptorily refuse to go forward, hut made hasty preparations for taking to their heels and leaving us to our fate. We were thus obliged, most reluctantly, to turn back at the very threshold of the sources of the Orinoco. However, their hue position is no longer a geographical problem, a single glance on the map where my route is delineated will show, that all uncertainly as to their situation is reduced to within the narrow limits of less than thirty miles. I now determined to attempt reaching Esmeralda by a long circuit to the northward, by which the Indians considered themselves safer from their enemies. It was a most wearisome and monotonous route, over steep mountains and through forests so dense and high that nothing Mas visible beyond our path. The Uranias, Heliconias, and Palm trees vanished, and on the summit of these elevations we found two species of Lichens ,('la- donia rangifcrina and reticulata), of a pure white colour, which thickly covered the ground, and gave the appearance of a heavy fall of snow. We crossed the river Paramu or Padafno, on the 10th of February, and remained for some days at a Maiongkong settlement near mount Marawaco. During our stay I found an opportunity of ascertaining to what genus of plants those remarkable reeds belong, of which the Indians make their blow- pipes, and which are from fifteen to seventeen feet long, entirely free from any thing like a knot in that length, quite straight and smooth, and perfectly cylindrical. I found that they grew at the foot of Marawaca, and from specimens which were brought to me in flower, they proved to be a new species of Aruudinaria. We started from the Maiongkong settlement on the 15th of February, and embarked on the Paramu, which we followed in a southern course. Somewhat below the river Puruniama a series of falls commenced where we met with a serious diaster. One of the small canoes or corials, in passing a fall, filled with water and sunk, and though the corial Mas recovered, her load was almost entirely lost. Among other things was a small quantity of salt, which, after having been deprived of that condiment for several weeks, we had found an opportunity of buying at an enormous price from some Indians. It was a great punishment to us Europeans wlio were accustomed to salt, and for my part 1 freely confess, that of all privations which we naturally suffered after being for such a long period away from all traces of civilizatior, T felt none so bitterly as the want of salt. With the corial likewise sunk all our plates m\<\ kitchen utensils, which, although nol of the most valuable metal, had rendered us the same service as the most costlv would have done, and what was worse, could not be replaced. A il ScBOHBcaos'e, Interior of GuidEa. t> JUNCFiOX OF Till: KUXDAN.vM \ WITH THE PAKA.Ml . 6S) 14 ' similar accident shortly afterwards befel canoe, and the river Paramu appeared to be a su : ;: . a nd dangerous, that we Lad to unload the corials five times in the i the 15th of February, and to carry the h i . land. The following day, about noon, we reached the cataract Mariwacaru, tl i we had yet passed in the Paramu; the river precipitated its upwards of thirty feet over a ledge of rocks, and \vc had th i unload i id to carry our corials and baggage over laud to tl of this formidable obst; Thence we foll< ■ , , we saw, at mh:. dial fore i irsl mist ur i louds of white smoke from the fires which 1 • of our Indians who had gone on ; bul I was - i ui deci red, if was a sheet of foam caused by a cataract which ' ms al its junction with the Paramu. near its junction, about thirty-five Paramu; il falls gradually fifteen feet, u!: , , |„. ., small island into two streams, it rushes down over two grand i ts, the southernmost of which is twenty , dense whi rasts strongly with the dart colour of the Paramu, by the contest of svab and hang like a veil over the verdant clusters of Palms and thi :k uinb Need I observe that we stopped to . and that our pencils were soon engaged in transferring to paper the striking of this remarkable spot ? I knoa no other i n here a river joins its recipient in so turbulenl a i [ :, of the two falls at three hundred yards; at tl they formed a large basin, studded with huge black bl< cks, its shore thick niassi sand were deposited, br< u I d ivn by the Kuw the sandsl mountains. We had crossed thi February, in latitude 3 deg. 57 min. N., where il breadth, and whence its course had been south-west bj south to its ion with the Paramu, in latitude 3 dc g. .",1) min. S. The effect caused In the junction of the Kundama and its whitish waters, with the Paramu, the waters of which are called black, is peculiar. There is no gradual transition, the turbuli the Kundanama frequently pushes bodies of whitish water anion- the black stream of the Paramu, giving a spotted appearance to the latter. We found the Indians, who had preceded us, occupied in shooting fish, and the large basiu below the cataract appeared to teem with the delicious Pacu and other fishes. The vkl " "'' ""' J " ,li:i " : " nimals by this method cannot be admnvd, and if the false reflection, and the resistance which ,,lr water off ers to the antra be considered, it is easy to conceive precarious is tins method of procuring them; but the Indian has. by practice from bis earliest age, conquered whal we consider obstacles, and those t,,bes who have no intercourse with the coast, and consequently are unable to procure hooks, depend solely upon their bows and arrows for their success iu fishing. B ug. H BoauunoK't, Interior of Guiana. ?0 KSMKRALDA ON THE ORINOCO. ' 14 ' We passed the last cataract of the Paramu on the 20th of February, and I was truly thankful to the Almighty that if liad pleased him to allow us to reach their termination without accident. The Paramu in the number and height of- its falls surpasses any river 1 have ever before seeu, and many an anxious moment had 1 known during our descent. Below the last cataract we were welcomed by a pair of fresh water dolphins, which followed us, sporting and gamboling around the canoe. On starting the succeeding morning from our night camp, they again made their appearance ; at least we fancied they were the same, as we saw no more than that one pair; and under their c-cort, we, at nine o'clock in the morning of the .'21st of February, entered the Orinoco, and expected to reach Esmeralda on the succeeding day. ESMERALDA ON THE ORINOCO. LATITTDK 3 DIG. 11 MIX'. X. LOXUITCDE 66 DEO.' 3 MIX. W. Although Esmeralda has not excited the same interest as that which has been attached to El Dorado, it has yet attained some celebrity, and in consequence of a mineralogical error, it attracted general attention towards the middle of the last century. During the general search in the newly discovered continent for mountains impregnated with gold and boundless riches, the rock-crystals which were found at the mountains of Duida and Maravaca, some of them of great transparency, others coloured by chlorine blended with actinolite, were taken for diamonds and emeralds ;* and to the miserable hamlet of twelve or fifteen huts, the pompous title " Neuva Villa de Esmeraldas " was given. In later times it has been brought again into remembrance by the journey of Baron de Humboldt, who visited Esmeralda, in May, 1800, and made it his extreme point in his remarkable ascent of the Orinoco. The hostility of the Indians, who inhabit the upper part of the Orinoco, prevented him from advancing further. One of the ulterior objects of these expeditions, which were undertaken in the interior of Guiana under the direction of the Royal Geographical Society, was to connect the positions astronomically ascertained in British Guiana, with Esmeralda, the most easterly point determined by Baron de Humboldt ; to effect which, we had to traverse seven hundred miles of a country never yet trodden by any European, as far as we know, and to suffer privations and fatigues of every description. As already related, we entered the Orinoco by its tributary the Paramu or Padamo, on the 21st of February, 1839, and encamped that night opposite to the mouth of the Wapo. Our camp was broken up next morning at six o'clock, in lull expectation of reaching Esmeralda that day. Inght fleecy clouds enveloped Mount Duida, but they vauished after the sun rose above the horizon, and for the first time we had a full view of these stupendous rocky m: partly illuminated by the rays of the morning sun. Our pro;:::--, was attended by difficulties : we got aground several times on sandbanks, arid had to cross from shore to shore to avoid shallows, and to follow the winding H Schoiudbok's, Interior ot Guiana. * Dje Hvmsouxf's Pen, Karr., vol. v, p. 508. o s 3 ESMERALDA ON THE ORINOCO. '" • course of the current. At lengtl we came in view of a fine savannah, interspersed with thickets of trees, and tufts of Mauritia Palms. 1 knevi it, from Humboldt's description, to ime canoes, which were tied to the river's bank, Left us do further douht. 1 cannot describe with what feelings 1 hastened ashore; mj object was realized, and my* observations, c d on the coast of QJuiana, wen- now connected with those ol Hcmboldi at Esnii tilda it is but due to that greal traveller to acknowledge, thai s, when my own physical powers were almost failing me, and when, surrounded bj dai ties of no ordinary r . c| , rCj dig a p] m of my previous exertions cheered mc on, and encouraged me to that | t which v iwncd with sue* The en and my faithful Indian guides, told i tba i volumes whi Ities we had encountered. The village was a few hundred yards from the shore; halfway to it ., , ,, . ■ 4 f by the Alcade, who welcomed us in broken Spanish. His attire certainly ilid not bespeak his dignity, being nothing but a shirt made of the hark of a tree. He led us to his hul where Iris wife, children, and a were assembled, and while hU Scuor fish C as as. he made incessant ting Europ an affairs: he spoke of France and Paris, En I assia and Berlin; he inquired whal fiat Ferdinand VII. was ing in Catalonia. The change of affairs in Spain wi and h , mid u ; conceive how a Queen could govern there, equally wonderful to him was Donna Maria's accession to the Portuguese throne. He men- tioned Napoleon ; ai>d indeed showed thai he had a vcrj fair acquaintance rtith European matters, which was accounted for, when ho told me tnat he had served, during the late revolution in Columbia, as a sailor on board a private.']', under a Catalonian commander, and* had been much in the West Indies. OldANTONio "^ urumar] was an Indian of the Ipavaquena nation, which inhabits the banks of the Durovaca, or Siapa, a riverwbich falls in the Cassiquiare. Alter the independence of tin i ian republic had been declai'ed, he had settled at Esmeralda, and was now surrounded by a numert familj . over vt Inch he presided. Thirty-nine years had now elapsed since ALEXANDER VON HuMBOLDT vi.ited Esmeralda, and found, in the most remote Christian settlcmenton the upper Orinoco, a population of eighty persons. The cross before the village still showed us that its inhabitants professed the Christian religion ; but their number had dwindled to a single family-— a patriarch, and his children and grandchildren. Of six houses which we found standing, only three were inhabited ; their plastered walls, and massive and well-finished doors, showed that they were not built by Indians. Before one of (hem, which we supposed to have been the church or convent, we observed a small bell hung up in the gallery, bearing the inscription — "San Francisco Deasis Capp. 1769." Whatever change time might produced in the works of man, nature had remained the same. Duida stiil raises its lofty summit to the clouds, and flat savannahs "decorated with clumps of the Mauritia Palm," 14 Sim«ii>»i'i, Interior of Guiana. ESMEB \I.D\ ON THE ORINOCO. "'stretch from the hanks <>i ihc Orinoco to the foot of the mountains beyond, giviDg to the ' it grand and animated appearance which so much delighted de Humboldt. A ridg< of heaped-up blocks of granite, named Caquire, oi tin ms, and in some places looking like vast edifices in ruins, occupies the foreground, and tit its loot Tsmeralda is situated. Some pious I I planted a cross on the largest of thc-c granitic blocks, the airy form of which stands boldly in relief, with the blue sky as a background, andheightens the picturesque appearance of the sur- rounding scenery. It also reminds us, thai although nature and man appear in a savage state, there arc stilj some i:i this wilderness who adore the Deity, and Acknowledge a crucified Saviour. The village is about seven miles distant from the foot of Duida, which mountain rises to a height of seven thousand one hundred and forty-seven feet above Esmeralda, or probably eight thousand two hundred and seventy-eight feet above the sea.-* The Indians ot the rivers Paramu, Gunucuma, or the Maiougkongs, or Maquiritares, in general call the Duida, Yconamari ; and Esmeralda, Mirara. Towards the west, north-west the mountains rise gradually to the height of about two thousand feet, clothed at first with dense forests, succeeded by rocky cliffs, only here- and there thinly covered with vegetation. The range extends in sinuous outlines towards the loftiest peak, which bears north 30 deg. west from the village. Its base is covered with wood, from which a misshapen rocky m: ■ boldly to a height of four thousand six hundred and sixty feet, and so precipitous, that it is impossible to climb its summit. A similar rocky mass of considerable height stands west of Duida; I could not however ascertain its actual elevation above tin savannah, in consequence of dark clouds, which, during the period of our stay, hovered constantly round ils summit, while to the west the ridge was i rfoctly clear. The base of the mountain chain is of granite, but where the dense wood ceases, and the rocky mass rises for four or five thousand feet almost perpendicularly, it is of quartzose sandstone, more or less compact in its nature. Numerous veins or quartz traverse this sandstone in various directions, and are analogous to those of the ciystal mountains near . Spi ts of dazzling whiteness are observable along the precipitous declivities of Duida, when the atmosphere is clear, and the sun reflect his rays 011 its walls, which consist no doubt of quartz ; and the numerous fragments which we found on the savannah below, and in the beds of tne streams which ll>\\ from \<, prove the abundance of this mineral throughout the range. A charming urospcel presents itself from the cross of which I have already spoken. To the north, I iins, with the.ir steep wall- like forms throwing ou wl ! > look liki works surrounding a vast fortifici tion, softi ti into blueish tints as they recede in the di I mc of the Orinoco upwards can be traced for a considerable distance j and a lev isolated, rounded hills, of inconsiderable height, rise on either side of its banks : elsewhere, dense forests cover the ... , h ue Humboldt's Personal Narrative, vol r, p. i i0 an : Journal of the Rnval Ocoarra- j,\.r... society of London, vol. >.-, [>■ 245, oo FORT SAN GABRIEL. H 11 plain, Below is Esmeraldi, looking like a deserted village; tin: noon- tide heat and prodigious swarms of sand-flies confining the few inhabitants to their houses; the savannah extends from the village to the river \ a few stunted trees, and some Mauritia Palms rise from the thick grass, on which numerous ant-hills, of a pyramidical shape, from three to four feet high, and black like the soil of which they are built, form a singular and remark* able object. Baron de Humboldt observed, that the inhabitants of Esmeralda "lived in great poverty, and their miseries were augmented by Large swarms of mosquitoes," an observation equally applicable at the present day. The inhabitants are miserably poor, ami as to the numbers of sand- flies, or mosquitoes as they are more properly called by the Spaniards, from the first dawn to nightfall, they surpassed any thing 1 had ever seen. Indeed, Esmeralda, on account of the immense number of insects which obscure the, air at all seasons of the year, was considered by the monks, when the missions still existed along the Orinoco, as a place of banishment, ,and malediction, and to be sent to ISsmeralda was said "to be condemned to the mosquitoes, to be devoured by those buzzing Hies with which (Jon has peopled the earth to chastise man.* In consequence of the bites which they had inflicted upon me during our stay in Esmeralda, more than four months elapsed before I was perfectly cured ; ami although in romantic scenery and situation Esmeralda may not he easily surpassed, T almost, feel inclined, with the good father-, to consider it as a place of proscription and chastisement. PORT SAN GABRIEL. LATITUDE HKO. 7 MIX. 30 SKC. 9, l.OXOITUDK 67 CEO. 17 UIK. TV. After a stay of three days in Esmeralda, we left it on the afternoon of the 25th of February, and continuing the descent of the Orinoco to the west north-west for thirteen miles, we arrived at the remarkable bifurcation of this river, so well and so fully described by Baron hk lit mboi.dt, that little is left for any subsequent traveller to add. From this spot the principal branch of the Orinoco pursues its course west by north, winding round the foot of the Sierra Parana, and eventually, after a semicircular sweep of about eight hundred miles, falls into the Atlantic Ocean. The lesser branch, named the Cassiquiare, or C'assisiarc, by the Guinaus and Maiong- kongs, strikes oil' at a right angle to the south-west, and continues this course for about one hundred and twenty miles, direct to the Rio Negro, a tributary to the great Amazon, and joins the former river about sis miles above San Carlos ; thus connecting the two great basins of the Oriuoco and the Amazon. We entered the Rio Negro or Guainia, as the, Indian tribes call its upper course, on the Ith of March, and continued on it for about seventy miles, in a south south-east direction, passing the Venezuelan and Brazilian boundary forts, San Carlos, and San Jose de Marabitanas, and found our- H BCBOinVMS't, Interior of Ottiina. " Fail TtDEO Sikok, p, 481 ; vide Hcmboldi i Fe«. Karr. vol. ». p. 508. 74, TOUT SAN GABRIEL. 14 'selves, on the 10th of March, opposite the junction of the Uaupes or Ucayari with the Rio Negro. The Uaupes divides near its mouth into two branches, forming a low island about five miles long. Just below the southern point of the island the river has high banks, and is narrowed in by two ledges of rocks, to a width of four hundred yards, but scarcely has it overcome this impediment when it expands again, like a basin, to upwards of a mile in breadth, with islands near both banks, and studded v\ i 1 1 1 rocks. The prospect here is very lovely; in the distance to the south south- east is the group of peaked mountains named Wanari-mapan ; nearer arc some isolated hillocks, which rear their heads out of the plain, while the foreground is animated by several little cottages erected on the islands and banks of the river, surrounded by Plantain and Banana trees, above which the graceful Paripa or Pirijao Palm* raises its pinnated leaves. The river Cocobixi here joins the Rio Negro from the south, while almost imme- diately opposite, on a projecting point of the eastern bank, stands the lonely chapel of Santa Barbara, raising the peaceful emblem of Christianity even in these sequestered wilds, above the broad river which foams and flows at its foot. Such is the scenery at the spot in which the Rio Negro crosses the equator. More than fourteen months had elapsed since I had before traversed this parallel, five hundred miles further to the east ; and, although but an imaginary line, we cannot help attaching some interest to the great circle, to which we are accustomed to refer our chief geographical measure- ments. A low hill, about two miles south of the chapel of Santa Barbara, on the western bank, would, according to my reckoning, be exactly on the equinoctial line; and in the absence of any other name, perhaps it may be permitted to call it Cerro do Equador. Below this the river is impeded by rapids and falls, which follow in quick succession, and a steady hand at the helm, and a quick eye, are of the first importance ; these excellent qualities we had in our old pilot BernaDo from Xie, and we landed safely towards sunset at San Gabriel, a Brazilian fortress crowning a projecting eminence on the river's left bank. The small fort ixpon the hillock is built of stone, and was erected, in 1763, to prevent the incursions of the Spaniards, who came from San Carlos. It mounts six guns, among them two English, and basin ordinary cases a garrison of fourteen men under a commandant who is an Ensign in tin- provincial militia. The guns were of iron, and three were spiked. When the insurgents, or Cabannos, were in possession of the Lower Rio Negro, the commandant did not consider himself strong enough to defend tli' fort, and aiter having spiked three of the cannons he left it to defend itself, and 9cd the Venezuelean boundary to San Carlos. The present commandant was in great dread of an attack from the Indians of the rivers I d Uaupes. A slaving expedition, similar to the one which desolatt d the villages in the vicinity of the Ursato mountains, 14 SCHfOSBVnOX'S, I" » £i minima, specipaa Mart. Palm., lab. t>6, 67. FONT SAN GABRIEL 75 14 ' bad been sent against tbe native Indians who inhabit the contested boundaries between the Brazils and Venezuela, and in return tor the atro- cities there committed, the Indians had threatened to storm San Gabriel, and devastate the villages along the Rio Negro. Such an attack would, at that time, have proved very awkward, when the fighting men from San Gabriel, and the surrounding environs, had been enlisted to proceed up the [sanna on a second expedition, undertaken with the pretext of pressing Indians for the navy, but in fact to secure them as slaves. The trees and shrubs had been cleared away wherever it was though! they might impede an open prospect, and serve as a cover to the enemy, and the few men who had been lcl'i at tin- tort had a most harassing dutj to perform. To increase their difficulties and perilous situation, the commandanl was short ot ammunition, and the whole stork of powder did not amount to twenty pounds. San Gabriel, as well as other places in the magnificent province of Bio Negro, has suffered from the destructive influence of political dis- turbances. Flourishing villages Ijjrmerly existed where their name is now alone to be found ; numerous boats were then trading between Grain Para on the in. mill of tin- Amazon, and the Upper Rio Negro, an inland navi- gation of fourteen hundred miles, almost without impediment, and now there is hardly a vessel. Tbe largest cataract in this river occurs just below the fort ; we estimated its fall at about twenty feet, and it is considerable enough to oblige the canoes to be unloaded, and the baggage to be transported for about a mil- over laud. The view from the foot of this cataract is very lovely ; the fortress with mount Arruyabai on the western bank, the river broken up by a number of islets and cataracts, and the mountains of "Waineri-mapait, and that interesting bill which we have named Cerro do Equador, unite in forming a picturesque landscape. The black appearance of the water, where it is not agitated and foaming, contrasts strongly with the white banks and the lively green of tbe trees on its borders. That kind of boats, which is represented in the view of San Gabriel as ready to enter the surge at the foot ol'the cataract, l- called an Igaritea. Arrived at the eataraet, it is drawn by means of ropes through the rushing Water, and over the ricks which impede tbe passage of the river. The canoe of the natives is very different to the Igaritea of the Brazilians — the smallest is a Pakassa, or light boat, merely made of the bark of a tree. In British Guiana, the colonists call those frail boats "wood-skins." We had to transport our baggage- overland to the lower port, or " embarcadero," while the empty corial, under the guidance of our pilot, passed th< fall in safety, and re-embarked at eight o'clock in the moruing ; and quickly carried forward by a strong current, caused by the continual rapids of Cujubi, for two hours, we again entered comparatively smooth Water, opposite the small settlement of Ouinanau. These falls and rapids id tor about twenty miles, and the most dangerous passes are called Poredao, Hurnas, and Cujubi. A melancholy and utter picture of desolation meets the eye on H Scmoxhi ruk'i, Interior of Guiana. 76 FORT SAN GABRIEL. 14 'descending tlie Rio Negro; houses in ruin*, and without inhabitants; the plants clambering over ihc roofs, and the high hushes and grass before the door. During a journey of several weeks, and over an extent of more than five hundred miles on the Rio Negro, after entering the Brazilian territory, we saw only one native boat, with two Indians in her, who fled as soon as they got sight of our canoe. This desolation, so diffeient to the cheerfulness wc had observed in the Venezuelan villages on the Cassiquiara and in San Carlos, is caused by the oppression which the Indians receive from those petty officers to whom the official duties arc entrusted, and who compel the Indians to work with no other pay than a slender subsistence. This is sufficient to ruin commerce and agriculture, and cause the desertion of the Indians. For want of hands the inhabitant-- are ot>ligf:d to abandon their plantations, and the canoes, deprived of their crews, remain stationary for months together. With the best wishes of the Government at Para lor the object of our expeditions, and an inclination to afford us every assistance, the latter circumstance would have befallen us on descending the Rio Negro, but 1 had brought with me a crew of Warraus and MaciiMs, increased by Maiongkongs and Guinaus from the Parima mountains ; and independent of the assistance of the natives of the Rio Negro, we reached Marina or Barcellos, in twenty-one days from the time we had left Esmeralda, having made a distance of five hundred and seventy-five miles in boats. We descended the Rio Negro about a hundred miles more, to Pedrero, or Itarendana, and entering the Rio Branco, we ascended that river for about three hundred miles, in its winding course, and eventually reached our starting point, at Fort San Joaquim, alter an absence of seven months, during which period we had made a circuit of two thousand two hundred geographical miles, partly over land, partly in bouts, and comprising tracts which never before had been trodden by the foot of a white man. We awaited for the setting-in of the rainy season, and inundation of the livers, and then transported our large canoe, which \ had bought in the river Paramu, a tributary of the upper Orinoco, over a short portage of about eight hundred yards from lake Amueu into the Quatata, which commu- nicates with the Rupununi. It soon floated on the latier rivev, and carried rapidly forward by a strong current, we, on the 17th of June, 1839, approached the Protestant mission at Bartika Point, situated at the con- fluence of the river Mazaruni with the Essequibo ; and the hoising of flags and tiring of guns, gave us a proof of the kind interest which the inhabitants took iu our safe return. Two and twenty months had elapsed since we passed this spot, on our ascent up the Essequibo, and bade adieu to civilized life and its comforts, and after having made a circuit of upwards of three thou -aid miles, were low, by tlv blessing of Providence, returning in safety to Georgetown, it BchoiuirmuK'b, Interior of GuJjii*. THE GREAT CATARACTS OF THE RIVER CORENTYN. 77 THE GREAT CATARACTS OF THE RIVER CORENTYN. LATITl'DE, 4 DEC. 21 KIN. V. LONOITTDr, 57 PEG. 'Jo MIS. W. Tlic river Corentyn is not only interesting because it forms tlic boundary between the British and Dutch possessions in Guiana, but on account of its magnitude and length, it being one of the must considerable riven between the Amazon and Orinoco : and from tnc information which I acquired while at tlic Upper Essequibo, I suppose it to be equal in length to that stream. In 1837 we selected it as the high road to the central mountain-chain, which has been called by the missions ies Vcarai and Tumucuraque, and the upper pari of which, according to the tradition of the Caribs, is said to be inhabited by the Amazons. The treachery of those very Caribs, who by their extravagant accounts had raised our curi- osity, prevented our ascent beyond the great cataracts, and anxious as we were to ascertain the existence or non-existence of a republic ol females, the accounts of which since the sixteenth century have excited the greatest interest, it was yet impossible to realize our wishes. We arc in the present times too well acquainted with the truth not to remark in those accounts, which have been transmitted to us by the early historians, a desire to adorn whatever related to the New Continent with the most marvellous stories. It is, however, extraordinary, that if the tradition originated with the Europeans, that it has not only remained, but is even now adopted by several Indian tribes in Guiana, and the Caribs of the rivers Corentyn, Essequibo, and Rupununi ; they in the gravest manner declare, that these separate hordes of females, or \\ 'orisamaeos, still exist at the upper part of the Corentyn, in a. country called Marawonne. The locality where thev are said to live was so well described to me, that the Carib, from whom I had the information, assured me, that when we should have passed high above the cataracts, to that part where two huge roefca c\i\U^\ l'oiomoco and Surama rise from each bank of the river, and bound it like a portal, then we might consider ourselves in the republic of women. It was not decreed that we should get beyond a certain point. After we had passed a turn which the river makes in latitude I deg, 22 min. N. we observed several hilN on both sides: half an hour's further progress, and we found ourselves in apparently a large basin, surrounded by hills from sixty to one hundred feet high. The river was now broken up into torrents, the white flakes of foam, which came floating down as if to fjive us welcome, the thundering noise of the falling waters, ami a cloud of mist which hung over the southern hills, all told in an intel ice that some great scene of nature was before us. This basin was the furthest extent of our ascent up the river Corentyn in bonis ■ for tin' Caribs, who formed our crew, ri fused to pro further, and w e were ultimately obliged to return with- out having paid a visit to the Wori amaeo.* n ScHomutoK*!, Interior of Guiana. " Two yean afterwards 1 learned that tin' Coxitis who accompanied us in that expedition, believed irmly in • >■ n, and having persuaded themselves we intended to go thither, I > afraid of being d >r more than nine monthB among them, which determined them icither to show us the portage by which we oould have avoided the oataractS, nor accompany us any further. We ascribed this unwillingness to Other reasons. 78 THE GREAT CATARACTS OF TITR RIVER CORENTYN. M ' I followed ;i party of Indians who appeared acquainted with this place, and after some labour and trading, readied a branch of the rirer which divided itself into two channels. The western branch formed a fall, and the opening prospect on reaching its h indeed beautiful; the water rushed, at an angle of sixty degrees, into a valley formed by gigantic piles of rocks ; at our feet foamed the turbulent water, dashing its spray against the rocks that impeded its course : but the most splendid object was a cascade on the opposite side of the chasm. The rocks over which the water fell, were clothed with a species of Lacis, a water-plant, the pendu- lous b-anches of which were otren five and six feet long, and the whole resembled a rich carpet : the various tints of green, the strong contrast of its flowers, and the foam of the water which rushed over it, made the scene exceedingly beautiful. We estimated the height of the fall at twenty-five feet, and that, on the top of which we stood, at thirty feet ; they are almost oppo.sitc to each other, but a third, inure voluminous, is formed by three channels of the river uniting at the head of the cataract, and at their junction, their further progress being obstructed by a huge block of granite, the water forces a passage for itself, ai.d thence precipitates headlong into a chasm full forty feet below. A large rock stands out iu relief, and has been fancifully compared by the Indians to a thigh-bone, and from this resemblance it has received the name of Wotcto-tobo. The westernmost cataract is on a grander scale. Some of our party having visited it, and being quite enthusiastic in its description, we resolved to proceed thither ; and after climbing over, and crawling round numerous blocks of granite, we stood at the head of the largest fall I bad before seen in Guiana. The huge m:i his ord srs, would cause her to split by coming in close contact v. iih those rocks which she appears almost to touch in her descent. M\ own coria] was the last which was to descend the dangerous cataract, when Mr. Bei - iing man of talent and courage, and who accompanied the expedition as a volunteer, ■■ ed his desire to descend in her with the Indians. 1 remonstrated with him, as he was not an experienced swimmer, but my advice was not taken. 1 proceeded over land to the foot of the cataract, to witness her descent, and when the corial came in sight, the first object that struck me was Mr. Rbiss standing on one of the thwarts of the corial, when prudence dictated that he should sit down. From that moment to the catastrophe, not two seconds elapsed. The corial was directed to a point where the fall was very precipitous. The shock, when her bow struck the surge, caused Mr. Reiss to lose his balance; in falling he grasped o)\t- of the iron staunchions of the awning. The corial was unset, and in the next moment her inmates, thirteen in number, were seen struggling with the current ; and, unable fo stem it, were carried with rapidity tow&rls the next cataract. My eyes were fixed on poor l!i:iss ; he kept himself above water but a short time, sunk, and reappeared ; and when I hoped that he might reach one of the rocks, the current of the next rapid Beized him, and I fear he came in contact with a sunken rock ; he was turned completely round, and disappeared in the whirlpool at the foot of the rapid, Immediately 1 could muster men enough to guide a eorial, we commenced liligent search, in which we were assisted by some who had manned a second corial. For two hours all our endeavours were fruitless. At length wc found his body, in a direction where we least expected it, and where an under current must have drifted it. Life was extinct : new . the usual means for recovering drowned persons were resorted to, but in vain. The Indians had saved themselves by swim- ming, and he alone paid with his life for the rash attempt. Two aged trees stand on the western bank of the river, opposite to the place where our poor companion was drowned, wbenee I desired a path to he cleared to a rising ground, which the water, even when at its greatest height during inundations, does not reach. Here, on a level spot, where Mora trees and Palms, the latter an emblem of the Christian faith, form an almost perfect circle, now mes a pile of stones, under which rests our H s Bomumoi'i, Interior of Guiana. 82 SHOOTING THE FALLS. 14 f lamented companion to await his Maker's call. A small tablet, which he himself brought in order to engrave his name, and to leave it as a remem- brance, in ease we should reach the Acarai mountains and the sources of the Essequibo, is firmly fixed to one of the tree-, which form the circle, and now bears this inscription, — "Drowned, \'2th Fed., 1837, Charles F. Bliss, Aged 22 Years." The great danger and difficulty in ascending and descending the rivers of Guiana is familiar to all who have travelled into the Interior. The Missionary Bern av in his " Missionary Labours" thus describes the Shooting of the Falls : — fi ' The rapids in the interior present a great obstacle to the tra- veller, and the ascending as well as the shooting them is often attended with danger and loss of life. On one of these occasions I was nearly swamped, a wave striking into the canoe from the side of a sunken rock. On another, the Indians woidd not allow me to remain in the canoe, as they perceived the descent would be attended with danger. The canoe was therefore unloaded, and the baggage carried overland to the foot of the rapids, which necessarily takes up much time. I then proceeded, and placing myself on one of the rocks, watched the boat \\ ith great anxiety. It is an exciting moment when once the canoe is in the current, shooting along with the swiftness of an arrow ; she arrives at the edge of the fall, and, balancing for a second, plunges into the surf, where, for a moment, she seems to be buried. She is seen emerging again, and, obeying the helm of the steers- man, surmounts the waves caused by the conflicting currents. A mistake on the part of the foreman, or the pilot, at the helm, would cause her either to split by coming in contact with rocks, or to sink, being swamped by the waves. At this time the canoe ran upon a sunken rock ; in a moment the Indians were seen in the water ; this caused her to get afloat, and in another moment every Indian was again seen in his scat. I feel persuaded that none but Indians arc able to escape the danger attending such adventures, and even amongst them it frequently happens that whole families are lost in the attempt.' ( Vide Chap. IV., page 36.) Watekton also mentions the danger of shooting the falls. In descending the Essequibo, he says : — :! ' That it was much more perilous to descend than to ascend the falls. The place we had to pass had proved fatal to four Indians about a month before. The water foamed,, and dashed and boiled amongst the sleep and craggy rocks, and seemed to warn us to be careful how we ventured there. I was for all hands to get out of the canoe, and then, after lashing a long rope ahead and astern, we might have climbed from rock to rock, and tempered her in her passage down, and our getting out would have, lightened her much. But the negro who had joined us at Mrs. Peterson's, said he was sure it would be safer to stay in the canoe while she went down the fall. I was loath to give way to him ; but 1 did so this time against my better judgment, as he assured me that he was accustomed to pass and repass these falls. Accordingly we determined to push down : I was at the helm, the rest at their paddles. But before we got half way through, the rushing M *«B»«»T:r»i'- I»t»ri»r if Gaiwi. t toir, 3 Witibtom. SHOOTING THE FALLS. 83 s ' waters deprived the canoe of all power of steerage, and she became the sport of the torrent ; in a second she was half full of water, and I cauuot c >mprehend to this day why she did not go down; luckily the people exerted themselves to the utmost, she £ot headway, and they pulled through the whirlpool : I being quite in the stern of the canoe, part of a ware struck me, and nearly knocked me overboard.' ^ \T\\TSni'ON. U THE INHABITANTS OF BRITISH GUIAtfA. CHAPTER VI. Thi Inhabitants or British Guiana. — The Aborigines or Indian Tribes.— Their Origin— The Arrawaks — Warrows — Caribs— Aecawaia — Macusis — Arecui as — Wapisianas — Atorais — Tarumaa — Woyawaia, and other Tribes— Personal Description — Tatooing and Painting of their Bodies, Drcs*. and Ornaments — Form of Huts -Hunting Grounds — Blowpipe — Form of Pottery used — Their Chiefs — Custom at the Birth of a, Child— - Boring the Lips, Bars, and Nose — Expertness with the use of tho Bow aud Arrow — Endurance of Pain — Cruel- ties to Children before Marriage — Polygamy Allowed — Mode of preparing Food — Piwarry and Cassiri drink — Mode of Preparation — Hohihit, or Band- master — Warrou Dance — Funeral CereraonieB — Obdurate Widows Punished — Ideas of Beligion — Manners, Customs, and Superstitions of the various Tribes — Cannibal Indians — Indian Vocabulary. Europeans —Creoles — Por- tuguese—Africans — Coolies — Chinese — .Statement from the Census of 1861 — Extracts from Immigration Eeturns. 14 ' History informs us., that at the discovery of America by the Spaniards in the fifteenth century, the Europeans found it inhabited by a race of men, who were externally distinguished from all other nations of the known world by peculiarities of structure, and internally by their mental condition, and who, although the greatest analogy existed between them in manners, habits, and occupation, were nevertheless divided into a vast number of tribes, speaking different languages. So great was the similarity in their appearance, that accurate observers, who saw the aborigines of America in provinces far removed from each other and differing in climate and pro- ductions, were struck with their surprising resemblance in figure aud aspect. Pedro de Cicca de Leon, who had an extensive knowledge of the Indian tribes, says, " The people, men and women, although they arc of such a vast multitude of tribes or nations, in such diverse climates, appear never- theless like the children of one family." Whence arises then the discordance of languages between different tribes, and which appears to be more considerable in the New Continent than even in Africa ? According to the researches of Seezen, Vater, and de Humboldt, there are at least five hundred different American tongues. Alexander von Humboldt, great alike as a traveller, a philologist, and a natural philosopher, ascribes their differences "to the configuration of the soil, the strength of vegetation, the apprehensions of the mountaineers, under the tropics, of exposing themselves to a burning sun," all of which he considers as obstacles to communication, and contributes, as he thinks, to the remarkable variety of dialects. This is not the proper place in which to inquire into the cause of the 14 ScHOMBT7Eajt>, Interior of Guiana. THE ABORIGINES OK TNDTAX TRIBES. 85 H 'above variety, a cai h must continue 1 as long as these languages depend upon oral delii i liable to cor- ruption ; but there • a grammatii I milarity in their general structure, which make it evident rer they may differ as dialects, they have a i ommon origin. To guide the inquirer, hov cough the iu - of this laby- rinth, to give liim a notion whence that ad the people who speak it, originated, there is nol a vestige ot hi lot a thread of tradition to afford a cli I all our d ipends upon hypothe ing. The opinions, which at present have been adopted with n this subject, may be three conjectures : — I. Whether they be indigenous to, n co ral with, the Continent which they inhabit ? II. Whether they be of Asiatic origin, first peopling the South Sea Islands, and then emigrati uitinent of Amer. ill. Whether tin 5 ai 1 ived I Ucoutski Islands in the northern part of \. thence spread over the Continent ? Man • have a that the first germs of the development of the human Vnn rica, can be sought Cor nowhert but in thai qui it can be p thai the laws of nature direct vi records, which expressly saj that " God has made of 1 I ! all the nations of men to dwell on all the lace of the earl il appeal to that Holy Hook for interpretaton. The Bible and Profane Hi ro!. orate the narrative that an Egypt and Eiindostan were invaded by a tribe, who introdi then- peculiar customs into the conquered ci built temples and pyramids, and covered them with hi Historians here allude to the Cushites, who, alter having ere splendid empire, were dispersed by the Almighty. They are traced chiefly by the ruins of their mural defences in a north-easterl} direction to Palestine; by the relies found in their tumuli, and pir peculiar zodiacal signs, to the north ot Siberia, where all further traces of them are lost, i tumuli, mural defences, hieroglyphic inscriptions, astronomical divisions of time, and zodiacal signs, were used by the civilized aboriginal r America : and as the geogra- phical qf 81 liriug's S rait, and the Alcoutski Islands, admit the emigration from Asia to Am led to believe that the Tolte I Aztecs arrived that way. They Mere however expelled by succeedini and during the struggle for i the earthern ramparts may h ted; but i attacks, and the arrival of new hordes, rendered their destruction inevitable, Lf they obsti- natelj persisted in remaining; they therefore abandoned the country to the conquerors, en I ultimately extinct. The descendants of the latter savage tribes, th< ors of the ancient. Mexicans, constitute a< present the aboriginal inhabitants of North and . nuerior 01° Guinn*. 86 THE ABORIGINES OB INDIAN TRIBES. " 'South America, tribes, who though dissimilar in language, possess phi- lological affinities, and are distinguished by the same predilections for a nomadic, or roving and Barage life, and are given alike to war and to the chase. The Mongolian races of Northern Asia possess a similar disposition : but we may infer a still stronger affinity between the Indians of North America, and the nomadic tribes of Northern Asia, from anatomical evidences. Indeed, the learned Author of the "Physical History of Mankind," Dr. Priohard, in alluding to the Mongolian races and the North American Indians, observes, " we do not find that any "clearly defined difference has been generally proved between the two classes of nations." The present American race, blended with the Mongolian to the north, spreads over the whole of the New World, and however feeble their intellect may be, they surpass the more civilized, but now extinct races of Mexico, in their full belief of the existence of one Good Spirit, a future life, and the immortality of the soul. These tribes, to whom a roving life and a home in the forest are essential, contain several subdivisions, differing in customs, habits, and language; but an original affinity runs through them all, and shows that they were once intimately connected. Ancient customs have become modified by change of situation and circumstance, but after so great a lapse of time, the present aboriginal inhabitants of Guiana, and the adjacent territories, still resemble the Americans of the northern portion of this wide-spread race in their manners. It is difficult, if not impossible, to form a close approximation to truth in calculating the number of aborigines within the boundaries of British Guiana : our imperfect 'knowledge of the country, and still more their wandering life, increases this difficulty : but I estimate the tribes who inhabit the British territory at about seven thousand. The different nations consist of Arawaaks, Warraus, Caribs or Caribisi, A,cawais or Waccawaios Macusis, Arecunas, Wapisianas, Atorais or Atorias, Tarumas, YV'oyawais The Arawaaks and Warraus live in the coast regions, and their small settlements scarcely extend one hundred miles inland : I reckon their number at about three thousand. The Caribs inhabit the Lower Mazaruni and Cuyuni : about one hundred are located at the Corentyn, eighty at the Rupununi, thirty at the (luidaru, and their whole number (though once the lords of the soil) does not at present surpass three hundrtd. The Acawais or Waccawaios inhabit the Upper Demerara, the Mazaruui, and Potaro, and am»unt probably to six hundred. The Macusis live in the open country, or savannahs of the Rupununi, Parima, and the mountain- chains Pacaraima and Canuku. These who inhabit the British territory amount to fifteen hundred ; the whole tribe is probably not less than three thousand : they arc bounded to the north by the Arecunas, who dwell in the mountainous regions and savannahs, at the springs of the Caroui, H Schombvbok's, Interior of Guiana. THE /IBORIGINES OR INDIAN TRTBKS, 87 14 ' Cuyuni, and Mazaruni. They are a powerful tribe, but are more properly the inhabitants of the Venezuelan territory. The la are a tribe belonging to the savannahs of the Upper Rupununi, and the hanks of the Pariuia ; I estimate the number of those who inhabit Guiana at five hundred. The Atorais, at the Carawaimi mountains, and along their north-western Coot, border on the territory of the Wapisiana ; and, like the Caribs, are fast approaching to extinction, their whole number does not reach to two hundred. The Tarumas inhabit the tributaries of the Upper Essequibo, and amount to no less than five hundred individuals. The Wbyawais, a race who live in the regions between the sources of the I quibo, and the affluents of the Amazons, number abi huudred and fifty j they are on the southern confines of the British territory. The Indians cf Guiana who have come under my notice, arc seldom more than five feet lour inches in height, and although they on their first appearance convey the idea of strength, a closer inspection will show that they are not muscular. Their head is rather large in comparison with their bodies, and the same may he also remarked as to the trunk of the body in proportion to the Limbs ; their . their eyes slope upwards towards the temples, and although the fori In ad is lower than that of Europeans, it is much superior in its development to that of the Negro. The breast is well formed and stron ially in the females, and their hands, feet, and ancles, particularly those of the women, arc remarkably small. Indeed the inferior extremities are so well proportioned, that they might serve as models, although it must he observed that the toot, from never having been confined by shoes, is rather broad. The females are almost equal in size to the males, hut with a lew exceptions their embonpoint prevents them tr ring graceful. Their colour is a brownish olive, varying more or less according to the tribe, or whether they inhabit the sea coast, forests, or savannahs. Some of the casts arc almost as fair as the Spaniards and Portuguese, while others are of a very lark brown. However dark, their straight, luxuriant black hair, small features, and well - ned limbs, will always strongly mark the diffe- rence between the Indian and the African. The Indian tribes of Guiana paint their faces and bodies with lines, sometimes straight, sometimes in imitation of the Etruscan or Grecian patterns. A few, and among them the Warrau. Arawaak, and Macusis, i slightly. 'I'll' tattooing generally consists only of a few curved lines at the corners of the mouth, and over the eyebrows, giving to the faces of the females, among whom it is more customary than the men, a characteristic and not uninteresting expres! Their arms, necks, and ancles are embellished with glass beads, either in imitation of coral, or of a blue or w hite colour, which they procure through their intercourse with the inhabitants of si regions. Neck- laces of the teeth of monki ys, p mis, and divers seeds or shells, are used as substitutes when the former are not to be procured. Their dress is otherwise restricted to a piece of cloth which covers their loins, or the H goaotUVMK'l, Iaitrier »l Guiana. 88 THE ABORIGINES Oil INDIAN TRIE M ' females use a Bcaall apron form d of ads. When they are able to procure ;i kind of blue cotton cloth, which iu the Colony is called Salempores, th it the preference to their own manufacture, although the latter is much The way in which that cloth is worn in a great measui lates their tribe, and the Caribs and Macusis distin- guish then / the size, an picturesque manner in which they throw it over them. The Kirishana, Oewaku, and some of the Maiong- kongs, go perfectly naked, hut paint their bodies with black and red pigments. The more pophilous tribes are subdivided into hordes, connected by consanguinity or marriage. The form of the huts which they inhabit, generally marks the tribe by whom they were erected; and while the hut of the Warrau, Arawaak, and Carib, is a mere shed, the houses of the Macusis and Wapisianas are frequently built of mud, surmounted by a roof of a pointed form, of aim ni character. These roofs are neatly thatched with palm leaves, and whatever may be the form of the house, this substance is generally usecL The inner structure is simple, and answers all the purposes for which it is intended. The absence of nails and bolts is replaced by lianas, or withes. The hut of the Wapisiana is dome-shaped, and his architectural skill in supporting the arches which form the dome is to be admired. These houses, for the most part, have only a ground floor; I noted however, among the Caribs, one storied huts, the communication being effected by a ladder, or wooden steps on the outside. Several fai tilii 3 g nerallj inl al il one of these huts, there is however no dividing partition; the beams from which the hammock is slung, the few stones which constitute the hearth, arc tacitly acknowledged to form a claim to that particular spot, which is never usurped by a third, although readily relinquished to a guest or stranger. Every village of consequence possesses a house which is c ly dedicated to the reception and residence of strangers. It generally occupies the middle of the Indian village, and to it the , who passes the place, resorts and awaits the welcome of the chieftain, and the refreshments which arc soon alter brought to the weary traveller by the females who belong to the chieftain's household. This house is called Tapoi by the Macusis and Wapisianas. The Oewakus and Kirishauas on the rivers l'arima and Orinoco, and the Muras on the Amazon, have no fixed habitations ; like the gypsies they wander from place to place, and build a temporary shed wherever they promise themselves success in fishing and limiting. No girdle surrounds their loins, no Perizoma 1 ir nakedness, and averse to intercourse with any other being, they consider every individual who does uot belong to their tribe, as their natural enemy. Each tribe has its own hunting ground, and each family its own plan- tations, which, after the trees have been felled by the husband and grown- up sons, are cultivated by the women. Although the same hut may be occupied by more families than one, there is no community of utensils. These, as may be presumed, are very simple, consisting of many sorts of U Schomiueoi's, Interior of Guiana, ■ j jfrms, Weapons and Furniture of the Indians. INDIAN BLOW-PIPE. 89 " ' earthenware vessels of different shapes and size, resembling the Etruscan vases in their form. The women principally fabricate their pottery, and mould the largest vases, containing' from twenty-five to thirty gallons, with their hands. They are frequently ornamented' with greek, arabesque, and meandering designs. A few low stools carved out of a solid piece of wood, and resembling the wooden pillows or headstools of the Egyptians, the necessary utensils for the preparation of the cassava bread, the weapons for the chase and war, form the furniture of the hut. The Indians usually sit on their haunches, or rcsl in their hammocks.' The description of nnd manner in which the Indians of Guiana use th,i! indispensable v lie Blow pipe, is admirably described by Water- ton in hi- Wanderings in Guiana. lie says: — ' 'When a native of Macoushia goes in qu wt of fcal hered game or other birds, he seldom carries his bow and arrows. It i- the blow-pipe he then uses. This extraordinary tube of death i-. peril f the greatest natural curiosities of Guiana. ll i-i not found in the country of the .\1 iCOIlshi. Those Indians tell you that ii grows to the • mth-wesl of them, in the wilds which extend betwixt them and the 8.10 Negro, The reed must grow to an amazing length, as the part the Indians use is from ten to eleven feel long, and no tapering can be perceived in it, one end being as thick as the other. It is of a bright yellow colour, perfectlj smooth both inside and out. It grows hollow : nor i> there the least appearance of a knot or joint throughout the whole extent. The natives call it Ourah. This, of itself, is too slender to answer the end of a. blow-pipe : but there is a species of Palma, larger and stronger, and com Guiana, and this the Indians make use of as a Case, in which they put the Ourah. It is brown, susceptible of a tine p ilish, and appears as if it had joints live or six inches from each other. It is called Samourah, and the pidp inside is easily extracted, by steeping it for a lei days in wafer. Thus the Ourah and Samourah, one within the other, form the blow- pine of Guiana. flu end which is applied to the mouth is tied round with a small silk grass cord, to prevent it- splitting; and the other end, which is apt to strike a .... us round, is secured by the seed of the Acuero fruit, cut horizontally through the middle, with a hole made in the end, through which i^ put the extremity of the blow-pipe. It is fastened on with string on the outside, and the inside is filled up with wild hees'-wax. The arrow is from nine to ten inches long. It is made out of the leaf of a species of palm-tree, called Coueonritc, hard and brittle, and pointed as sharp a- a needle. About an inch of the pointed end is poisoned. The other end is burnt, to make it still harder, and wild cotton is put round i: fir ah ;it an inch and a half. It requires considerable practice to put on this cotton well. I; niitsi just lie l;e fir 'he hollow of tin' tube, and taper off to nothing downwards. They tie it on with a thread of the -ilk grass, to prevent its -lipping off the arrow. The Indians have shown ingenuity in making a quiver to hold the arrows. It will contain from five to six hundred. It is generally from twelve to fourteen inches long, and in shape resembles a dice-box used at H Sun -mi xok's, Interior of Guiann. I Wiiimio.s. 90 INDIAN BLOW-PIPE. 3 ' backgammon. Thp inside is prettily done in basket-work, with wood not unlike bamboo, and t!ie on a coat of wax. The cover is all of one piece, formed out of the skin of the Tapir. Round the centre there is fastened a loop, large enough to admit the arm and shoulder, from which it hangs when used. To the rim is tied a little bunch of silk grass, and half of the jaw-bone of the fish called 1'irai, with which the Indian scrapes the point of his arrow. Before he puts the arrows into the quiver, he links them together by two strings of cotton, one string at each end, and then folds them round a stick, which is nearly the length of the quiver. The end of the stick, which is uppermost, is guarded by two little -wise, with a hoop round their extremities, which appears something like a wheel : and this saves the hand from being wounded when the quiver is reversed, in order to let the bunch of arrows drop out. There is also attached to the quiver a little kind of basket, to hold the wild cotton -which is put on the blunt end of the arrow. With a qu of poisoned arrows slung over his shoulder, and with his blow-pipe in his hand, in the same position as a soldier carries his musket, sec the Macoushi Indian advancing towards the forest in quest of Powises, Mareudis, Wara-. cabas, and other feathered game. These generally sit high up in the tall and tufted trees, hut still are not out of the Indian's reach ; for his blow-pipe, at its greatest elevation, will send an arrow three hundred feet. Silent as midnight he steals under them, and so cautiously does he tread the ground, that the fallen i rustle not beneath his feet. Ilis ears are open to the least sound, while his eye, keen as that of the lynx, is employed in finding out the game in the thickest shade. Often he imitates their cry, and decoys them from tree to tree, till they are within range of his tube. Then taking a poisi arrow from his quiver, he puts it in the blow-pipe, and collects his breath for the fatal puff. About two feet from the end through which he blows, there are fastened two teeth of the Accouri, and these serve him for a sight. Silent and swift the arrow flics_ and seldom fails to pierce the object at whieh it is sent. Sometimes the wounded bird remains in the same tree where it was shot, and in three minutes falls down at the Indian's feet. Should lie take wing, his flight is of short duration, and the Indian, following the direction he has gone, is sure to find him dead. It is natural to imagine that, when a slight wound only is inflicted, the game will make its escape. Par otherwise : the wourali poison almost instantaneously mixes with blood or water, so that if yon wet your finger, and dash it along the poisoned arrow in the quickest manner possible, you are sure to carry off some of the poison. mgh three miuuti Ij elapse before the convulsions come on in the n ided bird, still a stupor manifests itself by an apparent unwil- lingness iu the bird to move. T.jis was very visible in a dying fowl. Having procured a healthy full-grown one, a short piece of a poisoned blow-pipe arrow was broken off, and run up into its thigh, as near as 3 Waiuitoh. BOW AND ARROWS— TOISOXED SPIKES. 01 3 • possible, betwixt the skin and the flesh, in order that it might not be in- commoded by the wound. For the first minute it walked about, but walked ven slow ;!iul (!id not appear the least agitated. During the second minute it stood still, and began to peek the ground : and ere half another had elapsed, it frequently opened and shut its mouth. The tail had now led, and the wings almost touched the ground. By the termination of the third minute, it had sat down, ble to supporl its head, which nodded, and then recovered itself, and then nod' . lower ami lower le, like that of a weary traveller slumbering in an erect position: the i\ - pen and shut. 'The fourth minute brought on con- vulsions, and life and the fifth terminated together. The flesh ot the game is not in the least injured by the poison, noi does it appear to corrupt sooner than that killed by the ^un or knife. The body of this fowl v en hours, in a climate damp and rainy, ami within seven degrees ol the equator ; at the end of which time it had contracted no bad smell wl there were no symptoms of putre- faction, saving that, just round the wound, the flesh appeared somewhat discoloured. The Indian, on his return home, carefully suspends his I pipe from the top ot his spiral root ; seldom placing it in an oblique position, lest it should receive a cast. Here let the blow-pipe remain suspended, while you take a view of the, arms which are made to slay the larger beasts of the forest. When the Indian intend to chase the Peccari, or surprise the deer, or rouse the Tapir from his marshy retreat, he carries his hows and arrows, which ars very ditfereut from the weapons already described. The how is generally from six to seven feet long, and strung with u cord, spun out of rass. 'flu- forests ot Guiana furnish n of hard wood, tough and elastic, out of which beautiful and excellent bows are formed. The arrows are from four to five feet in length, made of a yellow reed without a knot or joint. It is found in greatplenty up and down through- out Guiana. A piece of hard wood, about nine inches long, is inserted into the i i the reed, and fastened with cotton well waxed. A square hole, an inch deep, is then made in the end of this piece of hard wood, done tight round with cotton to keep it from splitting. Into this square hole is fitted a spike of Coucourite wood, poisoned, and which may be kept there, or taken out at pleasure A j lint of bamboo, about as thick as your finger, 1- it d on over th ; isoned spike, to prevent accidents, and defend it from the rain, and is taken oil' when the arrow is about to be used. Lastly, twi • 1 on the other end of the reed to steady it in its flight. Besides his blow-pipe, bow and arrows, the Indian carries a little box made of bamboo, which holds a dozen or fifteen poisoned spikes, six inches Ion:.'. They are poisoned in the following manner : a small piece of wood ix dipped in the poison, and with this they give the spike a lirst coat. It is then exposed to the sun or fire. After it is dry it receives another eoat, and tl jain ; alter this a third eoat, and sometimes a fourth. They take great care to put the poison on thicker at the middle than at the J Wattoox. 92 POISONED SPIKES— INDIAN VILLAGES. s ' sides, by which means the spike retains the shape of a two-edged sword; It is rather a tedious operation to make one of these arrows complete ; and as the Indian is not famed for industry, except when pressed by hunger, lie has hit upon a plan of preserving his arrows which deserves notice. About a quarter of an inch above the part where the Coucourite spike is fixed into the square hole he cuts it half through ; and thus, when it has entered the animal, the weight of the arrow causes it to break off there, by which means the arrow falls to the ground uninjured ; so thai, should this be the only arrow he happens to have with him, and should another shot immediately occur, he has only to take another poisoned spike out of his little bamboo box, fit it on his arrow, and send it to its destination. Thus armed with deadly poison, and hungry as the hyaena, he ranges through the forest in quest of the wild leasts' track. No hound can act a surer part. Without clothes to fetter him, or shoes to hind his feet, he observes the footsteps of the game, where an European eye could not discern the smallest vestige. He pursues it through all its turns and windings, with astonishing perseverance, and success generally crown his effort*. The animal, after receiving the poisoned arrow, seldom retreats two hundred paces before it drops. Thus the savage of Guiana, independent of the common weapons of destruction, has it in his power to prepare a poison, by which he can gene- rally ensure to himself a supply food ; and the food so destroyed imbibes no deleterious qualities. Nature has been bountiful to him. She has not only ordered poisonous herbs and roots to grow in the unbounded forests through which he strays, but has also furnished a:i excellent reed for his arrows, and another still more singular for his blow-pipe ; and planted trees of an amazing hard, tough, and clastic texture, out of whicll he forms his bows. And in order that nothing might be wanting, she has super- added a tree which yields him a fine wax, and disseminated up and down, a plant not unlike that of the pinc-applc, which affords him capital bow- strings.' 14 ' Members of the same tribe frequently form small villages, of from six to ten houses; over such communities a chieftain presides, called Yrrv- torikung in the Carib language, or Toyeputoki in the Macusi, whose authority is only acknowledged to its full extent during feuds and wars. His power and influence depend upon his personal superiority in strength and enterprise. fhe hereditary dignity is derived from the mother ; but it is rendered easy for any one who has talents and courage to assume the command on the death of his precedessor, without the. advantage of rela- tionship, and his authority is more frequently retained by his undisputed superiority than by any formal election. It is customary among some nations, before the child is born, for not only the wife, but liken ise the husband to subject themselves to a rigid fasting, and to abstain from many viands The day after its birth, the child ia earned mto the air without covering on its head, or, as among the Macusis, the head is daubed over with Am otto or Itnen. Their heads are generally more covered with hair than those of European children, and they learn to 3 Waijujox. W ScBomvuGrB'o, Interior uf eniaaa. S: CJ s 5 o and Macusi mothers with twins in their arms. The child is named by the Piaiman, Piatsang IV. I.e. or conjuror, who receives an, offering of considerabl i of the incan- tations, which he pronounces on thai occasion in a dark hul ponds with that of the fee. An unnamed Indian ■ tl to be more subjected to disease and misfortunes thanoneVho has been named. The appella are generally patronymic. The bi the lips. . am of the nose, take place at an early age, and arc- ke] oi wood. The parents are execci ingh to their children, and with on two exceptions, I have net a them administer personal correction j they will rather' hear any inconvenience, or even insult, although 1 have seen few instance, of the latter, than inflict punishments. The first delight of the boy is a h 1 arrows ; hi hand grasps the light how. and with the grej tion and infantine prowess depicted upon his face, he tries his i lizards, locusts, &C, as his mark. Tl heir mother in the hut to prepare bread, or the favourite I i r, by means ol a primitive spindle, they convert the indigenous cotton i thread for the manufacture of ham- mocks. They accompany their mothers to the provision fields, and help to cultivate the ground, and arc accustomed a; an early age to carry the heaw cassava i their home-. These wild children of the forest and savannahs are modest, and without being tu ore, I by tluir mothers, we see the girls reserved towards strangers. 1 have ni i mny games anion tildren, bti ling is frequently practised, and a kind of tennis, for which purpose they use halls made of indigenous Caoutchouc, or th Maize or Indian corn. When the boys verge from child in they have to themselves to severe trials ol larcera ion ; others make wounds on the breasts of the youths with the teeth of the wild hog, or the beak of the Toucan ; there are several othe ionics which appear symbolical i orlessness, and endurance ol' pain, such as being put into a hag where there are Stinging ant-, and if ihe\ endure tl. mt shrinking, they are accepted companions among men. \\ hen the girl e ■ from childhood into womanhood, among the vVarrau , she is depri hair. Among some tribes, such as the Mauhes, Mundrucus, and Muras, at the lih> Negro, and Amazon, the | • girl has to undi rgo a si vi re trial ; her hammock is slung under the roof of the hut, where she i* exposed to incessant smoke, besides being subjected to strict fastings. There are many instances where she has paid fur the ordeal with her life. The Arawaaks and V\ arruus 14 ScHuMBinr.Kw, Interior of Guian*. 94 .MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE INDIAN TRIBES. 14 ' celebrate this period with a feast and dance, at which the young girl app ars, ornamented with heads and the white down of birds the latter of ■which, by means of a gummy substance, i fixed to her head, shoulders, and legs. Marriage among these Indians is not accompanied by any religious rites. They are frequently contracted by the parents wlici infants, in which rase the young man is boun I . the family of his wife till she arrives at puberty; in the intermediate time he is very particular in his attention to her. presents her with I eads, and brings her the best of what lie lias been able to procun at the' chase. At the time of marriage he Is her where he pleases, and establishes his own household. Young men and women, at a more advanced age, consult their own inclinations ; a visit to the bride's abode, and some presents are the usual preliminaries : if the suitor meet with favour in the eyes ol the parents, the woman is purchased either by gifts or labour ; in the latter instance the bridegroom is bound to serve the parents of the bride for a year, or longer. When the marriage takes place, the husband clears a sufficient space of ground for raising provisions : when cleared, it is made over to the care of the woman, who from that time has the whole management of it. The generality of husbands have only one wile, but polygamy is allowed and practised by all those who have the means of maintaining several wives. I recollect an Arawaak chief in the river Berbice, who had five, the youngest of whom was only tttirteei years of age, and handsome. The first wife generally pretends to superiority in domestic affairs over the rest, but it is frequently lecessary for the husband to exercise his authority in order to restore tranquility in his harem. On the husband's return from hunting or fishing, his wife prepares his meal, which usually consists of fish or game, the latter frequently boiled in the blood of the animal, and well-seasoned with Capsicums or Cayenne pepper. The male part of the family all eat together, and if the weather permit it, before the door m the open air. Squatted on the ground, the Indian dips his cassava bread into the pot which contains the food, and helps himself with his fingers to that piece of meat, for which he has the greatest fancy. Their meals last but a short time, and every one rises as soon as he has done. The females do not eat with the men, but wait till the latter have finished; it frequently happens that a favourite dish is put aside by the Indian women, which they contrive to hide until a favourable moment arrives in which they may enjoy it unobserved by the men. Many of the Indian tribes reckon several animals and birds unlawful to be eaten. They abhor ( ur dom istic hog, the cow, and fishes of large size. The Caribs are more particular in that respect than any other nation. The delicious fish, the Sudis gigas, or Pirarucu, one of the largest which swims in fresh water and which abounds in the Jlupununi, and different species of Siluridete arc considered unclean by the Macusis and Caribs. In their native woods and savannahs, where they are not degenerated through intercourse with Europcaus, the meat of the domestic hog is held in horror. I could never induce lit.u, a Carib chieftain, who was otherwise a sensible It ScnousvsGK's, Interior of Guiana. CASSAVA BREAD— MODE OF PREPARATION. 9:, ' man. to taste the small, of ham. The herds of wild cattle on the * ai mnahs of ,1 "' Ruputiuni and Rio Branco, are unmolested by the Macusi In,1,:,l,s vvho ,nhal i regions, as the flesh is considered unclean They however, eat their native hogs, the Peccari and Cairuni. The cassava ai ; on , ls . 11 stenance; the root of this p] Jatropha manihot) wl "" h ln lts ' tateissopois is bv a simple pro ot verted mt0 Mtnfotu food. After ij raped i; |a ^ :ilul P ressed ili,; ''"' ela ' *ieh is called a Matappi, and has been made of the plaited stems of a Calathca. The tub I filled, itsupperend »s tied too , ol lie beams in the hut, so that its o] :nd, which possesses ;' ,, "'1 ! " ,1 ; ':'— ' I from the ground; a lo is pushed 1 "'""- 1, ""' lo P h ' to- end of which is fixe,!, while the lo id . ; of the tu,u 'l" vs: ' s A* grated .... and the poisonous juice escapes through the interstices of the plaits. The mass deprive,] of its juice, is then gradually dried, and if required, some of the Hour after i| has '■ a fire, and in a few minutes a cake resembl,n g ' • in app . i s rea d v . , s (lu . P^ousjmceofth tic principle is so I° lat,Ie * ,i;; " i! ' to fire; the Indian forms' there- f<:n '" :I iich resembles ketchup or soy. i theWapisiaua village, V are th™ paring these cakes, which, after they have' I tked, are 'ome ultimately so hard, that thev may for "" ,, ; <1,S - ™« bread constituted out during our sojourn '' ,tIi '" : .medtoit for about three or four weeks, we found it as wholesome as wheaten bi Yams, Batatas, and Ind of food which Uu > " their fields. They a u larl V fond , df-rine !' a, ; ni th e Indian com, which they parch; this "custom equalh p ™ '•' i "- '" ll! '' " ' i,,( ' worapn ' • ' after having taken toecuston h, they prepare their husband's breakfast. The Indian eats little at onetime, bu ' re sunrise U '"' ir'". ' '• The : ■ d supper! T ' '' 'Hvers fruits and Indian f"'", : but 1 iuk is Paiwori, which is bread n.e bread ,s f ltS 8u f ace : lt 1S ' "» >nto pieces, and aft, r boiling water has been 'men begin to (urn it .hour with hands the large lumps being taken out a, i, and then put i, Lfe T ™ s dls gustmg pr ,entation of the dee,,,' A ' lers ft intoxicating. Cassiri, whi !l "' snr ! made in a similar manner r the necessary bevert a drinking feast will occupy the women inch A . ^ . in the form of a canoe, is an indispensable piece of furniture in a chiefs hut. Althou gh it may contain from a hundred to a hundred and twenty 14 Sciwmcm'i, InUrior of Gui*n«. 96 PATWOBI AND CASSIRI— PAIWORI PEAST VND DANCE. 11 ' gallons I have seen it emptied in thi i of, the day by forty or fifty individuals. The cassava hread, w] ' Cor that use, is piled up round the trough, and having been broken into pieces and covered with hot water, the v, . ir filthy work for hours. The scenes incident to a feast of this description do not present much variety. The imitations having been given several days before, the young men of the village from whence the invitation emanated, repair the preceding night to the neighbouring settlements to repeat the summons. The guests assemble the next day, th< i] inted and decorated -with feathers, uecklaci and peccari teeth, seeds, &c. The dancers arrange themselves round the trough which contains the intoxi- cating drink, their bodies bent forwards; the one who follows the l ! has a calabash in his right hand, in the left a maraca or rattle; the others seize upon any object! which tails first in th ir way, perhaps a war-club, or gun, or a cutlass; the femi I r baby, a puppy, or a monkey ; and with eyes bent to the ground, the dance commences, the measure of which is in triple time; it is accompanied by an us song, -which is strongly marked by stampii or knocking the ground with a hollow cylinder of bamboo, surrounded with the seed- ves Is icies of Cerbera, which make a rattling I oi e. The words of the dancers, which are extem- poraneous, are frequently repeated ; they i ontinue moving round and 'ound, first one way and 1 i the other, or they follow each other in single file; alter this measured dance, which is intended to keep off < \ i 1 spirits from their amusements, the leader of the column approaches the trough of Paiwori, a lie calabash from the hand of his neighbour, he dips it gravely into ti e tn ugh and takes a sip; this is announced by the recom- mencement of th rattling of the maraca; the calabash is theu presented to the others, who help themselves at pleasure. Several other dances follow, equally monotonous in song and movements as the others. After the opening ceremony of a Paiwori feast and dance, which I witnessed at the C; rib village Anei, the large canoe in the middle was filled with the intoxicating drink, and surrounded by the dancers, every one bearing some object in his hand, together with their gaudy feather- dresses, and peculiar expression and drollery of their faces, the result of deep libations before the dance commenced, produced a most singular effect." Anai is situated near the mountain of the same name, and about seven miles from the left bank of the Bupununi, in latitude 3 deg. 50 min. N. The house partly boarded up with spars made of the Manicole palm, served us as a residence for nearly six weeks during our first expedition. The ('.nib who inhabited it, had surrendered it with t 1 litality to Mr. Watertox, and to Messrs. Smith and Gullifeb when they visited these regions. During my last visit in 1838, I found the village abandoned, and the spot which was formerly occupied by the house overgrown with bushes. Dancing appears to be a practice which belongs as much to the civilized nations of the world, as to those whom we have termed savages ; and all the Indians tribes whom I have had an opportunity of becoming acquainted 14 Scuombie^i's, Interior of Ouiaoa. 55 5 £ PATAVORI FEAST AND DANCE. 14 ' with, delight in this amusement. While we were in Oreala, on tlio dyn, we had an opportunity of witnessing a Warrau dance, which differs in some i her Indian tribes. Mr. Lattield, who possesses a woodcutting establishment, in which many of the Indians who live in the neighbourhood - iployed, gratified our wish, an ; necos Li ighbouring settlements, that ;i! : ueh abode. The previous . and when 1 was jusl aboul i m> tent, I was forcibly struck by the sound of i music, which at lir ■ t, made me think 1 heard ;i Rus horn-hand ' . irtle breeze, swelled and died away until they burst full; my car; ami although thi ome- thing wild in it, tl :ned (he harshness, and mellowed it into harmony ; the sounds were ton varied lor an /Eolian harp, and our distance from ci\ ilized countries precluded all possibility of ascribing the music to a band; at last 1 dance which was to take place the following day, and that I had been told that every Warrau settlement had its hand-master, called in theil whose duty it was to train Ins pupils to Mow upon flutes made of r d bamboo, I followed the music and entered the settlemcut, which a short distance I our on icut, where 1 found all the young men collected around old under wh ice til re produced, which had so much astonished me. The musicians were d, each nosses ing an instrument consisting of a piece of bamboo, in which a small reed on the principle of the moutli clarinet, was introduced. According to the size of a slit, the reed produced a higher or d and, and this was powerfully increased by a hollow bamboo called Wanawalli, in some five feel long. A waive with bis hand, a nod with his bead or instrument, were the different signals to those around him to tall in with their instru- ments, which naturally produced but one tone, but united into some Who are now the inventors of that peculiar and mechanical music, which a f< h ycai's ago made so much noise in Europe, and delighted the thousands who heard it? The musical sounds which tic Warrau produces on his reed lime, are conducted ime principle as those of a Russian horn-band, and also claim originality. The next daj : and on our arrival at Mr. Layfield's, we • I a -real number of Indian I assembled under some shady Tamarind trees. They were handsomely dressed, accordingto their fashion ; rments of fli wet d calico, or of blue or red cotton stuff, were bed to their waist, where they were lixed. or parti} slung round their shoulder; the ne and ancles, were richly adorned by red and white beads, while with others, by means of gum, had white down formerly spoken of, to their faces and arms; many er or metal in their nose, which completely i over id the upper i others, a blueisb line extruded from t In- corners of the mouth, and ended in a figure resembling an anchor. Some had their eyebrows effaced, and a Liu ' sir was painted on the place which they had occupied, and which gavea certain exj re sion, by no means unpleasant. U Sl :■ : ,.11,111.1. 98 A WARTtAU DANCE. 14 ' The glances of the assembled females were directed towards a neigh- bouring thicket, from which we soon after saw the young Warraus issue by their Hohohit. All stooped when advancing, their bodies nearly bent to the ground : each carried his instrument, grasped in the middle ; their heads were embellished by large feather caps, that of the band-master being especially distinguished. Some of the men wore strings of the seed of the Cerbera theretia round their ancles, which made a rattling noise whenever the foot was put to the ground. They .slowly approached the place which was to be appropriated to their dancing, their movements being directed by the sound of a small whistle, which imitated the cry of a monkey. TV hen arrived, they formed a circle round the dancing place, and another sound of the whistle being given, they laid their instruments on the ground ; the men remained motionless in a cowering attitude, while the band-master muttered incomprehensible things until another sound of the whistle roused them all up, when taking their instruments they began to play. By this ceremony the place was devoted to their amusement, and, as with the Caribs and Macusis, the evils spirits were thus enjoined to keep their distance. Dancing now commenced, but their etiquette is somewhat the reverse of ours ; the fair sex are not engaged by the men, who place themselves in the dancing circle, and while they proceed once or twice round, the Warrau woman approaches the man with whom she feels inclined to dance, and placing her hand lightly upon his shoulder, he takes no further notice than assuming the same posture ; and their eyes bent to the ground, they step forwards and sidewards, and with musical instruments in their left hand, they accompany their dance at the same time by a strain which possesses more music than I have heard among any other tribe. When the dance is about to end, the men shake that foot distinctly three times to which the shells are attached. If her partner be an intimate friend, a sweetheart, or brother, the woman will patiently await the third rattle : but if only a slight acquaintance, or a stranger, she will return to her place with the swiftness of a deer at the first sound. A yell from the men concludes the diversion. The dances of the Warraus are varied ; they have a bird-dance, a monkey-dance, and many others in which they attempt to imitate the voice or movements of the animals of which it bears the name ; but the most amusing is the Macusi dance, which is worth describing, as it repre- sents the incursions which the Caribs, and other warlike Indian tribes, formerly committed upon the Macusis, carrying their females forcibly away as the Romans did the Sabines. When the dance is about to commence all the women hide themselves, for which they have sufficient time, as the men move first round in a circle. At a signal given by the band-master the men disperse in all directions in search of them : every corner of the house is looked into, every bush or tree in the neighbourhood is subjected to exami- nation. As soon as the hiding place of one is discovered, she is conducted to the dancing place, and ordered to keep the station assigned to her. When the men think they have secured all, they begin to dance round their fail- prizes, and at another signal, the women arc at liberty to try and make their escape ; but the men quickly pursue those whom they have selected H SacoMBiRGK'i, Interior of Guiaaa. V FUNERAL BITES 99 r foi' their share, and if fortunate enough to recapture them, they arc Led back in triumph to the circle, and then all dance round in the usual stop. It is a most animating scene, from the swiftness exerted on both sides; by the female to escape, who if she - ac < Id is loudly applauded by her own sex ; bj the man to capture', as thi - themselves, a Macusi slave. The Paiwori in taste resembles our malt liquor, and when taken in large quantities is intoxicating ; it has not however the injurious effects of spirituous liquorsj but the scenes which accompany such a drinking bout beggar all description. Disgusting as the preparation of tins beverage must prove to an European, when presented to him as a pledge by his bust, it will be ncci |ucr whati rsion he may feel and to drink intrary would offend the Indian and awaken distrust. The funeral ceremonies of the Indians of Guiana differ in some jets, according to the tiibe to which the deceased belonged. If a man of con i quence die am VY~arraus, lie is put into a canoe in lieu of a coffin, and tall which he possessed when alive, such as bows, arrows, e buried with him : on his heart they place a looking- glass. Thej ft ly kill the favourite dog of the deceased] and put it with hiiu into the grave. He is buried in the house which he inhabited, and a fire kept burning on the spol for maty nights. His relations assembla and bewail his loss with excessive and outrageous lamentations, and this is renewed a difl (rcul tim and continues many months. The widow of a Warrau and his chi drcn he property of bis brother or next male relation ; however, should the widow refuse him, the incensed relations frequently satisfy themselves by subjecting her to a violent flagellation, after which she may live with whom she pleases. monies of the Arawaaks arc similar to the above. Upon the demise of a man of some standing, the relations plant a provision-field with cassava roots, and bewail him with sudden outbursts of lamentation. After the period of tweli -. the relations and friends of the deceased are ther, and th , i, which was planted at the time of his death being now rip 1 with Paiwori and game. A dance is performed over his grave, and the daucers flagellate each other with whips prepared for that purpose, which they hang up in the hut of the deceased when the ceremony is over. \hout six moons later, another dance follows, when these whips are buried, and with them the remembrance of the dead, as well as any resentment which they might have felt in consequence of the severe Ha i which they have inflicted upon each other. \uilis pul the bodj int i a hammock, where it is daily washed by the wives or nearest female relatives ; and watched, that it be not molested by beasts of prey or insects. After it has become putrid, the bones are cleansed, painted, and put into a paeal or basket, and careful!; preserved. If they ah. union this settlement, the bones arc consumed with lire, ami the ashes . i, ami taken with them. The women who cleanse the boneft are considered uneleau for several moons. The Indians undouh iidlj possess some religious principle amongst them, and believe in the immortality of the soul. They acknowledge the «<>»»< vn'i, Interior of Guiani, 100 IDEAS OF RELIGION— CANNIBAL INDIANS. "'existence of a superior Divinity, but say, that the urgent busi rig the world in order, prevents him from paying thai man, which lie would otherwise afford, and numerous evil spirits itted to exercise a pernicious influence over mankind, thereby causing sickness, death, and misfortunes. Jn order to counteract this influ iree is had to the sorcerer, or Piaiman, who by incantations or magical Qonies pretends to restore health, or to turn the evil from such of his a who pay him well for his supernatural agency. It is tli evident, that this individual s the greatest power over a community, and is regarded with awe and respect.' The various tribes which inhabit the Interior of Guiana havi.ig been noticed, it remains now only to give a short account of the Cannibal tribes which Humboldt and other travellers relate as existing in the far interior ;* (their existence by other travellers, however, is generally contradicts!.) The following passage is from Humboldt, who in his travels on the Rio Ni jro, states : — 5 ' That Captain Javita, was an Indian of great vigour of mind and body. He spoke Spanish with facility, and preserved a certiin influence over eighbouring nations. As he attended us in all our herborizations, we obtained from bis own mouth information so much the more useful, as missionaries have great confidence in bis veracity. He assured us, th it his youth he had seen almost all the Indian tribes, that inhabit the vast regions between the Upper Orinoco, the Rio Negro, the Inirida, and the Jupura, eat human flesh'. The Daricavanas, the Puchin'navis, and the Manitivitanos, appeared to him to be the greatest cannibals anion lie believes that this abominable practice is with them the effect of a m of vengeance ; they eat only enemies who are' made pri in battle. The instances where, by a refinement of cruelty, the Indians eats his nearest relations, his wife, or an unfaithful mistress, are extremely rare' A further account of Cannibal tribes is taken from the Journal of the Geographical Society, as found among the Notes of the travellers Smith and GtTLLiFER : — " 'That high up the Essequibo they fell in with a nation of Anthropophagi, of the Carib tribe. The chief re ! the trai ; courteously, and placed before them fish with savoury sauce; which being removed, two human hands were brought in, and a steak of hum:. I tie h ! The travellers thought that this might be part of a baboon of a howeve?, they declined the invitation to partake, saying that, in travel they were not allowed to cat animal food. The chief picl I the bones of the hands with excellent appetite, and a ked them how they had relished the fruit and the sauce. They replied that the fish was good and thesauoe Uent. To which he answered, " Human flesh makes the best sauce for any food ; these hands and the fish were all dresseu together. You see these hee n , our •• ; we lately captured th le in war, • cat from time to lime." The travellers were horrified, bu i cea 1 their feelings, and before they retired for the night, they 1 that the Ml COi fern • confined in a la shed, surrounded with a stockade of bamboos; so that, daily the fathers, 14 Schumbi'kgi's, Interior of Guiana. 5 Humboldt. 11 Journal of the Geographical Society. .5 S ^ J 5 ,"3 Co CANNIBAL INDIANS— INDIAN YOCAnrL Ml Y. 101 11 ' husbands, and brothers of these unfortunate women,saw them brought out, ..'<1 on the hladj and devoured by the inhuman cannibals. Lieutenant (liu.in..;, who v got in: i h ; * I amm ick and dly; but Mr. Smith, being in • e, walked all'night, fearing ili.it their landlord might ti ol white a T!n v afl srwards vi il -d a cave, in which was a pool of water ; the Indians reque a not to bathe in this, or it' they old die b out. They laughed at their i i li were the twelvemonth had expired.' 4 ' I -. it may be I in sound and meaning the ag list Will sliow : — Caho: Term. ■ R ... mo . ■ Ma famine l ii reb ... Raibfi ■i . .. r ... ■ ■ Hui'Hiu! . . ... i ' •■ i Milieu t.: .Hi .. ■ ... ... a ■ ii ■ it . - l:lk. .. ii . iliv way : ... in ... ... . . in . .. '' ' It is sear. isary to i with interest as the pi of Guiana, deserves ntion than the pi of (lira) Britain has hitherto afforded it. The iudil with wh almost unaccountable, and 1 mi be it to ignorance, for it is ha possible that portion of Greal Britain should be aware that a of men exists, who lutt uly been di^; r territory bj Europi , lnt have been wholb and are without provisions for their moral or civil advance though their lauds are now occi by British subjects who have never made them an; . and ; v to (lie animal amount of three millions ; and t, in British man ' two millions sterling. The pre.' :v of th igines appears to he the finale ol a tragici . for a w ' men i- n vay undi • cir- cumstance . Heartless r is the assertion, unworthy of our enlight- ened age, that the indigenous ra v of the New World is incapable of elevation, and that no power, whether emanating from Christians, princes, or 11 Journal of the Geographical Society. i Dai/ton. 14 Scqomdukok's, Interior of Guiana. 102 INHABITANTS Of BRITISH GU] 14 'philosophers, can arrest its gloomy \ towards certain destruction. Such an unfeeling ami impious idea could not have originated with any one who had lived among r who had studied their character. I speak from experience when I assert, that the Indian is cap-able of pro- gressive improvement, and that the hment of social order, European arts, and Christian morals anion;;' them is possible. It is unreasonable to expect that men, accustomed to a roving and unfettered life, and unac- quainted with our artificial wants, should at once abandon their wandering habits, and adopt a mode of living diametrically opposite to their long established customs, and who but too frequently, where they have been brought in contact with civilization, have not partaken of its blessing, but merely felt its curse/ The civilized inhabitants of the Colony are comprised chiefly ot Europeans and their descendants — Cueoi.es — Portuguese — Africans — Coolies, and Chinese. The position of these races as Settlers, Colonists, and Immigrants, is admirably narrated by Sir W. II. Holmes, late Special Commissioner for British Guiana to the International Exhibition of London and Paris, in his pamphlet on "Free Cotton, How and Where to Grow It," published in 18G2, will be found interesting. After describing the Al giries, Sir William proceeds to say : — " ;: " ' No one will gaiusay me when I assert, that if is the European and his descendants who impart vitality to the colony. From their ranks are drawn the higher officials, the clergy, the bar, the leading planters and merchants. Withdraw for twelve mom's the Anglo-Saxon element, and British Guiana, with a population of nearly 150,000, instead of yielding an annual export of i. J 1,300,000, exceeding .£10 per inhabitant (certainly twice the export of manufacturing England) would become a swampy wilderness, or at best a second Haiti. But as the European is constitutionally unfit for the cultivation of the soil in the tropics, his presence in the colony, unless aided by races better adapted to its climate, would be without beneficial results. The natives of Madeira, who emigrated in large numbers to the Colony, after the di ton of the vine in their native island, are known as Portuguese; they seem destined by nature for shopkeepers. Industrious, thrifty, patient, and persevering, the moment they have acquired a small capital by labour, they set up as traders. They purchase in the cheapest market, and sell as dear as they can, and by giving a little credit to the improvident Creole, soon have him entangled in their toils. The Portu- guese have hitherto secured the whole of our retail business ; but as the Coolies and Chinese are preparing to dispute this trade with them, and as these Asiatics are ■< oa hit and temperament able to live even more sparingly, it is hard to say to whom success will eventually belong. The Portuguese have, however, proved most useful to the Colony, for, having monopolised all the petty traffic, they have forced other classes to seek a livelihood by oth itions. They are gradually attaining a higher position as landed proprietors, as owning a large portion of the city of Georgetown, and as having shops on every estate and village in the Colony. Although they are most industr: ; ; labourers, and are much employed on U SuHOMBmoK's, Interior of Guiana. ..let on Free Cotton. " N * ft i* INHABITANTS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 163 * ' sonic estates, thoiv is too much of the European element in their consti- tution to allow of continued exposure without detriment; they are not, therefore, mui reckoned i mmon laboui Without entering on dchatabl "I' the n population, I may say, that (lie contini istry, so rj for the cultivation of the si e, is distasteful to cd cl sses ; and tliat the planter is mainly de] uts for successful cultivation. A very small portion of our i pulation is located on the sugar estates ; at i i Idcrs, or are settled on estates which, htrVing become abac ofeultivai on for sugar, cotton, or ■ hased at small pi by the labourers, who subdivided them in allotments or vi freeholds. Although iii. nuot be depended steady labour on a sugar estate, their habits do > ether unfit them for cotton culti- vation, either as hired labourers,, or to grow it on their own account. To some extent there exists in the native population, one o\ the elements for the restoration ot cotton cultivation in British Gitiaua. "Give me my heart's desire ( ' was ihe D inter's remark to Mr. lote, " autl wp will supply the world with Sugar." A million of hogsheads i his Millennium, and ab urd as this speech may appear, there is no doubt, if the Colony had a sufficient number of this docile and industrious race, ilint eveu thai fabu antity of Sugar could be manufactured. Considering that oast line of British Guiana, exceeds 300 miles in lci.gth, and that the country cons an alluvia) soil of matcliicss fertility, in which attain the hij perfection; it is not difficult to con: I iloilj were mode- rately populated, ii would vapidly rise t - Coffee was the first staple, and. till hostile tan labour blighted its culti- vation, that berry was a m tsl remuueral a quality second only to Mocha, or perhaps Mountain Jamaica. Cotton also, preceded Sugar, and, in quality, ranked nexl to Sea-island. After the last American war, when the duties on cotton were equalized, it suffered the same fate as coffee, and from similar causes. The Coolie is peculiarly lit lor the pro- duction of ci tton : and he is, moreover, a cotton grower in his own country. But instead of obtaining, g to the late Dr. Forbes Royle, (no mean autln i maximum of 100 lbs. ol an indifferent article in the far interior of Indian, the cotton grower, in Guiana, obtains .'3,",0 lbs. per acre of a very superior cotton which can be shipped at once at a trifling expense. It i to talk of taking cotton-seed to countries where labour is plentiful. shows thai climate and soil are the .It therefore becomes much more practical to i uluee the labourers to remove to the more suitable count n : and where finer or more extensive field to be found than British Guiana? Nor can it be denied, that the position of the Coolie is much improved by his introduction into the Colony, where at least, those fearful visitations of famine, which arc by no a in India, arc unknown. It • Sir W. H Itou. 101 [NHABITANTS OF BRITISH Gl'IAXA. ' mny not be amiss here to remark, how rapidly the Coolie improves in a physical point of view. The ei iture that arrives from Bengal, -!y labourer, and the crou i apes bul rapidly the airs and caprice i ro. The Creole (doolie, tli ay, the i red in the Colony, is really a fine specin tropical race : our and size the parent stork. The have been bul i itroduced; and it is, as yet, too a decided opinion on them. But. unless they prove an ption to what the] ewhere, they will he found most useful for agricultural purposes. Thoie planters who have had the longest trials of le, do not hesitate to say that they are I I class of labourers yet introduced. With more physical power than the Coolie, the Chineman is ahle to undertake heavier work, such as the use of the shovel and 'ling- demand. The Coolie is content with a rice diet and a good balance in the Savings' Bank. The Chinaman is fond of good food and plenty of it ; he works hard, spends liberally, and will have the most substantial meals his means can afford. Unlike the Coolie, he comes to the colony for life, and he has not, therefore, the same object for hoarding as the native of India, who generally calculates on returning to hi: country, and saves every cent to carry a long purse to his native Hence the large amounts that the Coolies have in the Savings' bank, in Georgetown. Whenever you see a sickly emaciated Coolie, you may gene- rally put his plight down to Rum, f h this race unfortunately shews at predilection ; when you sec a wretched worn-out looking Chinaman, the chi :■ i , that opium is the cause ; for the celestial brings to the Colony his unconquerable passion for that pernicious drug. I have thus endeavoured, as shortly as possible, to review the compo- sition of the population of British Guiana. It is, however, necessary to say, that the labour for renovating the land on a large scale into fields of cotton, cannot he found in the Colony. Most of the immigrants are inden- tured to the sugar esta alt] igh occasional, and intermitting hi ' i may be obtained from our native population, yet the expense of importing the necessary amount of labour from China and India-must be calcul upon for the production of cotton. Fortunately, of late years, the demands made by the planters for labour, have been nearly met by the supply. TRc Colony, in the first place, pays the entire e of the introduction of the immigrants ; but three-fourthsf of this cost is r 'paid by which the labourer is indentured, in five annual instalments. This sy: is found practically to answer very well, as the Government is thus ke funds to carry on immigration. The planter can rely on a constant of labour, and the immigrant obtains a home, regular and well-paid employ- ment, aivi is prevented from getting into idle and desultory habits, matter of course, in a British Colony there is protection for immigrant. He is placed under the immediate cai": of an Executive, tly responsible to Her Majesty's Government. Every complaint is investigated by a paid and disinterested Magistrate, whose decision is su * Sir W. II. Holmes's Pamphlet on Free Cotton. t At present the Colony pays one-third and the Planter two-thirds.— G. W, B. INHABITANTS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 105 * ' to review before one of the Judges of the Supreme Court. Their is an Inspector of Hospitals, for a well-regulated hospital is a condition, without which, no estate e:m obtain immigrants. Besides the highest current rate of wages, the immigrant is provided with house-room and medical atten- dance, free of charge j he has-also the freeuse of as much land as he may in reason wish to cultivate -■• ■ proi round, after the performance of the moderate amount of work required by the tariff. In every respect, the labourer in Guiana is mosl favourably situated. The creole, by three days' tobourof seven hour , satisfies his requirements for the week ; and although the immigrant is nol usually capable oi the same amount of exertion, moderate industry places him in a position of comparative affluence to that which lie occupied in his native land. The squalid misery, so common even in Europe, is unknown in British Guiana. In speaking of the natives of tin- Colony, I alluded to the fact, that a large portion of the creole population had become freeholders. Several indi- viduals having purchased an abandoned plantation in common, and subdivided it into such lots as would suit the means of each partner. To such a length lias this practice been carried, thai the Legislature found it necessary to pass laws for leg ! and facilitating the transfer and division of plan- tations into village lots. About one hundred estates have thus passed into the hands of the labouring population, Bui a very small portion only of properties is occupied by cottages, gardens, and provision grounds j large tracts of land arc lying waste that might be easily and profitably cultivated, could the proprietors be induced to grow cotton ; a cultivation which existed in former years on most of these estates. 'With judicious means, a successful movement in this direction might safely be predicted ; for it would no1 only prove profitable, but would secure the support of the local government, and of the ministers of the many religious persuasions, into whioh the population of British Guiana is subdivided. A beginning must, however, lie made ; and 1 think it behoves those persons in England to whom cotton is indispensable, to take an active part in fostering a move- ment which may eventually supply a large proportion of this most necessary staple. I would suggest, that the freeholders should be supplied with seed oi the best quality, with the necessary machinery for ginning and baling; and above all, that agents should be appointed to instruct and advise the farmers. These agents should be authorised to purchase, at equitable prices, either the prepared or unprepared wool. The public roads arc in good '-('pair throughout Guiana ; and if central establishments were made, to which the growers could take their cotton, either for sale, or to be prepared for market, 1 believe the principal difficulty in the way of cotton cultivation by the small farmers oftheColony, would be overcome. 15csides, if a step of this sort were taken, other owners of abandoned estates would be induced to cultivate cotton on such a scale as their means would allow; :mil no doubt tin- Madeirans would soon see the advantage of having portions of their properties under cotton, which, for tin- greater part of the cu w. 11,11,1.: i , Cotton. 10fi [^HABITANTS OF BRITISH GtJIANA. '• ' year, requires liut little exertion to keep in onl( r ; and which; al nop time, would prove highly remunerative. It is on higher grounds, also, v< ry desirable that such an experiment should be made. Tlic emancipated classes and their descendants, do not, in matters appertaining to industry, advance with that - - which their best friends most ardently d< I have already stated, that the continued industry requisite for the successful cultivation of the cane, is not to be obtained from them ; nun:' have already withdrawn from it, and they daily continue to recede. With the exception of the timber trade, which gives employment to men only, no other resource has been found to occupy those who left the sugar particularly the women and children, or to add to the exports of the Colony. The village system, which is responsible for much of this, has, in my opinion been fraught with evil consequences. The negro, relieved from all supervision, is able to follow the bent of his inclinations without control. A trifling amount of labour procures the few luxuries, which a most fertile soil fails to place within his reach. To a European, the facilly with which tropical vegetables, such as plantain, sweet potato, pumpkin, yams, edoes, ochrocs, pigeon-peas, etc., are produced all the year round, is almost incon- ceivable. In our marshy lands, the trenches and ditches abound with fish ; with these ingredients, and the ever-growing pepper, a small quantity of salt fish or salt meat (the only articles he requires to purchase) a soup or mess called foo-foo is made, which, devoured without knife, fork, or spoon, the creole prefers to more elaborate feasts. Nature, t( is i |ually boun- tiful in fruits ; mangos, bananas, guavas, oranges, shaddocks, pine-apples, and others, grow almost spontaneously, and as there is no winter, one or other of them is always in season. It is therefore, not to be wondered at, that in a climate in which the thermometer stands ;,t about XO deg. in the shade, where clothing is rather a nuisance than a necessity ; where mere shelter from the sun and rain is required, and where nature is so lavish — that in such a country, men without much education and little forethought, should prefer idleness to fatigue, however well rewarded. It is true they are children of the sun, and labour does not affect them in the tropics, more than it docs the European in his more temperate climate. And the Creole, when his constitution is unimpaired by early neglect or subsequent intemperance, is, in strength and muscle, fully equal to the European ; although it has been remarked by the older inhabitants of the Colony, that the present labouring population are far inferior in physical qualities to their enslaved forefathers, who were carefully nurtured by their owners. Thus, while the negro is, at best, stationary, observe what others have done. The Portuguese, starved out of Madeira, arrive in British Guiana, not only without means, but they come to a climate, somewhat hostile, they arc ignorant of the language, and constitutionally incapable of per- forming the same amount of work as a native. Yet, as a race, tiny are wealthy. It is true, they are thrifty almost to parsimony, and money is » Sir w. II. llcLjn i Free ( t'liun. INHABITANTS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 107 * 'their sole object, bill tl. . are > citizens, anl, in their own Line, most useful mem be i The Coolie lands from India, hi*; entirely worldly wealth consisting in a dpz en yards of dingy muslin, in which he wraps his person. Of small stature, and slightly made, lie is unequal to heavy work, yet he thrives as 1 labourer, and lias large sums in the swings' hank. Ic is door of that institution ia Georgetown, on the days on which they are open, are besieged by the Coolie labourers, who deposit their surplus earnings, many of them accompanied by wive . literally loaded . The great wai olony is a middle class, and, I believe, the i iblishment of cotton cultivation .vill do no a substantia] yeomanry than any other moi At present, the villages of the I are, in mo . in a deplorable condition. The estates are undri ims, from want of care, have given way. The sluices being in m i the lai d from the tropical rains; in tl ■ i i-. for weeks undtr water ; the houses, some of which ai are in a tottering state of disrepair, evidently showing the apathy and iudifference of the inhabitants. \- ■< coi t ra t, I can . - no m po ition for an indusl rious working man with a large family than that of a small farmer in British Guiana. 1 taking the climate into consideration, can be built at a tri uld, in ars, be surrounded with evcr- ■ .tit trees; fish, when near the sea, is obtained with little trouble. in the immediate vicinity of his residence, his cotton field would yield him two crops annually, tl c shrub being perennial, it requires little atten- tion, . iring the crop. And as the picking always comes off in the dry season, il might be I sort of jubilee, like that of hop-picking in Engl light at tation, even to the younger children, when gathering and cleaning the cotton pods; while tit the bach of the cottou-fi ile production might be cultivated. These remarks are made in no invidious spirit. What I have stated, is so well known to every colonist, that it may be set down as a mere truism ; my object is to inquire, why su :b a state of things exists? Why the Creole | pulation with greatci advantages, have allowed themselves to be surpassed in the affairs of life by other races? I think this loitering in the rear can be distinctly traced to slavery. Unrequited toi y re, was the fate of the slave, and, enforced by the lash, that toil became degn 1 abour was without profit to the slave, therefore he used ever] endeavour to avoid labour; he considered idleness supreme happiness; and when the great measure of emancipation was carried, the majority of the Creole population had no other feeling. I remember asking a man. who, during the apprentici shi isted between 1886 and 1888 declined some trifling well paid job, whal he would do when he was Free, and had to support himself, " Massa, that time me free, me go lie down, sleep whole is months." \\ hen the slave became a free man, his first desire was also to become " *n W. U Iloimson Fr«* Cotton, 108 INHABITANTS OF BRITISH GUIANA. * ' independent ; to be completely Ids own master. Hence the purchase of estates, in which tlic newly emancipated invested most of their savings during slavery and the apprenticeship ; and it is a curious and suggestive fact, that they had more money then than at any subsequent period. Their next desire was to avoid the hateful labour of slavery ; henee the wish to quit the plantations and abandon their work. Their necessities compelled some amount of work on estates ; but it was always contrary to their inclinations. To these feelings, and to the case with which then- daily subsistence is acquired, in Guiana, I attribute their present unsatis- factory condition. There is much to be said on the other hand. The Negro of British Guiana, is patient, long enduring. It is sur- prising, how little animosity he exhibits, even to those by whom he may have been ill treated. lie is at times generous (especially to his religious teacher). Many of the churches and chapels, so liberally scattered over every part of the settled portions of the Colony, owe their existence to the substantial aid received from him. The great measure of emancipation, so dearly purchased by the parent country, was meant to be an unqualified boon to the African of the British Empire ; but it was, perhaps, too suddenly passed in favour of a race which had so long been subject to forced labour. The apprenticeship, benevolently curtailed, was not of sufficient duration to produce the result anticipated. If the tutelage had been prolonged, the negro might, perhaps, have been more sensible of the right use of freedom : he might have learnt that honest industry alone, could secure him the necessaries and comforts of life. His children, born free, might have set the example to the parent, of what was expected from free man. This result will now, I fear, require more than one generation to accomplish. I well remember the 1st day of August, 1838, when the apprenticeship terminated, although there was no violence, yet every relation of life was upset. The whites were taken as much by surprise as the blacks. Planter bid against planter, for the services of the newly-liberated, and the negro wandered from estate to estate in quest of the highest pay and the easiest work. Great unsteadiness was the consequence ; the crops fell to about half of what was produced during the apprenticeship. Nine-tenths, con- sequently, of those proprietors of plantations who were dependant on their estates were ruined. Indeed, nun was the rule and not the exception : but none of the planters that I ever knew of. would have wished to restore the old state of things. They may have fretted and fumed when they saw their properties going to ruin ; but they felt, that slavery was even more hurtful to tiie white man than to the black, and that the uncontrolled dominion of man overman, was too serious a responsibility to be willingly accepted by those, whose ordinary qualification for such power, was confined to the knowledge of how to grow and make sugar. Other Colonics suffered in an equal degree. Jamaica the largest, and once the most valuable of the West Indian Islands, is still suffering from the change. The smaller Islands, though reviving from its effects, have » Sir W. H. Holsces on Fre« Cotton, INHABITANTS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 109 * ' not yet recovered their former pros] crity. Barbados is an exception ; but, as every inch of land is owned and tilled and the island swarms with popu- lation, necessity lias proved a wholesome stimulant to industry. Barbadoes, thrives ; and although Guiana, with higher wages, is within easy reach, the Barbadian Negro remains, with few exceptions, at home.t Guiana and Trinidad have only bc< n • ved bj the greal exertions made to obtain an influx of labour, by itnm Had these not been successful, British Guiana in 1861, would not have exp< rt< d 10,000 hi gsheads of sugar ; whereas the crop of the present year (1862) will probably amount to 75,000 hogsheads, the largest crop ever made in the Colony. J But let it also lie home in mind, that still more prosperous would he our con- dition, if the bem ficent measure of immigration had from the lust been sanctioned by the peO] land. Had we. r cmanci- cipation, when we had ample means and credit, been permitted to hire free Indian labourers, in the proportion in which the Cubans could not be prevented from buying s!a\c>. the population of Guiana would at this day exceed 600,000 \ and, if i tiding crops «ere raised, our shipments would now exceed 300,000 hogsheads. 'I! i enormous quantity of free sugar would have done more to undermine slavery than any number of blockading ships on the coast of Africa, In the Mauritius, the Negro race has been displaced by the Asiatic. The former are hewers of wood and drawers of water, or have retired to distant villages. Something of the same sort occurs in British Guiana. The negroes are rapidly secedh g from the sugar estates : bul how they dispose of themselves is hardly known. But for the untiring exertions of many pious and zealous ministers, 1 fear there would he a tendency in the race to retrograde, to leave off clothes, aid return to savage life and Obeaism. Doubtless there arc- many exceptions. The head men on estates are faithful and intelligent, many show an aptitude for engineering and the management of steam machinery, and ome are faithful ministers and teachers.' The position and prospects n 39,982 1862, February 3,210 43,122 00,1(9 1805, September 53,969 Grand Total Number oflmmigrai amount of Savings of those v> ts which retained to India from 1813 to 1805, and Inch left the Colony from 1854 to 1865 6,713 $ 354,362 INI MUTANTS OF BRITISH GUIANA. Ill - ■- - 3 o m - to ct «n ~~ ' — H a B3 ■ Bi r g & g eo : ■ c-- -i "< ■ m ■?: P «il 1*. o H / H rt ■_ EC t> M P4 c ; ^ fe 1 c ►J o i ' G9 u 00 ■ 00 1 u M '-- te :■- 03 h & o a r™i oo ■ i ■ OS OS pa a ■ri h 3 - s- BB K V X - j" CO T oo o> o ai M CO ac CO • - a ■ l-H > = M OS — tfj o> c s - s fc (!■ OS oo CO UJ H 1 ift - S3 / 2 1— 1 "■ oo = -'. CI -J oo = 5' or CO CD CO : co •T" w O a CM p CM S5 * fcj a 6 u > •n "3 ■3 H < i X ft D < ■ < i c W J •3 o 5. - 5 ■a i ii ih.\i remains to shew the actual cost of introducin into tin- Colony, and to give an Abstract of the Planters' Fund Account, Immigrants li:. INHABITANTS OF BRITISH GUIANA. from i f s commencement in the season of 1862-3 to 31st December, 180j, embracing the transactions of threi K O a g 5 pq ■- O y. z IJ O a s 6- w fc-33 2 H 3 i— t a Ct 9 cT — n — CI n a b ■ ■ ■ c = - .e;-jg . ; S.6S :_§;; :'• Uij 1 5 s ■- ■ m I : - : - j •E ; , -: = ?■-::! i 3 - '- — W JS "S i -- - 01 W K 3 •'S'ffl I 3 " • J: Se l M g w bl i ** © § .5 .5" : ~- zi ~ ■ — cS 5oS sil ■ = = .£ ^ 5 : - =- ■- • - : 5 s ° • ~ § * '-■ ' £ ■ ||« i § S|gi la ; -.__.. c - _ _ c 5 - o :<^ I - L z. : »»n 5 o| : s : ~ ■- — * ft I 'id 3 .S » P S ~ 5 — - " af 8 rz z a 8 § | til I .; I £: : 7 W ^Si;£-=c?;= g - p l a : • ■-•'3*2 : ills" : * P .S -a « ■ ! - ' i -( g ; 2 2 • I & • s o.S 5 « » — "T "r - o- c - g C ^ " 2 B 3 ?; iO c (-3 .r X -T -< M — W ; .„ o — - : •S-2-e * : '. c »o : ! -,]r2 : : >, " ~ ' : -' : - jS« ■ I r « S a $ ■ = -J -5 ~ -' - 5 s§ a c o "S o § g 8 - I S • c 3 « O D Previous to the year 1MC>5, the Immigration Accounts were under tlic control and direction of The Indian Immigration Loan Commissioners, The Chinese do. do., and Bounty Loan do. do. who raised Loans iii accordance with the Ordinance-, collected the Contract duties, etc. By the provisions of Ordinance No. 24 of 18GJ, the duties and responsibilities of the Indian, Chinese, and Bounty Loan Commis- sioners, have been consolidated, and these functionaries are now called The Consolidated Immigration Loan Commissioners. Owing to the Com- missioners having no Secretary or Clerk of their own, (but which it is doubtless most desirable they should have,) the Accounts and Books are at present included with the duties of the Colonial Book-keeper's department. THE TAPIR— MANATEE. 113 (' II A 1'T E H VII. 1 1: Anima.1 Kingdom. Principal Quadruped* Reptiles and Inserts -TlieTapir Manatoe Wild Hog Water Haas Coatimond< — Deer— Jaquar— Tiger Cat- Ant Bear Sloth Putto-Kinkajou — Opossum — Armadillo — Acoun — Laliba Crab Dog Buck Dog Howling Baboon — Monkeys — Alligator — Guana Common, Serpentiue .-mil Salempeuta Lizards — Chameleon — Wood Slave— Scorpion * enl ipede — Rati lesnake — Busbmaster — Labarri — Camoudi— Coral, Water.and Parrot Snakes Guana Snake — Turtles— Crabs — frogs and Toads Vampire Bat Knife Grindi r Lantern Carrier— Fire 1'ly —Sand Flies Bete Rouge Mason Bee — Marabimta — Hardback — Beetle — Qrassboppers Walking Leaf Tarantula 01 Bush Spider — Chigoe — Auts — Groe-Groe Worm Butteilliee. n The new World when discovered by Columbus was found to contain few quadrupeds, and those few by no mean- equal in size, strength and ferocity, to the animals ot Africa or Asia, while some were peculiar to the American continent. Among those most commonly found in Guiana, are — The Tapir, Mypourie, or Jins/i Cow, which is about the size ol an Alderney cow ; the body shaped like the hog, having short legs and tail, and four small hoot's on each foot : head like that of the rhinoceros, with a prominent bone projecting from the forehead, to which its moveable upper lip and nostrils are attached, forming a kind of pro- boscis ; in its upper jaw there are seven grinders on each side, four front teeth, and two sharp tusks — grinders very large, and deeply cuspi- dated ; in the under jaw, six grinders and one tusk on each side, and si\ fore teeth; cars small, oblong, and pointed; back slightly arched, and covered with short hair of a greyish brown or dun colour. The greatest singularity in this animal is it-- ivaut of a gall-bladder. It confines itself chiefly to marshes and rivers, feeding upon routs and aquatic plants, and, when pursued, invariably takes to the water, and there like the hippopota- mus, is sure ot a -ale retreat. The llesh of this animal, when roasted closelj resembles beef, especially if it beyonngj the bide, when tanned, makes excellent boot soles, and is highly prized by the Indians for the nianufae. tuve of shields.' 15 'Tun Manatee, or Laman fine, is a very strange-looking creature, appearing like a curious mixture of several dissimilar animals, the seal and the hippopotamus being predominant. There arc several species of Mana- tee, two of which are found in America and one in Africa, hut always ou those shores which are washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The common Manatee is generally about niue or ten feet in length, and is a UmraaoMUl Moms. M Wood's Natural Ilistoiy. Ill THE MANATEE— WILD HOG. lj ' remarkable for the thick fleshy disc which terminates the muzzle, and in which the nostrils are placed. It is found in some plenty al the months of sundry large rivers, such as the Orinoko or the Amazon, and feeds upon the algae and other herbage which grows so plentifully in those region- . By some writers the animal is said to leave the water entirely, and to search for its food upon the land, but this assertion is now ascertained to be incorrect. It is, however, in the habit of crawling partly out of the water, and has a strange custom of elevating its head and shoulders above the surface in such a manner that it bears some resemblance to a human beiug. The flesh of this animal is sail to be well flavoured, and as the Manatee is ecclesiastically reckoned ;i< a fish, together with the whales, seals, and other water-loving creatures it is permitted as a lawful article of diet on fasting days. When properly salted and preserved by diving in the sun, the flesh of this animal will remain sweet for a whole year. The skin of the Manatee is in great request for the formation of sundry leathern articles in which great strength is required, and the oil which is extracted from its fat is of excellent quality, and is free from the unpleasant rancid odour which characterises so many animal oils. So valuable an animal is subject to great persecution on the part of the natives, who display great activity, skill, and courage in the pursuit of their amphibious quarry. The skin of the Manatee is so thick and strong that the wretched steel of which their weapons are composed, — the "ma- chetes," or sword-knives, with which they are almost universally armed, being sold in England for three shillings and sixpence per dozen, — is qui'.c unable to penetrate the tough hide. Nothing is so effectual a weapon for this service as a common English three-cornered file, which is fastened to a spear-shaft, and pierces through the tough hide with the greatest ease. The skin of the Manatee is so thick that it can be cut into strips like the too-celebrated " cow-hide " of America, which is manufactured from the skin of the hippopotamus. Before being dressed, the hide of the Manatee is thinly covered with rather stiff bristles.'* The Wild Hog — Peccari — Bakkir. ' 'Two or three species of wild hogs have been met with in British Guiana, and have been named the bakkir, the pingo, and the peccari ; the latter is best known, and may commonly be seen by travellers roving about in large droves, and feeding in the woods on roots and grubs. They vary in size, but measure generally about three feet in length, and arc of a greyish brown colour. The tail is wry short merely rudimentary ; at the lower part of the back there is a peculiar orifice connected with a grandular structure which secretes a most foetid liquid, the use and nature ofwhicii arc unknown ; when a drove is disturbed the animals make a loud grunting noise, and headed by a large male, the patriarch of (he family, scamper off at a rapid pace, and as they arc armed with sli >rt thick tu-ks their charge is generally avoided by both man anj 1.1 W '- S itural History. • In Jttiio of the present year [1866) a fine living specimen of this animal arm) •>] n- Georgetown from Surinam r/* route to the London Zoological Gardens. This specimen, although young, measured nearly G feet in length, and was fed dnring the voyage with dessicatad milk. 4 DlLTOX. tin: \\ \ii:i; kaas— COATI-MONDI. iio 4 ' beast. The Indians attack them for the sake of their flesh, which is good eating, but take the precaution of dissecting out carefully tlic foetid gland on (lie back. There arc two varieties of Peccari orMexian hog [Dieotyles torquatus and labia t us) ; the Larger species is called by the natives Kaivounie, and the smaller kind the Abouya. Their habits are much the same as the domestic hog, but they do not breed with them, and the f males only bring forth one or two young ones ut a birth. There are besides (he 1'ceeari one or two species of Wild hog seen ill the interior, which approach the boar in size and habits. The largest is named the Hakkir and inhabits the mountainous districts, feeding on vege- tables and occasionally reptiles. Tin: Water Haas — Water Hare— Water Hug. — The Water Haas, Hare, or ling, is a very common animal here, ami congregates in large numbers in the woods and in cultivated districts where they prove very destructive to the produce of the fields. They are excellent swimmers, hence the name given to them by the Dutch, Water Haas (Hydrocheerus vel cavia capytaraj. They grow to a large size, standing about two feet, high ; the head is enormously large : the body is covered by a bristly dark brown hair j they have no tail, or a mere trace of one ; their feet are more or less webbed, indicative of their aquatic propensities. Four tusks protrude from the jaws. Then' skin is excecdiuglj tough and is about an inch thick. Their flesh is considered excellent food, and they are often limited. They arc readily domesticated, and feed on roots and vegetables, and prey occasionally on fish.' The Coati-mondi — Quacy Quacy — Fbx nf Guiana. — ls ' The Coati- mundi, or Red Coaiti, derives its name from the rcddish-chesnnt line which prevails over the greater portion of the fur, and is only broken bv the black ears and legs, the maroon-coloured bands upon the tail, and the Whitehall's which edge the upper jaw, and entirely cover the lower. The texture of the fur is rather harsh and wiry, ami oi no very great importance in Commerce. Upon the paws arc certain curious tubercles, -which alone Mould serve to identify the annual were it entirely destroyed with the exception ol a single foot. It is extremely active in the ascent and descent of trees, and pursues its prey among the limbs with great certainty. Its food consists of sundry vegetable and animal substances, but the creature seems to prefer the latter to the former. When the Coaiti descends a tree, it does so witli its head downward, securing itself from falling by hitching the claws of the hinder tcet into the inequalities of the bark, and displaying by the act no small amount of flexibility in the jointing of the hinder limbs. It is a nocturnal animal, and docs not display its true liveliness until the shades of evening begin to draw on, but lies curled up in a curious but comfortable attitude, its long and bushy tail serving for blanket and pillow. Towards evening, however, the Coaiti arousts itself from its lethargy, and becomes full of life and vigour, careering about the branches with extraordinary rapidity of move- ment and certainty of hold, and agitating its mobile nose with unceasing i lUi ■ 1 1 vv „ojj . Salunl Ul itory. 116 ni.Ki; — rAGUAfl. 10 'energjj as if for the purpose of discovering by tlic .snout tlie presence of sonic welcome food. It is a merciless robber of birds' nests, and will eat parent, eggs, or young, with equal appetite. Although possessed of a very irritable temper, the Coaiti is tamed without difficulty to a certain extent, but is always capricious in its affec- tions, and cannot be trusted without danger. "When attacked by men or dogs, the Coaiti fights desperately, and can inflict such dangerous wounds with its double-edged canine teeth, that it is, although so small an animal, no despicable antagonist.' Deer. — Bush Deer — Savannah Deer — Cane-piece Heir, and Wirr:- bourriciri Deer. — There are only three or four species of Deer commonly seen in Guiana. 4 ( Those arc the bush deer, the cane-piece deer, the savannah deer, and a small harmless species known as the antelope or wirrebourrieiri. The bush deer (Cervus rnfusj is the largest, and is of a brownish-red colour, with short curved horns. It is called ■' Baieu " by the natives, and is seen in the wooded parts of the interior, where, safe from the perils of the hunter, it becomes the prey cf the Jaguar and large snakes. The savannah deer (Cervus savannarum) is met with in the large savannahs in herds of from four to six. It differs little in appearance from fie cane-piece deer. It is often caught and tamed bv the Indians. The cane-piece deer (Cervus simplicicomis vel campestrisj resembles the fallow deer of Europe ; it is of a fawn colour, and has large branching horns. These animals arc very plentiful in the neighbourhood of the estates, and are commonly chased by the sportsman, who hunts them with gun and dogs. They are very fleet, and prove courageous when attacked. They live in the woods and cane-fields, but take to the water readily if hotly pursued, where they may be captured easily if a boat is at hand, for they do not swim last. The flesh is not equal to the venison of Europe : it is dry, and wanting in flavour. The fourth species, known as the Wirrebourrieiri (Cervus humilis) by the Indians, is a small but lively animal, resembling the Antelope, but without horns. It is of a light brown colour above, and whitish below, but has a row or more of white spots or stripes along its sides ; when full grown these spots disappear more or less, and the animal becomes uniformly brown in colour. It is very fleet and agile, and has beautiful dark eyes. It often happens that the young of the two last species of deer arc captured by hunters, and frequent attempts have been made to domesticate them. They are very docile, and. soon become so tame as to eat out of the hand, but they seldom live long in a state of bondage.' The Jaguar, or Tiger of Tropical America, is not equal to the true Tiger in size or strength, but rivals them in activity and ferocity, and their depredations among goats, pigs, and cattle, arc familiar to most residents upon the plantations. l5 ' The Jaguar closely resembling the Leopard in external appearance, and in its arboreal habits, it seems to play the same part in America as the Leopard in the transatlantic continents. It is a larger animal than the Leopard, Id Woop's Natuial HUiorr, 4 I)aw>, THE JAG1 AR. li; 15 ' :ui(l may be distinguished from that animal by several characteristic differences. In the first pi. we, t lie tail is rather short in proportion to the size of its owner, and, when the animal stands upright, only jusl sweeps the ground with its tip. Across the breast of the Jaguar are drawn two or three bold black streaks, which arc never seen in the Leopard, and which alone serve as an easy guide to the species. The spots, too. with which its fur is so liberally studded, are readily distinguishahle from those of the Leopard by their shape and arrangement. The Leopard spots are n shaped, and their outlines are rounded, wh i Jaguar are more angular in their form. Bui the chief point of distinction is found in a small mark that exists in the centre of the dark spots which cover the body and sides. In many instances, this central mark is double, and. in order to give room for it, the ro rery large in proportion to those of the Leopard. Along ne runs a line, or chain, ot black spots and dashes, extending from the back of the head to the first loot, or eigfc inches, of the tail. The colour is not quite tin- same in all specimi Many Jaguar skins have an exceedingly rich depth of tinting, and we very highlj valued, being worth rather more than three pounds. They are chiefly used for military purposes, such as the coverings of officers' saddles in certain cavalry regiments. Sometimes, a black variety of the Jaguar is found, its colour being precisely similar to that of the Black Leopard. The whole fur seems to take the tint of the dark spots, while the -.pots themselves are just mailed by a -till deeper hue. Probably, th this curious difference in tint may be, that in the blood of the individual Jaguar there exists a larger quantity than usual of iron, which metal, a- is well known, is found to form one of the constituents of blood. It can be extracted in the metallic form, and resembles very line sand. In the human blood, late researches have discovered that the blood of the negro is peculiarly rich in iron, atul it seems but reasonable that a similar cause will account for the very great variation in the Leopard's and Jaguar's fur. One of these creatures, which was brought to England by Canta n 1 noi.ii ii:i.i>. from South America, and placed in the collection of the Zoological Gardens, was so gentle and docile, that it directly controverted the once popular notion that tin- Jaguar is an irreclaimable and uu- tameablc animal. It was a general pel on the voyage, and the following m ol I. proceedings while on board ship, is given by Captain 1 m. i.i.i n .mi himself. The Jaguar was named " Doctor," and was as well acquainted with its name as any dog. It was at times rather lazy, and loved to lie at full length on (leek, and stretch its limbs to their full extent. It was so per- fectly tame that Captain Ixc.i.ki ii:t.i> was accustomed to lie down by the side of the spotted favourite, using its body as his pillow. When the vessel arrived in harbour, and people were anxious to view the Jaguar, the 1j Wood'! N'aturtl BialotTi 1 i- THE .1 U3UAE, ,J 'creature walked to the stable where i: was to be exhibited, merely being led by its chain. It was a remarkable circumstance, that, although the animal was so entirely tame and gentle towards men, and would let them pull it about in their rough play, it could never be trusted in the presence of a little child, nor o( a dog. In cither case, the animal became excited, and used to stretch its chain to i t-> utmost limit. Uncooked meat was never permitted in its diet, and, except in one or two instances, when the animal contrived to obtain raw flesh, it was fed exclusively on meat that had been boiled. One of these exceptional eases rather amusing. At Monte Video, the Admiral had signalled for the captains of II. M. ships to come on board and dine with him. His cook was, of course, very busy on the occasion, and more especially so, as there was at the time rather a scarcity of fresh provisions. The steward had been making the necessary arrangements for the entertainment, and came on board carrying a leg of mutton and some fowls. Just as he stepped on deck, the Jaguar bounced out of his hiding-place, and, clutching the meat and fowls out of the steward's hands, ran off with them. The fowls were rescued by the Captain, who got them away from the robber undamaged, with the exception of their heads, which had been bitten off and eaten, but the mutton was past reclaiming, and so, to the great disgust of the cook and steward, the bill of fare had to be altered. "When " Doctor " received his daily food, he used to clutch and growl over it like a cat over a mouse, but was sufficiently gentle to permit the meat to be abstracted. In order to take away the animal's food, two men were employed, armed with large sticks,, one of whom took his place in front of the Jaguar, and the other in the rear. When all was arranged, the man iu the rear poked "Doctor" behind, and, as he turned round to sec what was the matter, the man in front hooked away the meat with his stick. However the animal might growl over its food, and snarl at any- one who approached, it would become perfectly quiet and gentle as soon as the cau^c of anger was removed. It was a very playful animal, and was as mischievous in its sport as any kitten, delighting to find any one who would join in a game of romps, and acting just as a kitten would under similar circumstances. As the animal increased in size and strength, its play began to be rather too rough to be agreeable, and was, moreover, productive of rather unpleasant con- sequences to its fellow voyagers. For, as is the custom with all the cat tribe, the Jaguar delighted in sticking its talons into the clothes of its human playfellows, and tearing them in a disastrous manner. The creature was so amusing that no one could resist the temptation of playing with it, and so the evil was remedied by docking the " Doctor's " claws of their sharp points. This animal was about two years old when it was brought to England, and died but very lately. Two years after its arrival, Captain Inglefield went to see his old favourite, the " Doctor," and found that the Jaguar 15 Wuou'o Natural Hifitoir, THE JAfH'AR. 119 u ' recognised him in spite of the long interva] of time, and permitted him to pat it* head and to open its mouth. In its native land, the Jaguar ranges the dense and perfumed forests in search of the various creatures which fall victims to its powerful claws. The list of ;iiiiin;ils that compose it:, bill of fare is a large and compre licusivc one, including horses, deer, monkej s, capybaras, tapirs, hirils of various kinds, turtles, lizards, and 1M1 ; thus comprising examples of all the four orders of vertehrated animals, Nor does the Jaguar confine itself to the vertebrates. \ arious shell-fish, insects, and other creatures Call victims to the insatiate appetite of this ravenous animal. The favourite food of the Jaguar — when he can gel it — is the flesh of the various monkeys. Bu( to catch a moid- ; the easiest task in the world, and in general can only be achieved by leaping upon the prey from a place of concealment, or by surprising th inkeys while sleeping. Some- times it is fortunate enough to ge( among a little band of monkeys before they are aware of the presence of the dreaded foe, and then seizes the opportunity of dealing a few tierce strokes of its terrible paw among the partly-awakened sleepers, thus dashing them to the ground, whither il descends to feast at leisure on the ample repast. The fierce hoarse roar of the Jaguar ami the yells of terror that come from the frighted monkeys resound far and wide, ami proclaim in unmistakeable language the deadly work that is going on among the frees. Piccaries are also a favourite article id' diet with the Jaguar, hut he finds scarcely less difficulty in nicking up a Peccary than in knocking down a Monkey. For the little, active, sharp-tusked Peccary is ei ^n more swinishly dull than is usual even with its swinish relatives, and being too thick-headed to understand danger, is a very terrible antagouist to man or beast. It seems to care nothing for size, weapons, or strength, hut launches itself as fearlessly on a Jaguar or an arm 2d man as on a rabbit or a child. So, unless the Jaguar can manage quietly to snap up a straggler, he has small chance with a herd of these warlike little pigs, which, if they caught a Jaguar among them, would cul him so severely with their lancet-like teeth, that he would ever repent his temerity, even if he escaped with his life. One of the easiest animals to obtain is thai huge and timid rodent. the Capybara, which is not sufficiently swift oi fool to escape by flight, nor agile of limb to hound out of reach of its enemy, nor furnished with natural anus with which to defend itself against ids assaults. Should it take to tin' water, and so endeavour to elude pursuit, the Jaguar is in nowise disconcerted, for he is nearly as familiar with that element as the Capybara Itself, and thus seldom fails in securing his prey. When the Jaguar strikes down a large animal, such as a Horse or a Deer, it performs its deadly task in a very curious manner. Leaping from some elevated spot upon the shoulders of the doomed animal, it places one paw on the hack of the head and another on the muzzle, and then, with a single tremendous wrench, dislocates the neck. With smaller creatures, the Jaguar uses no such cere- mony, hut with a blow of the paw lavs its prey dead tit its feet.' « w ood ■ Nutui.ii Qietoi j 120 THE TIGER CAT— ANT BEArt. The Tiger Cat. — 4 'There arc several varieties of the Tiger Cat, and they vary in size from that of the common domestic animal to the bulk of a large dog, but arc all more or less marked in the same manner, the ground colour being some shade of grey, and having numerous black stripes on the body. They abound in the forests and other uncultivated regions, and at times approach human habitations, where they prove very destruc- tive to poultry. They are in general remarkable for their long bodies and short legs, and the several varieties are distinguished by their tails, which are of unequal length. Some of the smaller kinds, if caught when young, may be tamed, but are always to be distrusted. There is one species known as the Black Tiger Cat. It is about the size of a small hound, and is of a black colour with stripes of white, but occasionally these are absent. One of the largest varieties met with is called here the Labba Tiger Cat. This is an animal so closely resembling the Ocelot (Felis pardalU) in size, shape, and habits that it may be regarded as the same animal. Its tail and leg; are somewhat .shorter in proportion than tiie same organs of the ordinary Tiger Cats. 'Hie colour of the body is greyish-brown, marked •with unconnected irregular fawn-coloured spots or patches bordered with black. These animals are very wild and ferocious, and live on birds and small animals, such as the Labba, Aeouri, &e.' The Ant Hear. — 3 ' Ants have their enemies, as well as the rest of ani- mated nature. Amongst the foremost of these stand the three specie's of Ant-bears. The smallest is nor much larger than a Rat ; the next is nearly the size of a Fox ; and the third a stout and powerful animal, measuring above six feet from the snout to the end of the tail. He is the most inoffensive of all animals, and never injures the property of man. He is chiefly found in the inmost recesses of the forest, and seems partial to the low and swampy parts near creeks, where the Troely tree grows. There he goes up and down in quest of Ants, of which there is never the least scarcity ; so that he soon obtains a sufficient supply of food, with very little trouble. He cannot travel fast ; man is superior to him in speed. Without swiftness to enable him to escape from his enemies, without teeth, the possession of which would assist him in self-defence, and without the power of burrowing in the ground, by which he might conceal himself from his pursuers, he still is capable of ranging through these wilds in perfect safety ; nor does he fear the fatal pressure of the serpent's fold, or the teeth of the famished Jaguar. Nature has formed his forelegs wonderfully thick, and strong, and muscular, and armed his feet with three tremendous sharp and crooked claws. Whenever he seizes an animal with these for- midable weapbns, he hugs it close to his body, and keeps it there till it dies through pressure, or through want of food. Nor does the Ant-bear, in the mean time, sutler much from loss of aliment, as it is a well known fact, that he can go longer without food than, perhaps, any other animal, except the land tortoise. His skin of a texture that perfectly resists the bite of a dog ; his hinder parts are protected by thick and shaggy hair, wdiile his immense tail is large enough to cover his whole bodv. 3 WiTEHTON. THE ANT HEAR. 121 3 'The Indians have a great dread of coming in contact with the Ant- bear; and after disabling him in the chase, never think of approaching him till lie is quite dead. It ia perhaps on account ol this caution, that naturalists have never \ ; given to the world a true and correct drawing of this singular animal, or described the peculiar position of his fore feet when he walks or stands. If, in taking a drawing from a dead Ant-bear, you judge of the position in which he stands from that of all other terres- trial animals, the sloth excepted, yon will be in error. Examine only a figure ol this animal, in hooks ol' natural history, or inspect a stuffed specimen in the hest museums, and you will see that the tore claws are just in the same forward or a common bear, when he walks or stands. lint this is a distorted and unnatural position ; and in lit'e, would he a painful and intolerable attitude for the Ant-hear. The length and curve of his claws cannot admit of such a position. When he walks or stands, his feet have somewhat the appearance of a club-hand. He goes entirely on the outer side ol' his tore feet, which are quite bent inwards ; the claws collected into a point, and going under the foot. In this position he is quite at ease : while his long claws are disposed of in a manner to render them harmless to him, and arc prevented from becoming dull and worn, like those of the dog, which would inevitably be the case, did their points come in actual contact with the ground ; for his claws have not that retractile power which is given to animals of the feline species, by which they are enabled to preserve the sharpness of their claws on the most flinty path. A slight inspection of the fore feet of the Ant- Hear, will immediately convince you of the mistake artists and naturalists have fallen into, by putting his fort 1 feel in the same position as that of other quadrupeds ; for you will perceive that the whole outer side of his foot is not only deprived of hair, hut is hard and callous ; proof positive of its being in perpetual contact with tin- ground. Now, on the contrary, the inner side of the bottom of his foot is soft and rati er hairy. There is another singularity in the anatomy of flic Ant-bear, I believe, as yet unnoticed in the page ol' natural history. He has two very large glands situated below the root of the tongue. Prom these is emitted a glutinous liquid, with which his long tongue is lubricated when he puts it into the tints' nests. These elands are ol' the same substance as those found in the lower jaw of the woodpecker. The secretion from them, when wet, is very clammy and adhesive, hut on being dried it loses these quali- ties, and you can pulverise it betwixt your linger and thumb ; so that, in dissection, if any of it has got upon the fur of the animal, or the feathers of the bird, allow it. to dry there, and then it may be removed without leaving the least stain behind. The Ant-bear is a pacific animal. lie is never the first to begin the attack. His motto may be, " Noli me tangere." As his habits and his haunts differ materially from thoseof every other animal in the forest, their interests never clash, and thus he might live to a good old age, and die at hist in peace, were it not that his flesh is good food. On this account, the Indian wages perpetual war against him, and as he cannot escape by flight, 3 W v i . 122 THE SLOTH. s ' Le falls an easy prey to the poisoned arrow, shot from the Indian's bow at a distance. If ever he be closely attacked by dogs, he immediately throws himself on his back, and if he be fortunate enough to catch hold of his enemy with his tremendous claws, the invader is sure to pay for his rashness with the loss of life.' The Slojh. — 3 'Those who have written on this singular animal have remarked that he is in a perpetual state of pain, that he is proverbially slow in his movements, that he is a prisoner in space, an I that as soon as he has consumed all the leaves of the tree upon which he had mounted, lie rolls himself up in the form of a ball, and then falls to the ground. This is not the case. If the naturalists who have •written the history of the Sloth had gone into the wilds, ia order to examine his haunts and economy, they would not have drawn the foregoing conclusions ; they would have learned, that though all other quadrupeds may be described while resting upon the ground, the Sloth is an exception to this rule, and that his history must be written while he is in the tree. This singular animal is destined by nature to be produced, to live and to die in the trees ; and to do justice to him, naturalists must examine him in this his upper element. He is a scarce and solitary animal, and being good food, he is never allowed to escape. He inhabits remote and gloomy forests, where snakes take up their abode, and where cruelly stinging ants and scorpions, and swamps, and innumerable thorny shrubs and bushes, obstruct the steps of civilized man. Were you to draw your own conclu- sions from the descriptions which have been given of the Sloth, you would probably suspect, that no naturalist has actually gone into the wilds with the fixed determination to find him out and examine his haunts, and see whether nature has committed any blunder in the formation of this extra- ordinary creature, which appears to us so forlorn and miserable, so ill put together, and so totally unfit to enjoy the blessings which have been so bountifully given to the rest of animated nature ; for, as it has formerly been remarked, he has no soles to his feet, and he is evidently ill at ease when he tries to move on the ground, and it is then that he looks up in your face with a countenance that says, " Have pity on me, for I am in pain and sorrow." It mostly happens that Indians and Negroes are the people who catch the Sloth, and bring it to the white man ; hence it may be conjectured that the erroneous accounts we have hitherto had of the Sloth, have not been penned down with the slightest intention to mislead the reader, or give him an exaggerated history, but that these errors have naturally arisen by examining the Sloth in those places where nature never intended that he should be exhibited. However, we are now in his own domain. Man but little frequents these thick and noble forests, which extend far and wide on every side of us. This, then, is the proper place to go in quest of the Sloth. We will first take a near view of him. By obtaining a knowledge of his anatomy, we shall be enabled to account for his movements hereafter, when we see i Waxucok. TFIE SLOTH, 123 3 ' him in hia proper haunt'*. His fore-legs, or, more correctly speaking, his arms, are apparently much too lony, while hi* hind-legs are very short, and look as if they could be bent almost to the shape of a corkscrew. Both the fore and hind legs, by their form, and by the manner in which they are joined to the body, are quite incapacitated from acting in a perpendicular direction, or in supporting it on the earth, as the bodies of other quadrupeds are supported, by their legs. Hence, when you place him on the floor, his belly touches the ground. Now, granted, that he supported himself on his legs like other animals, nevertheless he would be in pain, for he has no soles to his feet, and his claws are very sharp and long, and curved ; so that, were his body supported by his feet, it would be by their extremities, just as your body would be were you to throw yourself on all fours, and try to support it on the ends of your toes and lingers — a trying position. Were the floor o( glass, or of a polished surface, the Sloth would actually be quite stationary ; but as the ground is generally rough, with little protuberances upon it, Midi a- stones, or roots of grass, fee, this just suits the Sloth, and he moves his fore-legs in all directions, in order to rind something to lay hold of ; and when he has succeeded, he pulls himself forward, and >s thus enabled to travel onwards, but at the same time in so tardy ami awkward a manner, as to acquire him the name of Sloth. Indeed his looks and his gestures evidently betray his uncomfortable situation ; and as a sigh every now and then escapes him, we may be entitled to conclude that he is actually in pain. Sonic years ago I kept a Sloth in my room for several months. I often took him out of tin 1 house, and placed him upon the ground, in order to have an opportunity of observing his motions. If the ground were rough, he would pull himself forwards, by means of his fore-legs, at a prettj good pace ; and he invariably shaped his course towards the nearest tree. Hut if I put him upon a smooth and well-trodden part of the road, he appeared to be in trouble and distress : his favourite abode was the back ol' a chair; and B tting all his legs in a line upon the topmost part of it. he would bang there lor hours together, and often, with a low and inward cry. would seem to invite me to lake notice of him. The Sloth, in its wild state, spends its whole life in the trees, and never leaves them but through force, or by accident. An all-ruling Provi- dence has ordered man to tread on the surface of the earth, the eagle to soar in the expanse of the skies, and the monkey and squirrel to inhabit the trees ; still these may change their relative situations without feeling much inconvenience : but the Sloth is doomed to spend his whole life in the trees ; and, what is more extraordinary, not upon the branches, like the squirrel and the monkey, but under them. lie moves suspended from the branch, he rests suspended from it, and he sleeps suspended from it. To enable him to do this, he must have a very different formati n from that of any other known quadruped. Hence, his seemingly bungled conformation is at once accounted for ; and in lien of the Sloth leading a painful life, and entailing a melan- choly and miserable existence on its progeny, it is but fair to snnqiia that 3 WiillTox. 121 THE SLOTH 3 'it just enjoys life as much a-- any other animal, and that its extraordinary formation and singular habits are hut further proofs to engage us to admire the wonderful works of Omnipotence. It must he observed, that the Sloth does not hang head-downwards like the Vampire. When asleep, he supports himself from a branch parallel to the earth, lie first seizes the braueb with one arm, and then with the other; and after that, brings up both his lej by one, to the same branch ; so that all four are in a line : he seems perfectly at rest in this position. Now, had he a tail, he would be at a loss to know what to do with it in this position : were he to draw it up within his legs, it would interfere with them ; and were he to Let it hang down, it would become the sport of the winds. Thus his deficiency of tail is a benefit to him ; it is merely an apology for a tail, scarcely exceeding an inch and a half in length. I observed, when he was climbing, he never used his arms both together, but first one and then the Other, and so on alternately. There i> a singularity in his hair, different from that of all other animals, and, I believe, hitherto unnoticed by naturalists ; his hair is thick and coarse at the extremity, and gradually tapers to the root, where it becomes fine as the finest spider's web. His fur has so much the hue of the moss which grows on the branches of the trees, that it is very difficult to make him out when he is at rest. The male of the three-toed Sloth has a longitudinal bar of very fine black hair on his back, rather lower than the shoulder-blades : on each Bide of this black bar there is a space of yellow hair, equally line; it has the appearance of being pressed into the body, and looks exactly as if it had been singed. If we examine the anatomy of his fore-legs, we shall imme- diately perceive by their firm and muscular texture, how very capable they are of supporting the pendent weight of his body, both in climbing and at rest; and, instead of pronouncing them a bungled composition, as a cele- brated naturalist has done, we shall consider them as remarkably well calculated to perform their extraordinary functions. As the Sloth is an inhabitant of forests within the tropics, where the trees touch each other in the greatest profusion, there seems to be no reason why he should confine himself to one tree alone for food, and entirely strip it of its leaves. During the many years J have ranged tin- forests, I have never seen a tree in such a state of nudity ; indeed, I would hazard a conjecture, that, by the time the animal had finished the last of the old leaves, there would he a new crop on the part of the tree he had stripped first, ready for him to begin again, so quick rocess of vegetation in these countries. There is a saying amongst the Indians, that when the wind blows, the Sloth begins to travel. In calm weather he remains tranquil, probably not bking to cling to the brittle extremity of the branches, lest they should break with him in passing from one tree to another; but as soon as the wind rises, the branches of the neighbouring trees become interwoven, and then the Sloth seizes hold of them, and pursues his journey in safety. 3 WATKKION. THE SLOTH. l%5 5 'There is seldom au entire day of calm in these forests. Tlic trade-wind generally sets in about ten o'clock in tlie morning, and thus the Sloth may set oil' after breakfast, and get a considerabl ■ way before dinner. He travel* at a good round pace ; and were you to see him pass from tree to tree, as 1 have doi would uever think of calling him a Sloth. Tims, it would appear that t we have of this quadruped arc erroneous on two aci first, that the writers of them, deterred by difficulties and local annoyance il paid sufficient atten- tion to him in his na(i\e haunts ; and secondly, they have described him in a situation in which he was d by nature to cut a figure ; 1 mean mi the ground. The Sloth is as much i d on his journey upon a smooth and level floor as a man - who had to walk a mile in stilts upon a line of fcal her beds. One day, e- u ■ ■ Essequib i, I saw a large two Sloth on the ground upon the bank ; how he had got there nobody could tell: the Indian said he had uever surpri ed a Sloth in such a situation before: he wouldhardl) have come there to drinl and below the place, the branch. r. and afforded him an easy and sale access | ■ this as it may, thee trees were not above twenty yards from him, he could I his way through the sand time enough to escape before v up to him he threw himself upon his back, and defended himself in gallant style with his lore-legs. "Come, poor f, Mow." ■-:::.! 1 to him, " il' thou has! into a hobble to-day, lien sha] Fer for it : I'll take no advantage of thee in misfortune; the forest is large enough i thee and i- rove in ; go thj ways up a'u>\ ■. and enjoy thyself in these endless wilds ; it is more than probable thou \ lother interview with man. So fare thee well." On saying this, I too'; up a long stick which was lying there, held it fir him to hook on, and I I red him to a high and stately Mora. II .1 with wonderful rapidity, and in about a minute he was almost at the top of a tree. lie now went off in a side direction, and caught hold of the branch of a neighbouring tree ; he then proceeded towards the heart of the forest. I -oking on, lost ill amazement at 1 ■;■ sinj ■' him with my c\<- till the intervening branch c I in betwixt us; and then 1 lost sight for ever of the two-toed Sloth. 1 was going to add, that 1 never saw a Sloth take to his heels in such I in will not do the Sloth has no heels. That which naturalists have advanced ot' his being so tenacious of life, is perfectly tine. I the heart o at for half an hour after it was taken out of the body. The wourali poison seems to be the only thing that will kill it quickly. So much for this harmless, unoffending animal. He holds a con- spicuous place in the catalogue of the animals of the new world. Though naturalists have made no mention ol what follows, still it is not less true on that account. The Sloth is the only quadruped known, which spends its whole life from the branch of a tree, suspended by his feet. I have i W'ATERTO^. 12G THE SLOTH— POTTO- KTXKA.TOU— OPOSSUM. 3 ' paid uncommon attention to him in his native haunts. The Monkey and Squirrel will seize ;i branch with their fore feet, and pull themselves up, and rest or run upon it ; but the Sloth, after seizing it, still remains suspended, and suspended moves along under the branch, till he can lay hold of another. Whenever I have seen him in his native woods, whether at rest, or asleep, or on his travels, J have always observed that he was suspended from the branch of a tree.' 4 'The Porro-KixKAJor (size of a Pole Cat), a pretty looking animal, is occasionally seen. It is known as Potto, or Kinkagous-Cuvier, and by some is called the Yellow Maeanco (Viverra vel cercoleptes caudivolvula). It is about one foot and a half in length. The body is long and narrow, and the tail prehensile ; it is covered with a yellowish brown fur, and has a blackish streak along the back ; the head is small and round, and the face pointed like the fox. It is of a mild disposition, is nocturnal in its habits, and lives on fruits, honey, &c. It is called by the Colonists, Yamauaek ; by the Arawaks, Wawula ; by the Macusis, Yawarri ; by the Warraus, Noari. A new species lately described by P ichard Schomburgk is the Nasua Yittata. It is found in the neighbourhood of the Roraima mountains, and in its habits resembles the others of this family.' The Opossum- — Yawarri. — 4 ' There are seven if not more varieties of the Opossum found in Guiana. The species known are — Didelphis cancri- vura — quica — -philander — dorsigera — crassicaudata — must- ulna and pnlmata vel chironectes variegatui. The word "Yawarri'" is applied to most of them j they vary in size, the Largest being about the size of a large cat, and some arc little larger than rats. They make a hissing noise when approached, and show their sharp teeth, which are fifty in number, the greatest hitherto observed in quadrupeds. The arrangement of the teeth is as follows; five incisors on each side in the upper jaw, and four in the lower, four molars, three bicuspid, and one canine at each side of the upper " I jaw, and the same in the lower jaw. They have long naked cars, and the hair on the. body is coarse and of a greyish brown, the legs arc blackish ; head triangular-shaped, with pointed muzzle, tail naked, and marked in hexagonal divisions except towards the tip, where some bristles sprout. The feet are adapted for plantigrade action, and are marked with callosities on the soles. The toes are armed with strong claws, except the thumbs which are opposable, and have no nails, on the hinder feet. These singular looking animals have pouches attached at the abdomen of the mother, who cherishes her young ones in this manner until they are capable of supporting themselves. The young animals of this order are generally born so helpless and half formed as necessarily to perish unless provided for in some extraordinary way, and nature, ever fruitful in resources, has contrived this bag or pouch as a sort of half-way station from one state of existence to the other. They are in universal detestation in consequence of their destructive i WATSBTON. 4 DlLTON. OPOSSUM. 12? 4 ' ami thieving propensities, and their offensive appearance and effluvia. They are rarely seen by day, but prowl about during tbe night, and steal eggs of all kinds, besides carrying off fowls, ducks. These animals are slow, sluggish, ami inactive in their movements ; they are off en seen on trees, but generally burrow in boles in the ground or in hollow stems, and are very tenacious of life.' The Armadt'lo. — '"' "This animal is with propriety sometimes Btyled a hog-in-armour ; its head and ears being much like those of a roasting pig, and its whole body covered over with hard shells like shields, sliding in moveable rings, one over the other, except on the shoulders and the rump, which are covered something like turtle, with one solid mass of immoveable bone, called by some a cuirass and a helmet. Of this creature there are many species in (iuiana. the Largest being from the snout to the tip of the tail above three feet in Length, oi a reddish colour, and marked all over with hexangular figures, [ts eyes are small, the tail long and thick at the root, and tapering gradually like a carrot towards the point, and is covered over like the body with m •, ■, ble rings. This animal has four short legs with four toes, armed with two daws on the fore-feet, and five on those behind. The Armadillo walks generally during the night, being seldom Been through the day, and sleeps in burrows under ground, which it makes with great facility, and in which it Bticks so fast that the strongest man cannot draw- it out, though be were to pud its t ill with both hands. When attacked or terrified, it forms itself into a round ball like a Hedge-hog, making its Cuirass and helmet meet together, in which are enclosed its head, feet, and whole body. This creature feeds on roots, i->seeis, fruits, birds, &c, and when dressed is a tolerably good dish, though in general by Europeans it is accounted no greal delicacy; the Indians are, however, extrcmelv fond of it.' Tin-. A covin — Agouti — Coney. — *'TheAcouri fChloromys Acuti - i species of hare very frequently met with. It is considered as the American type of the genus lepus, and is much sought after a- game by the wild native and civilised colonist, who equally enjoy the sport and food it affords. It is about the size of a full grown rabbit, but often grows much larger. Its head is oval, The fore part of the body with the two front legs small in comparison with the posterior. It runs with incredible swiftness, or rather bounds and haps with singular activity. Its colour is reddish-grey or brown, almost lustrous, but not uniformly the same over all parts of the body ; the hair is very soft and smooth. It has twelve teeth in all, the four incisors being remarkably long, and often curved ; it has four toes on the fore feet and three on the hind ones; the tail is merely rudimentary, barely an inch long, and naked. In feeding on bstances, such as corn, yams, &c, it sits nearly upright on its haunches, and holding the food between its fore feet gnaws it in a most ludicrous manner; it also feeds on roots, nuts, fruit, and plants, and is often domesticated. The Acouri makes a grunting noise when approached, and if frightened niters a loud scream or cry; it is very timid, but will defend itself when occasion i DaLuo 12 BxiDKAlf. 128 THE ACOmi— L ABBA— CRAB DOG. 12 ' requires. It is met with in the forests, and burrows in the ground. The Indians eall them almost to their very feet by imitating a sound which atti-aets tlicm. A smaller animal closely resembling the Acouri, and belonging to the same family, is known here as the Aeouehi (Cavia vel dasyprocta acuchij, and has often been confounded with the other. It is, however, scarcely larger than a I'eiret, and is characterised by a distinct slender naked tail, about two inches in length. It is called by the natives " Atouri," and has been described as the " Adouri " by an old Dutch writer.* It is of a reddish brown or olive colour, and is mild and gentle in its habits, feeding on nuts and vegetables ; indeed, in its general appearance and habits it is very like the Acouri.' The Labba — Paca — Cavy. — * ' The Lahba resembles the Acouri in form, but grows much larger, and is otherwise different in its colour and anatomical structure, and has five toes on each foot. This animal can sit upright, and use its fore paws like the Acouri ; the colour is reddish- brown, with three rows of large white spots along its sides ; the tail is very short ; the eyes are large and lustrous, and approach in beauty to those of the Gazelle. This lovely little animal abounds in the forests, where it burrows in the ground, and prowls about chiefly at night to feed on fruit and vegetables ; it is often domesticated, and, like the Cat, it cleans its face with its fore-paws. The Labba is largely preyed upon by men and animals, but nature has provided for the continuance of the species by rendering it prolific. It can swim, run, and leap, and is not readily surprised. It is only the noiseless step of the wary Indian, as he tracks his way through the pathless woods : it is only his quick eye and ready aim that can secure the nimble Labba, ere he darts away or plunges into his hiding-place into the ground. The traveller, or hunter, often hears its grunting cry and bounding step — nay, can occasionally catch a glimpse of one in the entangled bush, but he seldom or never succeeds in the chase, and the crafty Indian knowing this readily dispenses with his company. The flesh of this little animal is so esteemed that it is a common remark here, that " He who lias eaten Labba, and drunk creek water, is sure never to leave the Colony." ' The Crab Dog, or the Crabbed Dog, is notorious for its matchless ferocity, and it is a very uncommon circumstance for one to be taken alive. " ' The whole upper part of the body of this animal is covered with deep brown hair, having white points, which gives it a greyish brown colour; under the head and neck is a bright grey, because the hairs are very short, and the white part is of equal length with the brown. The muzzle, the under part of the body, and legs, arc black, which singularly contrasts with the grey colour ou the head and neck. The head of this animal is very large in proportion to its body, its ears almost form a semicircle, its eyes are large, and its mouth is armed with strong grinders and sharp tusks ; it has six cutting teeth in each jaw, 11 Siedman. ' Hahtiikk. i Daiiok. THE CRAB DOG— ni'CK DOG— MONKEYS. 129 12 ' four of tlicm hardly rising above the gums. Both the fore and hind feet have five toes, with yellowish claws • the tail is pretty long, and ter- minates in a point. The Crab Dog kills and devours every thing that comes in its way, without exception, whether quadrupeds, fowls, or reptiles ; and never seeming to be glutted with blood, it murders, even without being hungry, all it can vanquish, which, on account of its courage, activity, and strength, are nol a few, though it be not larger than a common cat.' The Buck, or Indian's Dog, ' r a wretched looking half-starred animal, is a small mongrel with long uprighl cars and tail, which are seldom or never cut, It is rarely fed, and lives upon less food than, I believe, any animal on record. \ ct such a dog will, if mused, hunt for hours, and makes the forest ring agaiu with its cries. If not successful in the chase of Deer, Labba, or Acouri, it returns home panting, torn, and bleeding; but altera drink of water lies down to sleep. No one would suspect from seeing these lean dogs, sitting like spectres on their bony haunches on the prow of some I adian corial, that they could possibly undergo such fatigue. Numerous kinds of hounds have been introduced here, but they are mostly degenerate. The blood-hound, and the Spanish dog, a sort of cross between the former and sonic other species, answer better than most of the Others. They often prove trusty, and are savage watchdogs. The several varieties nf (In-- are made to hunt iii this country, and by a little patience and training thej can he taught to attack Tigers, Deer, and other wild animals. In the interior Wild Dogs are sometimes seen; these animals somewhat resemhle Terriers, and always hunt in packs. Tho Indians occasionally catch them for the purpose of crossing the breed of their own dogs.' Monkeys.— 4 ' There are no Apes or Baboons, or what arc known as true .Monkeys, to be met with in Guiana. The several Bpeciesin this country arc distinguished bj their not having check pouches, and by the absence of callosities cm the buttocks. They have, however, long tails, which in several species, as will be noticed, are prehensile, or capable of being twisted round the branches of trees, so as in support their "eight. They have', moreover, thirty-six teeth in their jaws, being four grinders more than the usual complement of teeth in tin- .Monkeys of other countries. They abound in the forests, where they may commonly be both seen and heard by the traveller. They arc gregarious in their habits, especially those of the smaller kind. The different species do no' congregate in the same troop — each species has a corps or regiment of its ow n. They are the lords of the forests, living on high branches of lofty trees, where they consider them- selves to be tolerably sale, except from the hunters gun or India;:'- arrow. and the ever dreaded wiles and stratagems of their greatest enemy the -, take, who disputes with them the dominion of the wooded world. The snake- destroy their young; they coil themselves around the thick stems, and await a truant young Monkey, or glide noiselessly among the leafy branches 12 BllDMAK 4 Daiton, 130 MONKEYS. 4 ' to dart suddenly upon young or old, to the immense consternation and jabbering ol the whole Monkey family. Monkeys here feed in their wild state on seeds, fruit, roots, plants, insects, wild honey, and other sweets, but when tamed can lie made to cat almost everything, and are remarkable for their enormous appttites, which, apparently, never leads to corpulence or obesity ; for who ever saw a fat Monkey? Their spare and active forms are the result of their incessant muscular action. The females generally bring forth one at a birth, and the young Monkey, as might be expected, generally proves a very trouble- some little fellow. Some of the females carry their young on their backs, others under their arms. If wounded by the poisoned arrow of the Indians, some species withdraw at once the fatal weapon, but soon fall after the working of the poison. The Monkeys of this country may be divided into two classes :— 1st. Those with tails prehensile. 2nd. Those with tails not prehensile. There are in all, perhaps, about twenty varieties. One of the most common kinds of Monkey with prehensile tail is called here The Red or Howling Monkey, commonly termed Baboon — (Mijcetcs seniculus.) Nothing can sound more dreadful than the nocturnal bowlings ui' the Red Monkey of Guiana. 3 ' While lying in your hammock in these gloomy and immeasurable wilds, you hear him howling at intervals, from eleven o'clock at night till daybreak. You would suppose that half the wild beasts of the forests were collecting for the work of carnage. Now, it is the tremendous roar of the Jaguar, as he springs on his prey : now, it changes to his terrible and deep-toned growling*, as he is pressed on all sides by superior force : and now, you hear his last dying mean, beneath a mortal wound. Some naturalists have supposed that these awful sounds, which you would fancy are those of enraged and dying wild beasts, proceed from a number of the Red Monkies howling in concert. One of them alone is capable of producing all these sounds ; and the anatomists, on an inspection of his trachea, will be fully satisfied that this is the case. When you look at him, as he is sitting on the branch of a tree, you will see a lump in his throat, the size of a large hen's egg. In dark and cloudy weather, and just before a squall of rain, this Monkey will often howl in the daytime ; and if you advance cautiously, and get under the high and tufted tree where he is sitting, you may have a capital opportunity of witnessing his won- derful powers of producing these dreadful and discordant sounds. His flesh is good food ; but when skinned, his appearance is so like that of a young one of our own species, that a delicate stomach might possibly revolt at the idea of putting a knife and fork into it. However, I can affirm, from experience, that after a long and dreary march through these remote fbroste, the flesh of this Monkey is not to be sneezed at, when boiled in Cayenne pepper, or roasted on a stick over a good fire. A young one tastes not unlike kid, and the old ones have somewhat the flavour of he-goat.' 4 Daiton. 1 Waiibton. MONKEYS. 131 4 ' The Capuchin Monkey (Simia capucinaj is another species closely ■allied to the other, but is .distinguished by the border of the face being paler instead of darker than the rest of the body, as is observable in the common brown Monkey. Its habits and haunts are the same. Another species allied to this is the Cebus olivaceus, or Olive Monkey. Tm Horned ob Tufted Safajou ("Simia fatueUns) belongs also to this tribe. It is of a blackish-brown colour with the borders of the face white, and derives its name from two tufts of hair which project above the eyebrows. A large kind of Monkey with prehensile tail is often met with in the forests. It is of an entire black colour with long loose hair; the colour is paler over the ventral surface; its tail long and hairy. The face is more or less naked, with a red membrane encircling the eyes. Jt belongs to the tribe of Spider Monkeys, and is here known as the Beelzebub Monkc\ (Atelea Beelzebub). Another species very much like the above is also common, and has bees termed Tim: Quata, ok Coaita (Aleles paniseusj, but is distinguished by its fle: h-C iloured face. The whole surface of the body is black, no whitish appearance being visible about the belly. This is, perhaps,, the most intelligent Monkey of this country, the natives having been long in the habit of training them to their service, and making them learn to fetch and carry like some dogs. They have a peculiar manlike appearance, and grow to the height of about three to four feet. They are seldom seen in large societies, and arc indolent in their habits. There are two or three other .species vi' Spider 'Monkeys, or Atcles, common here. These, like the others, arc readily known by the absence or mere trace of thumbs on the anterior legs or arms. One. Cajou, tin' Atcles Atcr, has a black face as well as body, but in character and conduct they approach one another so closely as to render separate notices unnecessary. Tin \ inhabit the forests common to this country and Brazil ; are grega- rious, tractable, sportive, and fond of travelling about, and are said to use their tails to link themselves when desirous of throwing a bridge over either water or land. The Monkeys whose tads are not prehensile have been termed Sakis. By Br/FFON they were named Sagouins, and by others have received the generic names Callithrix and Pithecia. There are several varieties of Sakis met with here. They are easily recognised by their long bushy hair and tails ; they are sometimes called Fox-tailed Monkeys ; indeed, in size and general appearance they are not unlike that animal. Their faces and heads are small ; the teeth and mouth project in a remarkable manner. They are of a morose and savage disposition, and arc very noisy and quarrelsome in the woods. The Black Saki (Simia vel pithecia salacas) is about three feet long, including the tail, and is of an entire black colour with long bushy 1 1'iLIO).. 132 MONKEYS. 4 ' hair. The female is of a greyish hue, anil sometimes brownish red. The breast and belly in both are scantily furnished with hair. This animal is also know as the Ouxid. The White-faced Saki, or Yarkee (Piihecia vel simia leucocephala) . The colour of the body is black, but the face has greyish-white hairs on the forehead, temples, and cheeks ; some reddish grey hairs are seen over the eyebrows. The lower jaw, nose, mouth, chin, and a small space round the eyes arc naked and membranous. The female is much lighter in colour, indeed it is of a greyish brown rather than black. The Red-bellied Saki is another species common here, it is described as the (Pithecia vel simia rufiventer) . The colour is brownish, but on the belly it is more or less red ; the hau* ou the crown separates and falls forwards giving it a peculiar appearance. It is about the size of a cat, and has a very bushy tail ; the ears are round and flat. Another species is known as The Red-eearded Saki (Pithecia vel simia rufibarbaj,* from the fact of the beard about the face being of that colour. The colour of the upper part of the body is brownish black ; of the under part light red. There is another species of a brown aud yellowish grey colour, which has a circle of ochreous yellow about the face, hence named yellow-headed Saki (Pithecia vel simia ochrocephalaj . Another species, the (Pithecia chiropotes), is limited in its range, and is seldom found except about the river Rupununi where it may be seen in small societies. Of the small Squirrel-like Monkeys with tails not prehensile there are several varieties, some of which are common, aud others rare. They have fewer teeth than the otheis. Of those which are somewhat rare, may be mentioned the Striated Monkey and the Piuchc. The former, the Ouistiti (Simia vel hapale jacchus) , is of a greyish brown ; the tail and part of the back are anuulated brown aud white ; the head is reddish with a white spot ou the forehead, and tufts of white hair about the cars. The Pinche (Simia vel midas esdipus), is of a grey colour studded with brown, tail slender and reddish ; ou the head there are some long whitish hairs hanging behind the ears. This little animal is very rarely seen, but has occasionally been met with in the Guianas. Both these Monkeys derive their name of Ouistiti from the peculiar sound they make, which resembles that word when the syllables composing it are uttered. The most common and interesting of the small Monkeys is that pretty little animal so well known here as The Sakawinki (Callithrix vet simia sciurea). The body is covered with close downy hair just like fur of a golden colour, the head and feet are orange, the tip of the nose black, tail long aud tipped black. It has a small round head and hairy ears. Prom its size, its activity, and sportive i DALTON, " Kl'Ul.. 29 Group of Mot'* .\IOXKEYS-CAYMA>. . 133 4 ' habits it has been termed the Squirrel Monkey, being not unlike that nimble little animal. In the woods they may be seen in hundreds skipping from bough to bough, and I have often seen them make the most prodigious leaps, jumping out a wide road which had been cut through the forests in Essequebo, and on each side of which were lofty trees, their branches occasionally meeting overhead, and along which these Squirrel -Monkeys dash fearlessly in a sort of "follow my leader" game, and bound off at times from free to tree a distance of several yards across, when they may sometimes be knocked down with sticks or stones. They have a sharp twitter or cry, and are often made pets of by ladies and children, hut it is only when caught young that they can thus he domesticated ; the older animals do not readily bear confinement, and generally die of chagrin. Perhaps the most elegant of the smaller Monkeys is thai beautiful little animal known as The Marmosei Midas rufimanus), or red-handed Tamarin. It is of a splendid black colour, variegated in some places with grey; the, hands or feet are orange red. They live in large societies in the interior, and their voices resemble in sound the cries of birds. They arc. seldom tamed. Tin Mahakina. ok Silky Tamarin {Midas rosalia) , is another species of this family. It is ot a yellowish colour with reddish hues, and has a sort of mane upon the neck ; the tail is long and bushy. The Black Taharim {Midas ursulus) is also, occasionally seen here, but is very uncommon ; it is. a- its name implies, of a black colour with reddish wavings. A species of nocturnal Monkey, 'I'm: Douroucouli {Aotes vel nyctipithecus trivirgatus) , has been met with by HuHBOLDT and others in (he neighbourhood of the river C.is^i- quiaii. It is of an ash or grey colour above, fawn colour below, with a black line oi\ the forehead, and on each temple ; length of body about nine inches. It sleeps all day, and prowls about at night, feeding on birds ami insects. It is like a Cat in appearance, and is ferocious and not easily tamed.' The Cayman, Alligator, or Crocodile of South America is an amphibious animal, and abounds in most of the rivers and canals ol Guiana. ' It is seldom more than from fifteen to twenty feel in length, usually of a light dusky colour when young, but becoming iron grey when lull grown; it has a hard, scaly, impenetrable skin, indented on the back and upper ridge of the tail ; the head very strongly formed, with a long snout ami extremely wide jaws, armed with a formidable double row of sharp teeth. The claws on the fore feet are tremendously strong and sharp.' 3 'The back of the Cayman may be said to be almost impenetrable to a musket ball ; but his sides arc not near so strong, and are easily pierced with an arrow; indeed, were they as strong as the hack and the belly, there would be no part of the Cayman's body soft and elastic enough to admit of expansion alter taking in a supply of food. I I'ni'N. IU. Maui in. 134 THE CAYMAN. 5 ' The Cayman has no grinders ; his teeth are entirely made for snatch and swallow ; there are thirty-two in each jaw. Perhaps no animal in existence bears more decided marks in his countenance of cruelty and malice than the Cayman. He is the scourge and terror of all the large rivers in South America near the line.' 9 ' The flesh, although of a musky smell, is eaten with avidity by the Indians. The Indians, it is said, are very expert in catching the Cayman. A man dives down upon the Crocodile's back, while asleep, and fastens a rope round its body ; he then strides across it, and, making a signal to his companions on the river's bank, they are \ ulled towards the surface of the water together/ The following account of the capture of a Cayman is given by Watertox in his "Wanderings in Guiana. 3 ' The day was now declining apace, and the Indian had made his instrument to take the Cayman. It was very simple. There were four pieces of tough hard wood, a foot long, and about as thick as your little finger, and barbed at both ends ; they were tied round the end of the rope, in such a manner, that if you conceive the rope to be an arrow, these four sticks would form the arrow's head ; so that one end of the four united sticks answered to the point of the arrow- head, while the other end of the sticks expanded at equal distances round the rope. Now, it is evident, that if the Cayman swallowed this, (the other end of the rope, which was thirty yards long, being fastened to a tree), the more he pulled, the faster the barbs would stick into his stomach. This wooden hook, if you may so call it, w:,s well-baited with the flesh of the Acouri, and the entrails were twisted round the rope for about a foot above it. Nearly a mile from where we had our hammocks, the sand-bank was steep and abrupt, and the river very still and deep ; there the Indian pricked a stick into the sand. It was two feet long, and on its extremity was fixed the machine ; it hung suspended about a foot from the water, aud the end of the rope was made fast to a stake driven well into the sand. The Indian then took the empty shell of a land tortoise, and gave it some heavy blows with an axe. I asked why he did that. He said, it was to let the Cayman hear that something was going on. In fact, the Iudian meant it as the Cayman's dinner-bell. Having done this, we went back to the hammocks, not intending to visit it again till morning. During the night, the Jaguars roared aud grumbled in the forest, as though the world was going wrong with them, and at intervals we could hear the distant Cayman. The roaring of the Jaguars was awful ; but it was music to the dismal noise of these hideous aud malicious reptiles. About half-past five in the morning, the Indian stole off silently to take a look at the bait. On arriving at the place, he set up a tremendous shout. We all jumped out of our hammocks, aud ran to hitu. The Indians got there before me, for they had no clothes to put on, aud I lost two minutes in looking for my trowsers and in slipping into them. We found a Cayman, ten feet and a half long, fast to the end of the 5 Watmio.v. 9 M. Mamih. THE CAYMAN. 135 8 ' rope. Nothing now remained to do, Imt to get him out of the water without injuring his scales, ''hoe opus, hie labor/' We mus- tered strong; there were three Indians from the creek, there was my own Indian Van, Daddy Qiashi, another man, and, lastly, myself. I informed the Indians that it was my intention to draw him quietly out of the water, and then secure him. They Looked and stared at each Other, and said, 1 might do it myself; hut they would have no hand in it ; the Cayman would worry some of us. On saying this, " consedere duces." they squatted on their hams with the most perfect indifference. The Indians of these wilds have aever been subject to the lea I restraint; and 1 knew enough of them to he aware, that it I tried to force them against their will, they would take off, and leave me and my presents Unheeded, and never return. Daddy Qiashi was for applying to our guns, as usual, eousidering them our best ami safest friends. 1 immediately offered to knock him down for his cowardice, and lie shrunk hack, begging that I would he cautious, and not get myself worried : and apologising for his own want of resolution. My Indian was now in conversation with the others, and they asked if I would allow them to shoot a dozen arrows into him. and thus disable him. This would have ruined all. I had come above three hundred miles on purpose to get a Cayman uninjured, and not to carry hack a mutilated specimen. 1 rejected their proposition with firmness, and darted a dis- dainful eye upon the Indians. Daddy Qi ISH1 was again beginning to remonstrate, and T chased him on the sand-bank for a quarter of a mile. He told me afterwards, he thought he should have dropped down dead with fright, for he was firmly persuaded, if I had caught him, 1 should have bundled him into the Cay- man's jaws. Here then we stood, in silence, like a calm before a thunder- storm. " Hoe res summa loco. Scinditur in eontraria vulgus." They wanted to kill him, and I wanted to take him alive. I now walked up and down the sand, revolving a dozen projects in my head, 'fhc canoe was at a considerable distance, and I ordered the people to hring it round to the place where we were. The mast was eight feet long, and not much thicker than my wrist. 1 took it out of the canoe, and wrapped the sail round the end of it. Now it appeared clear to me, that if 1 went down upon one knee, and held the mast in the same position as the soldier holds his bayonet when rushing to the charge, I could force it down the Cayman's throat, should he come open-mouthed at me. "When this was told to the Indians, they brightened up, and said they would help me to pull him out of the river. " Brave squad !" said I to myself, " ' Audax omnia pcrpcti/ now that yo\i have got me betwixt yourselves and danger." I theu mustered all hands for the last time before the battle. We were, four South American savages, two negroes from Alrica, a Creole from Trinidad, and myself a white man from Yorkshire. In fact, a little tower of Babel group, in dress, no dress, address, and language. 3 W»Tl«TO». 136 THE CAYMAN. 3 ' Daddy Qiasiii hung in the rear ; I showed him a large Spanish knife, which I always carried in the waistband of my trousers ; it spoke volumes to him, and he shrugged up his shoulders in absolute despair. The sun was just peeping over the high forests on the eastern hills, as if coming to look ou, and bid us act with becoming fortitude. 1 placed all the people at the end of the rope, and ordered them to pull till the Cayman appeared on the surface of the water ; and then, should he plunge, to slacken the rope and let him go again into the deep. I now took the mast of the canoe in my hand (the sail being tied round the end of the mast) ami sunk down upon one knee, about four yards from the water's edge, determining to thrust it down his throat, in case he gave me an opportunity. I certainly felt somewhat uncomfortable in this situation, anil I thought of Cerberus on the other side of the Styx ferry. The people pulled the Cayman to the surface; he plunged furi- ously as soon as he arrived in these upper regions, and immediately went below again on their slackening the rope. I saw enough not to fall in love at first sight. I now told them wc would run all risks, and have him on land immediately. They pulled again, and out he came, — " monstrum, horrendum, informe." This was an interesting moment. I kept my position firmly, with my eye fixed stedfast on him. By the time the Cayman was within two yards of me, I saw he was in a state of fear and perturbation ; I instantly dropped the mast, sprung up, and jumped on his back, turning half round as I vaulted, so that I gained my scat with my face in a right position. I immediately seized his fore legs, and, by main force, twisted them on his back ; thus they served me for a bridle. lie now seemed to have recovered from his surprise, and probably fancying himself in hostile company, he began to plunge furiously, and lashed the saud with his long and powerful tail. I was out of reach of the strokes of it, by being near his head. lie continued to plunge and strike, and made my seat very uncomfortable. It must have been a fine sight for an unoccupied spectator. The people roared out in triumph, and were so vociferous, that it was some time before they heard me tell them to pull me and my beast of burden farther in land. I was apprehensive the rope might break, and then there would have been every chance of going down to the regions under water with the Cayman. That would have been more perilous than Arion's marine morning ride : — " Delphini insidens vada cserula eidoat Arion." The people now dragged ns above forty yards on the sand : it was the first and last time I was ever on a Cayman's back. After repeated attempts to regain his liberty, the Cayman gave in, and became tranquil through exhaustion. I now managed to tie up his jaws, and firmly secured his fore feet in the position I had held them. We had now another severe struggle for superiority, but he was soon over- come, and again remained quiet. While some of the people were pressing 3 ■■> .HI?".' - Hi "a- «3 I I t- o f - '; THE CAYMAN— IGUANA. 187 * 'upon his head and shoulders, I threw myself on his tail, and by keeping- it down to the sand, prevented him from kicking up another dust. lie was finally conveyed to the canoe, and then to the place where we had suspended our hammocks; There I cut his throat ; and after breakfast was over, commenced the dissection.' Iguana — Guana. — 8 'The Guana is about three feet long from the head to the extremity of the tail, and covered with a soft skin; of a blucisb green colour on the back and legs; on the sides aud belly nearly white. It has a hag or pouch of loose skin under its throat of a light green, eyes black, and claws, of which there are three or live on each foot, sharply pointed. A fringed skin or kind of mane runs along from the head to the tail, which it erects when irritated, and will then snap hold of any thing with great tenacity, hut it is perfectly harmless if undisturbed.' ' 6 ' Though nol one of the aquatic Lizards, the Iguana is quite at home in the water, and if alarmed, will often plunge into the stream, aud either dive or swim rapidly away, While swimming, it lays its fore legs against the sides, so as to afford the smallest possible resistance to the water, stretches out (he hinder legs, and by a rapid serpentine movement of its long and flexible tail, passes swiftly through the water. It has considerable power of enduring immersion, as indeed is the case with nearly all reptiles, and has been known to remain under water for an entire hour, and at the end of that time to emerge in perfect vigour. Prom the aspect ol this long-tailed, dewlapped, scaly, spiny Lizard, most persons would rather recoil than feel attracted, and the idea of eating the flesh of so repulsive a creature would not be likely to occur to them. Vet in truth, the flesh of the Iguana is justly reckoned aracag one of the delicacies ol the country where it resides, being tender, and of a pecu- liarly delicate flavour, nut unlike the breast of a spring chicken. There are prions modes of cooking the Iguana, roasting and boiling being the most common. Making it into a fricassee, however, is the mode which has met the largest general approval, and a dish of Iguana cutlets, when properly dressed, takes a very high place among the delicacies of a well- Bpread table. The eggs too, of which tin" female [guana lays from four to sis dozen, are very well flavoured and in high repute. It is rather curious that they contain very little albumen, the yellow Ailing almost the entire shell. As is the case with the eggs of the Turtle, they never harden by boiling, and only assume a little thicker consistence. Some persons of peculiar consti- tutions cannot eat either the flesh or the eggs of the [guana, and it is said that this diet is very injurious to some diseases. The eggs are hid by the female Iguana in sandy soil near rivers, lakes, or the sea-coast, and after covering them with saud, she leaves them to he hatched by the heat of the sun. In consequence of the excellence of the flesh and eggs, the Ciuana is greatly persecuted hy mankind, aud its numbers considerably thinned. Those who hunt the animal for sport or merely to supply their own homes, generally employ a noose for the purpose, which they cast dexterously round ^ WatkAtom, 9 M. Marti*. 1$ Wood's N'atnral History. 138 THE IGUANA— LIZARDS. 15 'the neck of the reptile as it Bits on a branch, and then by a sudden and sharp jerk loosen its hold, and secure it. The creature is very hold, having hut little idea of running' away, and in general is so confident of its capa- bility of frightening away its antagonist by puffing up its long dewlap, and looking ferocious, that it is captured before it discovers its mistake. Even when caught, it has no notion of yielding without a struggle, hut bites so fiercely with its sharp leaf-like teeth, and lashes so vigorously with its long whip-like tail, that it is not secured without some trouble and risk. It is also very tenacious of life, and docs not readily die even from repeated blows with heavy sticks, so that the spear or the pistol arc often employed to kill it.' Lizards.— 9 'The Serpentine Lizard is a very singular reptile, being neither Serpent nor Lizard, hut partaking of the characters of both. The shape and contour of the body is exactly that of a Serpent, with four armatures or feet attached. The body is very slender, and nearly cylindric, covered with small annular hands, a little interrupted at the insertions of the feet, which are very imperfect, being small appendages, almost without toes or nails, except mere rudiments ; it is, therefore, their situation alone that would imply them to answer that purpose. The eyes arc small, teeth widely placed, and very fine, tongue bifid and cutaneous ; back of chocolate colour, belly white. The limbs have each a joint about the middle, forming a sort of elbow, and there are three toes on each fore foot. When roused by any approaching danger, it displays much courage and agility, notwith- standing its helpless appearance, and springs aside at the assailant some- times to the distance of two feet, never making the least attempt to escape. The bands under the belly are quite incapable of being elevated so as to facilitate motion, as in most other Serpents. The Banded or Annulated Lizard, a harmless little creature, about five inches long, is one of the prettiest of the species ; it has a flat and pointed head ; body covered with black and light blue regular stripes, about a quarter of an inch wide; feet, each five small sharp claws; tail about an inch and a half long, pyramidical in form, and covered with fine bristles. Tin; Salemtexta, or El Mateo, measuring from the tail to the nose three feet, is exceedingly ugly; colour chiclly a brownish green, with yellow spots, and marked in the most extraordinary hieroglyphical manner ; amphi- bious, running along the bottom ot rivers as easily as it does on dry land, and feeding on herbs and small insects ; it is thought (particularly by the: Indians) good eating, the flesh being white and tender : resembles the Guana when seen at a distance, but much more repulsive in appearance than that animal. The Salerapenta has (like the Chameleon, and several others of the same species) in some measure the faculty of changing its colouv when in any way excited, cither through fright or anger ; but does not show its shades in such great variety as the Agamma, or common Green Lizard, which is about ten inches long, of which the tail mea» sures half. The Agamma, or American Chameleon, is distinct from those of Africa in shape, by the hack part of the head not running to a point, and 15 Woods Natural History. 9 M. Mabtis. LIZARDS— WOODSLAYE— RATTLESNAKE. 139 ' 'its tongue being short and thick ; body about six inches Ion:;, tail above nine; it is in shape like the Guana, to which genus it belongs; the prin- cipal change of colour observed in it is from green to brown, or vice versd, which, m the opinion of Baron Von S w k (who had several of them domesticated) is assumed to deceive an enemy when approaching, and to render itself invisible ; for example, if put on a green umbrella (says the Baron), it immediately changed to that colour, and upon being let down upon the floor, which was of a dark brown, it assumed a very dark chocolate colour. This change seems to lie effected by the motion or disposition of i(s scales, as they are either elevated or depressed bj lis voluntary power ; and when the reptile is fresh caught this will take place five or si\ times in a minute, all the time snapping at any- thing that approaches it. The bite, if not attended to, will inflame and become painful, but is not .11 all dangerous. The power of changing colour is not confined solely to the Chameleon, but is common to several of the Lizard tribe.' Tin; WoODSLAVE, is a small G ko. ' I ( has no claws on its toes, the pupil <'i' tin" eye is round, and the eyelid circular. The back and tail arc COVCred with small scales. i r is generally black and yellow, arranged in cross bands, and there is a white streak on each side of the head. There are several species belongiug to this genus, all inhabiting similar localities. It is generally supposed to possess a store of venomous saliva, causing the part of the body on which it falls to swell grievously, and to eject this poisonous substance from some distauce upon those who chance to \e\ its irascible temper. The specific term spniator signifies a spitter, and has been given to the reptile on account of this supposed propensity. The poise, in, us saliva is said ti) be black.' Tur, Rattlesnake.- "'This dreadful reptile is remarkable lor the ingular termination to the tad, from which it derives its popular name. At the extremity of the tail are a number of curious loose horny structures, formed of the same substance as the scales, and varying greatly m number according to the size of the individual. It is now generally considered that the number of joints on the " rattle " is an indication of the reptile's age, a fresh joint being gained each year immediately after it changes its skin. The joints of this remarkable apparatus are arranged in a very curious manner, each being of a somewhat pyramidal shape, but rounded at the edges, and being slipped within its predecessor as far a* a protuberant ring which runs round the edge. In fact, a very good idea of the structure of the rattle may be formed by slipping a number of thimbles loosely into each other. The last joint is smaller than the rest, and rounded. As already mentioned, the number of these joints is variable, but the average number is from five or six to fourteen or fifteen. There arc occasional specimens found that possess more than twenty joints in the rattle, but such examples arc very rare. When in repose, the Rattlesnake usually lies coiled in some suitable spot, with its head lying flat, and the tip of its tail elevated in the middle of the coil. Should it be irritated by a passenger, or feel annoyed or o M. Mautui. lj Wood's Natural History i 140 THE RATTLESNAKE— BUSH MASTER— LABARRI. 13 ' alarmed, it instautly communicates a quivering movement to the tail/ which causes the joints of the rattle to shake against each other, with a peculiar shirring ruffle, not easily described but never to be forgotten when once heard. All animals even those which have never seen a Rattlesnake, tremble at this sound, and try to get out of the way. The Rattlesnake is slow and torpid in its movements, and seldom attempts to bite unless it is provoked, even suffering itself to be handled without avenging itself. Mr. Wateuton tells me in connexion with these reptiles : " I never feared the bite of a Snake, relying entirely on my own movements. Thus, in presence of several professional gentlemen, I once transferred twenty-seven Rattlesnakes from one apartment to another, with my hand alone. They hissed and rattled when I meddled with them, but they did not offer to bite me." The fer-de-lance Snake is, as has already been mentioned, most fierce and irritable in character, taking the initiative, and attacking without reason. But the Rattlesnake alwa3's gives notice of its deadly intentions, aad never strikes without going through the usual preliminaries. 'When about to inflict the fatal blow, the reptile seems to, swell with anger, its throat dilating, and its whole body rising and sinking as if inflated by bellows. The tail is agitated with increasing vehemence, the rattle sounds its threatening war-note with sharper ruffle, the head becomes flattened as it is drawn back ready for the stroke, and the whole creature seems a very incarnation of deadly rage. Yet, even in such moments, if the intruder withdraw, the reptile will gradually lay aside its angry aspect, the coils settle down in their place, the flashing eyes lose their lustre, the rattle becomes stationary, and the Serpent sinks back into its previous state of lethargy. The food of the Rattlesnake consists of rats, mice, reptiles, and small birds, the latter of which creatures, it is said to obtain by the exercise of a mysterious power termed fascination, the victim being held, as it were, by the gaze of its destroyer, and compelled to remain in the same spot until the Serpent can approach sufficiently near to seize it. It is even said that the Rattlesnake can coil itself at the foot of a tree, and by the mere power of its gaze force a squirrel or bird to descend and fling itself into the open mouth waiting to receive it.' The Kunukusi — Courracouciii — Bush Master. — 4 ' Another very formidable species is the Kunukusi or Courracouchi of the Indians (Crotalus mutus), which is of a yellow colour, with black or brown spots on the back. It is from eight to twelve feet long, and found in the forests, where it is termed bushmaster by the colonists. It is very much dreaded by travellers, and those who have to traverse woods, for it has no rattle by which to warn its approach. The Labarri snake is of a light brown colour, variegated with chesnut- coloured streaks on the back and sides. The month is large, and armed with two sharp fangs in the upper jaw. It is met with in all parts of the country, and is much dreaded even by the native Indians, whose sharp eyes will often detect this serpent when unnoticed by others. Another species of this viper has been described by some as formerly It Wooxi'l Natural Hislor? . 4 Daltuk. THE LABARKI— (JAMOUDl. Ill ' known as the yellow-tailed Labarri, It is smaller than the other, and nsccl to be found in the cane pieces, hut seldom seen at the present day. Dr. Bancroft, in his account of Guiana, mentions an instance where the bite proved fatal in five minutes.' 8 'Waterton in describing the snakes of the Colony, Bays that there is not much danger in roving amongst snakes and wild beasts, provided only that you have self-command, 'ion musl never approach them abruptly; if so, you are sun 1 to pay for your rashness ; because the idea of self-defence is predominant in every animal, and thus the snake, to defend himself from what he considers an attack upon him. makes the intruder feel the deadly effect of his poisonous fangs. The Jaguar flies at you, and knocks you senseless with a stroke of his paw; whereas, it you had n.it come upon him too suddenly, it is ten to one hut that he had retired, in lieu of dis- puting the path with you. The Labarri snake is very poisonous, and L have often approached within two yards of him without fear. 1 took care to move very softly and gently without moving my arms, and he always allowed me to have a line view of him, without showing the least inclination to make a spring at me. lie would appear to keen his eye fixed on me, as though suspicious, hut that was all. Sometimes I have taken a stick ten feet long, and placed it on the kabarri's hack. lie would then glide away without offering resistance. Hut when I put the end of the stick abruptly on his head, he immediately opened his mouth, flew at it. and bit it. One day. wishful to see how the poison conies out of the fang of the snake, I caught a Labarri alive. IK' was about eight feci long. 1 held him by the neck, and my hand was so near hi-- jaw, that he hid not room to move his head to bite it. This was tin' only position I could have held him with safety and effect. To do so, it only required a little resolution and coolness. 1 then took a small piece of stick in the other hand, and pressed it against the fang, which is invariably in the upper jaw. Towards the point of the fang, there is a Little oblong aperture on the Convex side of it. Through this, there is a communication down the fang to the root, at which lies a Little bag containing the poison. Now, when the point ol the fang is pressed, the root of the fang also presses against the bag, and sends up a portion of the poison therein contained. Thus, when I applied a piece of stick to the point of the fang, there cane out of the boh- a liquor thick and yellow, like strong camomile tea. This was the poison, which is so dreadful in its effects, as to render the Labarri snake one of the most poisonous in the forests of Guiana. 1 once caught a line Labarri, and made it bite itself. I forced the poisonous fang into its belly. In a few minutes 1 thought it was going to die, for it appeared dull and heavy, However, in half an hour's time, he was as brisk and vigorous as ever, and in the course of the day showed no symptoms of being affected Is then the lite of the snake proof against its own poison? This subject is not unworthy of the consideration of the naturalist '?' The Camoud; or Boa CONSTRICTOR. — There are two species found in the colony. The water and the land Camoudi; the latter is the shorter and thicker of the two. ' The tail of the IriuI Camoudi is slender, tapering and prcttilv 4 1'* 3 W AII.I.1UN. 142 THE CAMOUDL *' marked purple, brown, and white. The colour of the body is reddish- brown, with large oval patches of a dirty-white colour on its sides, with irregular s treats of the same colour in various directions. It lias just the appearance ol an oil-cloth elaborately ornamented; such, at least, was ihe appearance of a boa which 1 examined lately. The larger kind is generally of a darker colour. Uoth species are capable of biting, and that severely ; but it is by encircling their victims in their deadly folds and crushing them to death that the greatest danger lies.' An encounter with one of these snakes is thus given by Captain Stbdman, during his travels in Surinam, and may be appropriately introduced here. 12 'As I was resting in my hammock, the sentinel called to me that he had seen and challenged something black and moving in the brushwood ou the beach, which gave no answer; but which, from its size, lie concluded must be a man. I immediately dropped anchor; and having manned the canoe, ill as T was, 1 stepped into it, and rowed up to the place mentioned by the sentinel. Here we all stepped ashore to reconnoitre, as I suspected it to be no other than a rebel spy, or a straggling party detached by the enemy; but one of my slaves, of the name of David, declared it was no negro, but a large amphibious snake, which could not be far from tin' beach, and I might have an opportunity of shooting it if I pleased. To this, however, I had not the least inclination, from the uncommon size of the creature, from my weakness, and the difficulty of getting through the thicket, which seemed impenetrable to the water's edge ; and therefore, ordered all of them to return on board. The negro then asked me the liberty to step forward and shoot it himself, assuring me it could not be at any great dis- tance, and warranting me against all danger. This declaration inspired me with so much pride and emulation, that I determined to take his first advice, and kill it myself: provided he would point it out to mc, and be responsi- ble for the hazard, by standing at my side, from which I swore that if he dared to move, I should level the piece at himself and blow out his own brains. To this the negro cheerfully agreed; and having loaded my gun with a ball-cartridge, we proceeded j David cutting a path with a bill-hook, and a marine following, with three more loaded firelocks to keep in readiness. We had not gone above twenty yards through mud and water, the negro looking every way with an uncommon degree of vivacity and attention ; when starting behind he called out, " Me see snakce \" and in effect there lay the animal, rolled up under the fallen leaves and rubbish of the trees ■ and so well covered, that it was some time before I distinctly perceived the head of this monster, distant from me not above sixteen feet, moving its forked tongue, while its eyes, from their uncommon brightness, appeared to emit sparks of fire. I now, resting my piece upon a branch, for the purpose of taking a surer aim, fired ; but missing the head, the ball went through the body, when the animal struck round, and with such astonishing force as to cut away all the underwood around him with the facility of a scythe mowing grass ; and by flouncing his tail, caused the mud and dirt to fly over our heads to a considerable distance. Of this proceeding however we were not torpid spectators, but took to our heels, and crowded into the i PA110.N. 13 SlXDJIA.'--, 31 A Negro Skinning a Camoudi Snake. THE CAMOUDI. 1*3 u 'canoe. The negro now intreated me to renew the charge, assuring me tlic snake would be quiet in a few minutes, and at any rate persisting in tlio assertion that lie was neither ahle nor inclined to pursue us; which opinion he sxipported by walking before me, till I should be ready to fire. Ami thus 1 again undertook to make the trial, especially ;h he said that Ids lirsi starting backwards had only proceeded from a desire to make room for mi'. I )\>> \ found the snake a little removed from his former station, hut very quiet, with Ids head as before, lying out among the fallen leaves, rotten bark, and old moss. 1 fired at ii immediately, but with no better success than tin' other time : and now. being hut slightly wounded, lie senl up such a cloud of dust and dirt, as I never saw bul in a whirlwind, and ma lc ua once more suddenly retreat to cur canoe ; n hot e now, being heartily tired of the exploit, I ■ ave orders to row towards theharge: bul David still intreating me i > permit him to kill the amimal, 1 "a-, by his persuasions, induced to male a third and i ipany with him. Tims, having once tn >re disc vcred the snake, we discharged hotli our pieces at once, and with this good effect, that he was now by one of us shut through the head. David, who was made completely happy by this successful conclu- sion, ran leaping with joy, an a time in bringing the boat-rope, iu order to drag him down 10 the canoe; but this again proTed not a verj easy undertaking, since the creature, i tanrling its being mortally ded, still continued to writhe and twist about, in such a manner as rend 'red ii dangerous for any per. on to approach him. The negro, however, having made a runniug noose on the i ipe, and alter seine fruitless attempts to make an approach, threw it over his head with mm h dexterity ; and now . all taking hold of the rope, we dragged him to the beach, and tied him to the stern of the canoe, I I him in tow. B ing still alive, he kept sw i m mini: like an eel ; and I having no relish for such a shipmate on hoard, whose length (notwithstanding to my astonishment all the negroes declared it to he hut a young on to about its half growth) I found upon mea- suring it to lie I \ I feet and s,,me tlK'hos, and its thickness about that of my black hoy Quacco, who might then be about twelve years old, and i\ und whose waist 1 since measured the ercai lire's skin. Being arrived alo of the Charon, the next consideration was, • how to dispose of this immense animal ; when n was at length determined to bring him on - 1: ire at B irh icoeba, to have him skinned and take out the oil. \ c. Li order to ell. . ' i ins purpose, the negro 1 'avid having climbed up a ire' with the end of the rope, let it down over a strong forked bough, and the other negroes hoisted up the snake, and suspended him from the tree. This done, David, with a sharp knife between his teeth, now left the tree, and clung fast upon ill' monster, which was still twisting, and began his operations hy rip] ing it up. and stripping down the skin as he led. Though 1 perceived that the animal was no longer able to do him any injury, I confess 1 could not without emotion sec a man stark naked, black and bloody, clinging with arms and legs round the slimy and yet living monster. This labour, however, was not without its use, since he not only dexterously finished the operation, but provided me, besides the 1 1 1 THE CAMOUDI. 12 ' skin, with above lour gallons of fine clarified far, or rather oil, though there was wasted perhaps as much more. This I delivered to the surgeons for the use of the wounded men in the hospital, for which I received their hearty thanks, it being considered, particularly for bruises, a very excellent remedy. "When I signified my surprise to see the snake still living, after he was deprived of his intestines and skin, Caramaca, the old negro, whether from experience or tradition, assured me he would not die till after sun-set. The negroes now cut him in slices, in order to dress and feast upon him, they all declaring that he was exceedingly good and wholesome ; but to their great mortification I refused to give my con- currence. The Camoudi when full grown is sometimes forty fee.t in length, and more than four feet in circumference: its colour is a fine greenish black on the back; a brownish yellow on the sides, and a dirty white under the belly ; the back and sides being spotted with irregular black rings, with a pure white in the middle. Its head is broad and flat, small in proportion to the body, with a large mouth, and a double row of teeth : it. has two bright prominent eyes; is covered all over with scales, some about the size of a shilling; and under the body, near the tail, armed with two strong claws like cockspurs, to help it in seizing its prey. It is an amphibious animal, that is, it delights in low and marshy places, where it lies coiled up like a rope, and concealed under moss, rotten timber, and dried leaves, to seize its prey by surprise, which from its immense bulk it is not active enough to pursue. When hungry, it will devour any animal that comes within its reach, and is indifferent whether it is a sloth, a wild boar, a stag, or even a tiger ; round which having twisted itself by the help of its spinous formation, bo that the creature cannot escape, it breaks, by its irresistible force, every bone in the animal's body, which it then covers over with a kind of slime or slaver from its mouth, to make it slide ; and at last gradually sticks it in, till it disappears : after this, the animal cannot shift its situation, on account of the great knob or knot which the swallowed prey occasions in that part of the body where it rests till it is digested; for till then it would hinder the snake from sliding along the ground. During that time the Camoudi wants no other subsistence. 1 have been told of negroes being devoured by this animal, and am disposed to credit the account ; for should they chance to come within its reach when hungry, it would as certainly seize them as any other animal. I do not apprehend that its flesh, which is very white, and looks like that of fish, is in any respect pernicious to the stomaeh. I should have had no objection to the negroes eating it till it was consumed, had I not observed a kind of dissatisfaction among the re- maining marines, who would not have been pleased with my giving the negroes the use of the kettle to roil it. The bite of this snake is said not to be venomous; nor do I believe it bites at all from any other impulse than hunger/ 12 ^IIIMU THE PARROT SNAKE. \i:> The Parrot Sx>ki:,- Bolhrops bilineatus is also a very dangerous snake. 4 'It is found among woods and grass, and its greenish colour renders it difficult of detection. They attain the size of two to three feet. Tun Guana Snake is so called from its having a pouch under the throat. It is of a yellow colour, with Mark lozcn 1 spots on the body and is a very venomous species. Non-Venomous Snakes. — Belonging to the non-venomoirs snak those Ion", slender-bodied serpents, which are here known as whip si their appearance being l"ke (he thong of a whip. They arc arboreal in their habits, living anion;;' branches of trees, where they glide about rapidly and securely, occasionally lashing themselves out to secure their prey, insects chiefly. They range in length from three to tour feet, and are harmless and timid. The following varieties arc known:* Denriropkis liocercus Dryopbas catesbj i, 3 to I B Dipsaa mikanii vrcigelii Dip sis p <\ onina, 2 to 3 fei I long i uoooephala, 3 to I pun 2 to 8 do. Among water-snakes and non-venomous arc several harmless plain- coloured species, which frequently tire found in the trenches and streams. A species of Water-snake fHomalopsis angulata — Richard Schomburgk) has been met with by that writer in Savannah streams. It had a I. from three to four feet. (if the other innocuous or non-venomous snakes the following merit notice, and may be classed into terrestrial, arboreals, and water: 1st. The Coral snakes arc so called from their striped appearance, the colours being generally red, black and white. Thcj are met with in the neighbourhood of plantations and the towns, and vary in size as well as colour. Generally they arc found from four to eight feet in length: they arc pretty-looking reptiles, and are very abundant . The following species have been enumerated bv authors :* Coluber coraia „ f . : 1 1 1 1 ] : . 1 i 1111 ■ „ variabilis Coluber pluml pcecilosloma „ macrolepidotue Allied with these in character and appearance, and even classified under the generic term of Colubers by Cuviftr, arc the following species : — Herpctodryas carinatus | Herpetodryas lineatua | Herpetodryas viridissiroua The other terrestrial non-venomous snake- . ( 1! \ inerremii, 1 to - fi „ regime, 2 to 3 do. cobel i i „ Hcten i ! In I do. Cal !.'i-' ; ■ ' i . i l.i. They are by no means common, and are chiefly found in the in; i ii of the country, far away from the cultivated districts. Tortoises and Ti hti is are commonly met with, but arc chiefly to be seen in the wooded heights, banks of streams, and sandy districts. They vary exceedingly in size. The larger kind of turtle weigh occasionally i Ii.m. • Hl< H6 TORTOISES— Tl'RTLES— CRABS. 4 ' from 50 to lOOlbs. ; while some of another species are so small as to be made pets of, and are kept in small basins in the drawing-rooms. The large green turtle, Chclonia midas. are not unfrequeutly caught by fishermen on the sand banks about the coast, both in Demerara and Essequebo ; in the latter district an allied species is frequently found. The females seek the land to deposit their eggs in the sand ; they excavate large holes, and lay a certain number in one place at a time, and return again next day to repeat the operation. In tins way, several hundred eggs are deposited in sand nests close to the water, in fact just beyond the influence of the tide. When hatched, the careful mother, who has visited them, leads the young turtles down to the water, where they soon make acquain- tance with their future element. The eggs have a soft shell, are round, and are very good to eat. 5 There are two species of land turtle found in Guiana, the first of which a ' the common turtle, eighteen or twenty inches in length, has an upper shell of an oval form, hexangular in shape, highly convex and elevated, of a yellowish brown colour, and very hard texture ; the under shell slightly concave, and of a lighter colour. The head, feet, and tail resemble those of an European tortoise, which it is also like in its motions. They feed on fruits and vegetables, and are tolerable eating, but not equal to sea turtle. The other species, called by the Indians Arraeaca, is of a smaller size, its npper shell flat, of a dark dingy colour, and seems capable of a fine polish ; body of the animal black, with light red spots ; tastes very indifferent.' Crabs. — * ' The mud flats on the coasts and on the banks of the rivers abound with innumerable crabs, which at low water may be seen in thousands issuing from or retreating to their holes. By boring cavities on the em- bankments of estates they frequently occasion much mischief by under- mining the earth and allowing the water to ooze through. Some species inhabit the fresh waters ; and both Crabs and prawns arc constantly to be found in the canals and trenches of many estates. It is curious to observe their habits in the numerous mud flats throughout the colony. The largest species of crab is the Bonoori, which is found along the coasts and rivers. It is a species of Gccareinus. It is of a bluish colour above and brown underneath, and is much esteemed for the table. But the crab which is most commonly caught and sold for eating is the Cancer uca una, which is found in mud flats all over the colony. It is of a reddish colour, and the legs arc hairy ; at certain seasons of the year they are not considered good to eat. A very common kind of crab is to be found in thousands along the mud flats about Georgetown. They arc named the calling crabs (Lancer vol gelasinus vocans), from the peculiar habit they have of waving the huge claw, as if making an appellative gesture ; they vary much in size, and the older ones are remarkable for having one of the claws much larger than the other; sometimes it is the right, at other times the left claw which out- grows the other in size, and which is used for excavating holes in which to burrow. At low water these crabs may be seen in great numbers on the mud flats of the river, with their large claws erect, or slowly waved, like l Villon. 9 M. JUtnx CRABS 147 4 ' the human hand; at times they make a loud, clacking noise with these claws ; these crabs are not eaten except by the coolies and arc called by the ereulcs Madeira r.rabs. A species of the crab allied to the above is the boatman crab (Gela- sinus marionisj. In this crab one claw is generally much larger than the other; the legs are of a reddish colour, and the body of a rhomboid form, and dark in hue. It is found in mud Hats, and if brayed in a mortar and stewed, is good to eat. The smallest kind of crab here is the Pinnoteres, which in thousands may be seen crawling along mud Hats, about bridges and stellings, and in graveyards and swamp; pliers. They vary in size from one hall' to one inch in length. A remarkable species of crab is called Jumbi or Soldier Crab (Grapsus cruentatusj . It is met with about the stelliugs and bridges, and also in trenches. Ii is of yellow colour underneath ; but the back and legs arc of a bright red colour, mottled black, yellow, and green; its legs are hairy. These crabs are very shy, and conceal themselves under stones and Other substances, and always walk sideways. They have been known to climb trees, and are very active: they are nol eaten — indeed, the tlesh is consi- dered poisonous, hence the name jumbi crab. The natives call one species the buck crab. It is very like the bonoori, and is, perhaps, aspecies of gocarcinus. It has a bluish black, and the legs are of a whitish hue, tinged with violet. Another kind is named the swamp crab ; it is of an orange colour, with reddish legs, and is found in swamps about the Essequebo. Of the water crabs, or those which swim well, and have flat litis to their legs, the most interesting is that called here the shcrigo crab | PortutlUS vel ThelpusiaJ, li is caught in the trenches and canals, and pinches severely with its claws; it is a great scavenger, and feeds on almost everything. The colour varies ; they are yellow reddish, and of a greenish hue, sometimes almost white. The back is glabrous, and curiously marked with deeply impressed liues, which have a singular resemblance to the bust and body of a female, so much so that native artists, by the addition of a head and feet, touched up with a little paint, complete in a few -moments a capital female figure on the top of the shell. The prawn and shrimp arc both found here in the rivers as far as the salt water extends. The prawn fPaltemon serratus) attains to the size of four or five inches, and is of a pale steel blue colour, with greenish-coloured tail and legs. The shrimp [Crangotl vulgaris) and another species of prawn arc likewise found, and are much esteemed for the table.' Progs and Toads. — Ul ' The number and variety of Frogs which swarm iu the ditches and canals around Georgetown arc scarcely to be credited, and the croaking they make during the night, and pveu in the daytime, is unceasing. There is a species called the JI7ii.il/cr, which has a sharp distinct yelp, or whoop : but the usual noise is a eoutiuu ms sound of hoarse or bass notes, that occasionally has something of a musie.d cadence, rising at times into a loud M>n 111 llu I IDA! 148 FROGS AND TOADS. 10 ' and somewhat mournful] swell, that gradually sinks, and " in hollow mur- murs dies away." One particular frog evidently leads the choir in every pond, while his companions join the chorus. The strain is taken up by a thousand separate communities; and is prolonged throughout the whole night.' * ' Of the larger kinds of frogs or toads, there are several varieties. The must common is a species of a yellowish-brown colour, which is always to he seen hopping about the streets and houses in wet weather. They take to the water in spawning time. Two other allied species arc mentioned by Richard Schomburgk, found among leaves in humid places in the neighbourhood of the river Pomcroon ; also found in dam]) wooded places in the interior. The Tree Fkogs are very numerous, and offer several varieti is. They arc in general of small size, and of pretty colours. They are easily recog- nised by the sponge-like pellets on the extremities of the toes, by means of which they are enabled to adhere to walls, trees, and houses. Is is a com- mon thing to find them inside the water goglets, and when disturbed, they take prodigious leaps, and fasten themselves against the ceiling, panes of glass, and mirrors, where they will remain a long time puffing their throats. Most of them have a kind of pouch under the throat, which is capable of considerable dilatation, especially when crying. They feed on insects, and spawn in water. Also Dendrobates tinctorius, a species of frog found iu the stony banks of streams about the Roraima mountains. Of the family of Pipa there is a large kind common to the town and country, and often seen iu dark damp places about the houses. It is the Pipa amcricaua. It is easily known by the tubcrculatcd appearance of the skin of the back. These arc, in fact, a description of cells, in which the eggs of the female are placed to be hatched.' This remarkable toad is generally known as — The Surinam Toad, has long attracted attention, not for its beauty, 15 ' as it is one of the most unprepossessing of beings, but for the extraor- dinary way in which the development of the young is conducted. When the eggs arc laid, the male takes them in his broad paws, and contrives to place them on the back of his mate, where they adhere by means of a certain glutinous secretion, and by degrees become embedded in a series of curious cells formed for them in the skin. When the process is completed, the cells are closed by a kind of membrane, and the back of the female toad bears a strong resemblance to a piece of dark honey-comb, when the cells are filled and closed. Here die eggs arc hatched, and iu these strange receptacles the young pass through their first stages of life, not emerging until they have attained their limbs, and can move about on the ground. When the young have attained their perfect state, they break their way through the cover of the ceils, and present a most singular aspect as thev struggle from the skin, their heads and paws projecting in all direc- tions. In the museum of the College of Surgeons may be seen some very lu Ualuday. 4 Daltos. IS Wuou's Natural History. FROGS AND TOADS— VAMPIRE BAT. 1 1!) 15 'good specimens of the Surinam Toad, some being entire, and others dis- iccted, so as to show the cells and their structure. After the whole brood have left their mother's back, the cells begin to (ill up again, i Losing from below as well as from above, and booming irregularly puckered on the floors. The cells in the middle of the back are the first developed ; the whole process occupies rather more than eight] days. The colour of the Surinam Toad is brownish olive above, and whitish below. The skin is covered with a large number of tiny and very bard granules, among which are interspersed some horny tubercular projec- tions, The snout is of a very curious shape, the nostrils being lengthened into a Kind of leathery tube The throat of the male is furnished with a very large bony apparatus, of a triangular b ix-like shape, and within are two movable pieces by which the voice is modul Vampire Bat.— There are four or five different kinds of bats in Guiana. Bats arc considered by naturalists ' ' as a sort of link or chain between the monkey tribe and other animals, and in this country Bevcral interesting species are found. Hats arc generally considered as noturnal creatures, but although chiefly aroused to activity towards sunset ami night, they are nevertheless, far from idle during the day. They are fre- quently flying about inside of houses, especially in gloomy pieces, during the da] time. They fly along so noiscl ssly that their movements could not be heard, and were evidently in quest of food for their young ones, who were perched m rows with their heads hanging downwards, and supportiug themselves with their feet hooked in between the boarding of the root'. The] are not always afraid of the human presence, for several persons were living in the rooms covered in by the root' which these bats inhabited ; whether the gloominess of the apartment made them believe that the sun had gone down, 1 i\i> not know, but certain it is that the] ll\ both night and day. and may frequently be heard as well as seen twittering during daylight. They are great torments to householders and others; tli ireely a house the eaves or roofs of which are not infested by bats, wln.se dung, COnsistil little black pellets, accumulates to such au extent as to form large Lea] The larger kinds inhabit the forests, where they may be seen sus- pended in clusters on the branches.' "'The Vampire Bat, which often measures thirty inches from point to point of wing when extended, although the body seldom exceeds sevt ti or eighl ; it resembles the harpies of old in its hideous and disgusting ap- pearance. The vampires may be seen in the forests, hanging heads down- wards in cluster- on the branches of trees: the large kind suck, i ; is Baid, the blood of men and animals when sleeping, the smaller that of birds ; while sucking, a gentli g is kept \\<> by the wings, which lulls the Bufferer until an exhau blood prolongs the period when the vampire may suck with impunity. While sl< i an < n hut, the vampire only kept off by means of large fir The follow i i tion of the Vampire is given by Watbbton in his Wanderings: — 3 ' We will now take a \iew of the Vampire. As there was a free entrance and exit to the vampire, in the loft where I slept, 1 had \t Wi..m'» Natural Histuiy. 4 Dalton. 9 M. Martin. 3, Watsbtom, 150 THE V EMPIRE BAT. 3 'many a fine opportunity of paying attention to this nocturnal surgeon. lie does not always live on blood, When the moon shone bright, and the fruit of the banana-tree was ripe, I could Bee him approach and eat it. lie would also bring into the loft, from the forest, a green round fruit, some- thing like the wild Guava, and about the size of a nutmeg. There was some- thing also, in the blossom of the Sawarri nut-tree, which was grateful to him ; lor on coming up Waratilla creek, in a moonlight night, I saw several vampires fluttering round the top of the Sawarri tree, and every cow and then the blossoms, which they had broken off, fell into the water. They certainly did not drop off naturally, for on examining several of them, they appeared quite fresh and blooming. So 1 concluded the vampires pulled them from the tree, either to get at the incipient fruit, or to catch the insects which often take up their abode in Mowers. The vampire, in general, measures about twenty-six inches from wing to wing extended, though I once killed one which measured thiity-two inches. lie frequents old abandoned houses and hollow trees ; and some- times a cluster of them may be seen in the forest hanging head downwards fron the branch of a tree. Goldsmith seems to have been aware that the vampire hangs in clusters, for in the " Deserted Village," speaking of America, he says, — ■■ And matted woods, where birds forge! to sing, Hut silcnl bats in drowsj clusters cling." The vampire has a curious membrane, which rises from the no»e, and gives it a very singular appearance. It has been remarked before, that there are two species of vampire in Guiana, a larger and a smaller. The larger sucks men and other animals ; the smaller seems to confine himself chiefly to birds. I learnt from a gentleman, high up in the river Demerara, that he was completely unsuccessful with his fowls, on account of the small vampire. lie showed me some that had been sucked the night bsfore, and they were scarcely able to walk. Some years ago I went to the river Pumeroon with a Scotch gentleman. We hung our hammocks in the thatched loft of a planter's house. Next morning 1 heard this gentleman muttering in his hammock, and now and then letting fall an imprecation or two, just about the time he ought to have been saying his morning prayers. What is the matter, Sir," said I softly; is any thing amiss ':" " "What's the matter ?" answered he, surlily; ■' why, the vampires have been sucking me to death." As soon as there was light enough, I went to his hammock, and saw it much stained with blood. " There, said he, thrusting his foot out of the hammock, "see how these infernal imps have been drawing my life's blood." On examining his foot, I found the vampire had tapped his great toe : there was a wound somewhat less than rhat made by a leech : the blood was still oosing from it ; I conjectured he might have lost from ten to twelve ounces of blood. Whilst examining it, I think I put him into a worse humour by remarking, that an European surgeon would not have been so generous as to have blooded him without making a charge. He looked up in my face, but did not say a word : I saw he was of opinion that I had better have spared this piece of ill-timed levity.' J Waiibios, THE RAZOR GRINDER— LANTERN FLY— FIRE FLY. 151 Insects.- — The Knife oh Razor-Grinder — Rhinoceros Beetle, ' re- sembles an European hectic in shape andcolour, hut is of amueh larger size with along, stout horn projecting from bite end of the nose, and a smaller one be- neath. With these horns the knife-grinder seiSes on a young branch of a tree ; then, .sotting- its body in a rapid circular motion, an attrition is kept up for some time, until the wood is completely sawn through; the insect making, all (he while, a deafening noise, exactly like that of a knife-grinder holding steel against ihe stone of his wheel. When the branch drops off, thej strip it of the hark, upon which they subsist while it lasts ; when a fresh supply is required, they again commence the usual operation. The Lantern-Fly is nearly three inches long, the body of a beau- tiful green, in shape something like the common moth, with four trans- parent wings, of a delicate light grecu, and ou each of the under wings a spol brilliantly variegated with purple and yellow, not unlike the feathers in the peacock's tail j from the head rises a large proboscis, of an oval form, but tapering most towards the head, which is called the lantern, as it emits a bright light, said by some to he so powerful, that on putting two of them under a glass, a common print may be read by them. There arc twnother species of lire-lliev, having a luminous spot under each wing. (80 that the light can only he observed while they arc. flyina), which in tin- rainy season assemble in great numbers, appearing sometimes like so many intermitting sparks from fireworks.' Tin: Fire-Fly — ''The true fireflies, or elateridee, arc of several kinds. Prom their peculiar construction they are excellent leapers, bending their bodies in hall', and with a loud, clicking noise spring up to a considerable height. They are seen on rather dark nights lurking among grass or shrubs, and are remarkable tor the bright Luminous spots which shine forth like the glowworms' light, and of SUch intensity as to enable a person to read by it. They i'vrd upon llowei's and tender leaves, and the larva', or grubs (wire-worms), live upon wooil and roots, proving occasionally very destructive to sugar-canes and other plants. The lampyridce, or small firefiie . are the most common, and at night are sometimes seen in thousands dancing in the air, presenting a most beau- tiful sight. The light seems emitted by small spots under the abdomen and wings, and, unless in motion, the)' rarely shine. These small fireflies arc about hall' an inch in length, and are of a yellow colour, spotted with black. They (rvd upon caterpillars, snails, but no:, I believe, upon plants. They are seldom seen during the day. They are the glowworms of this country, and have been used by some creole nations to ornament the dark ringlets of the women, for which purpose they are enclosed in folds of gauze, which are worn on the head. The effect when moving in obscure chambers must be very striking.' :i. .1am,:.. 4 Dauo:>. 152 THE MOSCl'ITOES— BETE ROUGE— CIIEGOE. The Moscuitoes 10 ' arc very troublesome and annoying especially when they first swarm : and it is only by the smoke of grass, or even wood, that a room can be made habitable. The ova of this insect are deposited on the leaves of aquatic plants, or on (lie surface of stagnant water. The young fry live for some time in the water, when it is scarcely possible to drink a mouthful without swallowing a dozen. They are like the jumpers in decayed chei se, as they move in the water by jerks, and not regular swimming. The time that they remain in this stale I could not ascertain ; but when it is acco !. they rise from the pools in myriads, as winged insects, and are then most blood-thirsty.' The Bete Rouge. — 3 f In Guiana there is a little insect in the grass and on the shrubs, which the French call Bete-rouge. It is of a beautiful scarlet colour, and so minute, that you must bring your eye close to it before you can perceive it. It is most numerous in the rainy season. Its bite causes an intolerable itching. The best way to get rid of it, is to rub the part affected with oil or rum, You must be careful not to scratch it. If you do so, and break the skin, you expose yourself to a sore. The first year I was in Guiana, the Bete-rouge, and my own want of knowledge, and I may add, the little attention I paid to it, created an ulcer above the ancle, which annoyed me for six months, and if 1 hobbled out into the grass, a number of Bete-rouge would settle on the edges of the sore, and increase the inflammation. Still more inconvenient, painful, and annoying is another little pest, called — The Chegoe. — *' It looks exactly like a very small flea, and a stranger would take it for one. However, in about four and twenty hours, he -would have several broad hints that he "..ad made a mistake in his ideas of the animal. It attacks different parts of the body, but chiefly the feet, be- twixt the toe nails and (he flesh. There it buries itself, and at first causes an itching not unpleasant. In a day or so, after examining the part, you perceive a place about the size of a pea, somewhat discoloured, rather of a blue appearance. Sometimes it happens that the itching is so trivial, you are not aware that the miner is at work. Time, they say, makes great discoveries. The discoloured part turns out to be the nest of the chegoe, containing hundreds of eggs, which, if allowed to hatch there, the young opcs will soon begin to form other nests, and in time cause a spread- ing ulcer. As soon as you perceive that you have got the chegoe in your flesh, you must take a needle, or a sharp pointed knife, and take it out. If the nest be formed, great care must be taken not to break it, otherwise some of the eggs remain in the flesh, and then you will soon be annoyed with more chegoes. After removing the nest, it is well to drop spirit of turpentine into the hole ; that will most effectually destroy any chegoe that may be lurking there. Sometimes I have taken four nests out of my feet in the course of the day. in Hallihay. 3 WaIeutoS. .MASON BEE. 153 3 'Every evening, before sun down, it was part of my toilette to examine my feet, and see that they were clear of chegoes. Now and then a nest would escape the scrutiny, and then I had to smart for it a day or two after. A clicgoc once lit upon the back of my Land ; wishful to see how lie worked, I allowed him to take possession. He immediately set to work, head fore- most, and in about, half an hour he bad completely buried himself in the skin. I then let him feel the point of my knife, and exterminated him. More than once, after sitting down upon a rotten stump, 1 have found myself covered with ticks. There is ;i short and easy waj to get quit of these unwelcome adherents. .Make a large fire and stand close to it, and if you be covered with ticks, they will all fall oil'.' Tine Mason Bee. — The following account of the habits of the Ichneu- mon Ply or " Mason Bee" is given I j II ai.i.ihay : — '" ' While watching the progress of the " Mason Bee" in buildiug one her villages or collection of breeding-houses in the centre of the ceiling of my dining-room. There were two days of previous investigation, not oidy of the ceiling, but of every part of the walls of the room, before the spot appeared to be decided upon. This, however, seems to have been done last night, for this morning as soon as it was light the building commenced. The houses are formed of clay, tempered with some gummy liquid; the foundation is laid in a circle, and rises in the form of a cone. It is not often that the bee builds on the ceiling; she generally prefers the panel above the room-door, or one of the side-posts, ami will sometimes erect ten or a dozen of these separate habitations, and they are always placed in a crucial form. One good old lady took up her position within a loot of the sofa on which 1 was accustomed to lounge during tin- extreme heat of tin 1 day. I therefore could watch all her motions without any trouble. I copy here the memorandum made at the time: "House completely built in about three hours' diameter of the foundation-circle 6-8ths of an inch, height when completed, 5-Sths, and door or chimney projecting scarcely 1-Sth. 1 could not decide whether more than one bee was occupied in the con- struction, because they are so much alike : but there never have two ap- peared at the same time." When the building was finished, it was left for tin- remainder of the day to consolidate, and it soon became hard and dry. Next morning, as soon as the sun was up, 1 found the labourer of the pre- ceding day arrive, and in her arms :i long slender green caterpillar. She approached the open dour or chimney, but did not rest on it, for while hovering on the wing she contrived to push the head of the caterpillar into the hole, and then gradually, and by piecemeal, to in the whole body. As soon as this was fairly oul of sight, she tool. i, . u and in live minutes returned with another victim. 1 counti >i these caterpillars pushed into the same building. The eighth t returned without a caterpillar, but with a load of clay, with which in an instant she closed up the open door, and immediately began to lay anew foundation. This she finished before n m. and left it to dry tor th re i lay. Next morning 1 saw her bringing the caterpillars, but did not remain to count them. 9 WATtnxu.v. 10 Uai.udav, 154 MASON BEE— MARABUNTA— HARDBACK. 10 ' I allowed the progress to go on for four days, when with a sharp table- knife I removed the first nest from the wainscot, and found the ova hatched, and the caterpillars, in whose bodies they had been deposited, nearly all destroyed by the young grubs. Iu the second the ova had not burst, and in the third the cell was quite crammed with the still fresh bodies of the green caterpillars. I found in the huts that had not been disturbed, the wall broken on one side or other, and that when taken down they were quite empty. Here then we find the insect first preparing a prison for the caterpillars, in whose bodies she deposits her ova for the purpose of being hatched, and which bodies also supply the young with food, until able to destroy the wall of the building, and find nourishment elsewhere/ The Marabinta or Guiana Wasp is not so large as those found in England, but its sting is much more painful. It requires the traveller to be cautious, as he wends his way through the forest and creek. 3 ' Some make their nests pendent from the branches ; others have them fixed to the underside of a leaf. Now, in passing on, if you happen to disturb one of these, they sally forth and punish you severely. The largest kind is blue ; it brings blood where its sting enters, and causes pain and inflammation enough to create a fever The Indians make a fire under the nest, and after killing, or driving away the old ones, they roast the young grubs in the comb and eat them. I tried them once by way of desert after dinner, but my stomach was offended at their intrusion ; probably it was more the idea than the taste that caused the stomach to rebel.' * ' There is another wasp, above an inch long, but very slender in shape ; body of a purple colour, legs yellow, sting very long ; their nests are in the roofs of houses, or in hollow trees/ * ' The common " Hardback" is so called from its incredible strength. It is not an inch in length, and yet if a heavy book or tumbler, or plate, is placed on its back, it walks away with it with the most perfect ease and " nonchalance." Two or three of them disposed properly will move a very heavy weight, such as a vase or lamp. They are considered in this country as indicators of weather, generally making their appearance before or along with rain. Upon such occasions they sometimes arrive in such numbers as to defy computation; thus at a ball they have been known to fly into the ball-room and fall down on the floor in such numbers that they had literally to be twice swept before the dancers could resume their performances. They are rarely or never seen during the clay, and arc supposed to burrow and breed in the ground, for they are often spotted with dirt or mire. They have been noticed to issue at times from dense foliage, and occa- sionally rolled up in leaves. They simulate death when taken, and if thrown away remain motionless uutil the supposed danger is over. They are greedily devoured by fowls, cats, &c. J Beetles are found iu great variety : * ' The Stag-horn Beetle (Prionus cervicornisj is armed with saw-like mandibles, with which it is known to be able to saw off branches of trees. Sometimes they are met with basking in the sun on trees, and I have myself found them in such situations ; at other times 10 Hadlihat. 3 Waxjsaton. 4 Dalton. BEETLES— CRICKETS— SANDFLIES. 155 4 ' they hide in dark holes, especially kitchen chimneys, where I have more than onee met with them. The larvae gnaw their way into wood (especially the gossampinus and silk-cotton trees), and are eaten as a relish hy some of the native tribes. The adult insect feeds also on wood, and in sawing across branches of trees swings itself violently round, thns convert- ing its serrated mandibles into a circular saw. The Harlequin Beetle {Acrocinus hngimanus) derives its name from its parti-coloured dress, which is red, black and grey. It certainly docs not deserve it for its agility, for it is a slow, heavy insect, which is to be seen lazily crawling upon the steps or branches of trees. The beautiful colours of the elytra fade after death, but are best retained by immersing the insect in spirits of wine. It makes a loud noise when disturbed or excited. It feeds upon wood, but I have never seen cither its eggs 07 larvffi. There are several species of Cerambyx and Lamia peculiar to British Guiana. I have seen them flying about at night, and also during the day, and I once encountered one flying accross our broad river in tbe face of a strong wind; it seemed much distressed, and fell on a wharf, where I captured it. Tbe Gerambycida are a beautiful and useful tribe of insect- They excavate old wood, deposit their eggs inside decaying trees, which the larva? assist in removing. The larva' of several species are also eaten by some people, who esteem it a delicacy. Tbe "Cossus" of the ancients is supposed to have been the larva 1 of Cerambyx heros. The Tortoise Beetles {Cassida) are pretty numerous here. They live, feed, and breed on some of our aromatic shrubs and other plants. The larva, when about to become a chrysalis, attaches itself to the under part of a leaf, where in about three weeks it issues forth a perfect insect. They arc in general small, and very prettily marked.' * The Grasshoppers are very numerous in appearance and habits, they resemble the European species. The Crickets [Gryllus campestris)- — 4 ' Those without wings (Pfiasma) attain sometimes a considerable size, and look exactly like dried stalks. I once saw one here which was nearly twelve inches long, it was brought from Berbice. The crickets {Gryllus campestris) arc common here, but do not infest the houses so frequently as the house cricket of Europe Gryllus domestic us). These insects chiefly appear at night, and burrow in the daytime in holes in the ground, where they sometimes may be seen watching for smaller insects, on which they prey. The female lays an immense number of eggs. One species known here as the Arianke [Gryllo fa/pa), is a frequent visitor of dwelling-houses during rain; weather, especially at nights, when they add to the insect nuisances of the tropics. They are suprising jumpers, and light on the head and hands, but without doing any harm beyond the fright they occasion to sensitive persons. You can see they have been spending the day in mnd holes, for their fore feet are often soiled with clay. 4 n\LTON. * Note. — Ar page 151 the Knife or Razor-Grinder Fly has been erroneously designated as the Rhinorceroa Beetle. The insect known as the RfzortGriadex (or 6 o'clock) ns ii is commonly termed, is found throughout the Colony, and is remarkable for the peculiar souvd it gives forth as it flies from tree to tree, which much resembles a Razor»Grind6T at his wheel, and what is also most singular, at the almost exact hour of o'clock, p.it, 156 WALKING LEAF— SPIDERS— TARANTULA. 4 ' They are in general about one inch in length, ami are very forniidahle look- ing creatures, and irritate the skin with their rough legs/ The Sandfly is a very toublcsome insect which is found on the coasts. It occasions severe pain, and much local irritation. It is so small as almost to defy detection. The Walking: Leaf— PkayingMantis— Dried Sticks. — * ' are singular looking iusects. These arc frequently to be seen on the branches of trees and plants, from whose leaves it is almost impossible at a distance to distinguish them. They arc often seen resting immoveable on some slender leaf-stock, with their fore legs raised, as in the attitude of prayer. This is regarded by many as the act of supplication, but, in truth, it is the reverse. The cunning creature is on the watch for its prey, and observing a small insect to pass, cautiously stretches out its paw, and seizes the unsuspscting victim, who all the time considered its captor a mere leaf. The wings, when present (for some species are apterous) and extended, present a most beautiful sight, and the wonderful rcsemhlancc to a leaf is still more perceptible, so that some excuse must be made for the insects who suffer from " mistaken identity." These insects, indeed, instead of praying, are very i'ond of fighting, and often destroy each other in single combat. They enclose their eggs in small gummy-looking bags, which they attach to leaves or other substances where the young mantis is hatched. The " Dried-Leaf" insect is brown in colour ; it is called Mantis siccU folia, its habits are much the same as the other/ The Bush Spider ° 'is about two inches long, of an oval form, the abdomen covered with black hair : the fore part of the corslet is almost square, to which are connected five pairs of legs, about two inches long, armed at the end with two yellow claws ; from the mouth project two teeth, in form of inward-pointed pincers. It makes a strong, thick web, but small in proportion to its size. It is asserted the females carry their young ones in a bag or web, which they deposit beneath the belly. The bite of this spider causes a violent inflammation, which no doubt proves fatal to its piey, which is composed of large and small insects. The Common House Spider is somewhat less than the preceding, of a light grey colour, making no web, but pursuing the cock roach and other insects when it grows dark ; the bite is not dangerous to the human species, nor are its pincers strong enough to penctiate the skin. The Tarantula is about three-quarters of an inch in length, of a light green colour, with diagonal stripes of yellow ;, body divided into two parts, the lower or abdominal part of the form of a pea ; fore feet of a bluish colour, with sharp-pointed claws, which it turns on every side as if it expected to be attacked. They inflict, when laid hold of, a painful and venomous wound, difficult to heal, but not endangering life. There is another species of tarantula, of a larger size, and black colour in the body, armed with yellow claws, chiefly confined to the forests. The Scorpion is a very formidable insect, it is usually about three inches long, of which the tail is one-third : the body shaped like a lobster, and of a grey colour; from its neck proceed two claws, having three divi- 4 DiLTON. 9 M. Maitin SCOP. PION— CENTI PED E— ANTS . L57 9 ' sions or joints, and armed at the end with a pair of sharp-pointed forceps ; the other four pairs of legs resemble those "I a spider; tail jointed, and at the extremity a crooked tube of a horny substance, containing a liquid, which the insect injects into the wound inflicted by it, and causes it to swell and become exceedingly painful. The scorpion preys upon other insects, and will not attack an individual unless in defence, for which it is always prepared, flying with its tail coiled over the body. The Centipede — There are many of these fierce and venomous creatures found in this colony, and cause no small anni j ai ce to residents. They are generally about five inches in length when adult, hut larger specimens are sometimes seen. The centipede is a kind of caterpillar and is provided with a tremendous pair of forceps, pi ling from th ! '- and. like the scor- pion, inflicts a severe wound when irritated. The body consists of twen r y articulations each having a pair of legs attached, with which the insect runs with amazing quickness. These noxious vermin will sometimes hived in houses, hut do not attain above half the size before mentioned.' 4 'There is scarcely a house which cannot furnish one or more speci- mens ; the largest Kind seldom met with in the city, hut chiefly among dciayed woods, or undei S "ncs up the livers. J have had a specimen in my possession which measures ten inch s in length, and threc-ijiiarters of an inch in breadth ; the Creoles call them " forty legs," hut they have forty-two legs and eight eyes. They feed on dei d animal and vege- table matter, and arc fond of hiding a coats, gowns, Linen, boots, and shoes, where it is very inconvenient somi times to meet with them. They avoid the light, or, perhaps, the dangers which light exposes them to ; they attack other insect-, and prey on i lies, ami arc. in turn, greedily devoured by poultry; they lay their eggs in clusters, like little berries on the ground, and the female chooses an obscure place for this purpose, as under flower-pots, where she can remain until the eggs are hatched. They are wry tenacious of life, and if cut across the severed ]) rt ins will twist and writhe about for some time. Ants. — Regarding Ant-, found in British Guiana, Dr. Dalton observes, 4 'That there is scarcely a tree thai is d but some specimen of the ant may he found. 'liny are the delight of naturalists, and the torment of housekeepers and labourers. Tt must he admitted that they interfere sadly with the pursuits of gardening, botany, and other agreeable occupations in the fields and forests; for it is barely possible to escape an assault from them when thus engaged. Thus, in traversing a w iod, you may discover a beautiful orchideous plant, perched on some branch ; hut almost invariably alongside of it there is an ant's nest, which sta ids between yon and your prize. 1 have never been able to ascertain the exact number of species met with in this colony ; they are nunii wewi , and I have already seen upwards of twenty different kinds, having about fifteen of the most inter- esting in my cabinet. One of the largest that 1 have seen is — The Cushi, or Biu-headed Ant (Formica vel alta Ccphalotes) ; it is nearly an inch in length, at least the winged insect is, and is II M. Martin. 4 Dalton. 158 THE CUSHI AXTS. 4 'of a reddish-brown colour. It is mot with chiefly in the country, and resides habitually in flic wooded interior, especially in sandy places ; but now and then a species of emigration takes place, and thousands of them are to be seen marching in dense columns of extraordinary length. Save to an eye-witness, the discipline, they maintain, and the destruction they occasion to their enemies whilst in their campaign, is almost incredible. The insects placed side by side — the numbers on one line varying according to circumstances — follow in long undulating files the path chosen by the commander-in-chief, some veteran and huge cushi, who is assisted appa- rently, by aides-de-camp; for numerous ants, conspicuous from their size and hearing, are observed marching at the sides of the columns, apparently for the purpose of keeping the corps d'armee well together. Thus drilled and formed, they traverse miles of ground, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left, but wending their way towards the several objects of their pursuit. They enter houses, the inhabitants of which arc glad enough to decamp, knowing, however, that the demonstrations of the cushi army are, on the whole, friendly, inasmuch as they clear the rooms of various house- hold nuisances, such as cockroaches, beetles, spiders, &c. But it must be admitted that they also strip useful trees of leaves and buds — such as the vine, and occasion other spoliation in their remorseless march, so as often to deprive the native settler or traveller of his stock of cassava, grain or other edible products. In one instance to my knowledge, they appeared only at night, and ravaged a beautiful vine; in the morning the leaves were nearly all stripped oft', but not a cushi ant was to be seen ; the next night they again carried on the work of destruction, and so on for several nights, until the spoliation was complete. In like manner, they attack larger trees, and carry home to their dwelling-places the products of their plunder. These dwelling-places are conical hillocks constructed of earth, or woody tissue, and are commonly seen in the forests. There is a species of hairy ant about three-quarters of an inch in length, of a black colour, with yellow stripes in the thorax and abdomen, which is solitary in its habits, and may often be seen in sandy places. This insect (Mutilla diadema) I have never seen with wings. They arc very cautious and shy in their habits, and sting severely. They build in the ground, for when chased they disappear rapidly in subterranean passages, and I have never met with them in nests elevated above the soil. The male insects are said to alight on flowers, being winged ; but they are not so commonly noticed as those without wings. Other species are known, viz. : — Mutilla larvata, Mutilla per spirillar is, Mutilla paraUela. I have in my cabinet two specimens of ants, which are by far the largest of any others in the colony. They belong to very different tribes. The largest including the wings, is upwards of an inch in length, its colour reddish-brown, and the wings yellowish and very powerful. The head is small in comparison, and of a triangular shape, the two upper mandibles crossing one another ; the antennae small and geniculate ; the thorax and abdomen are very large, globular, and of equal size, the latter connected to the first by a slender pedicle. It is called by the lower classes " cushi 4 Dalton. MONOURI AND BLACK ANTS. 159 4 'mamma ant," and is supposed to breed the real cuslii. It is often seen with them, and may have some connexion with the others. The other specimen is about an inch 1 <> 1 1 jz: , and has an enormous oval-shaped head, placed vertically, the mandibles forming alien! one-thitd of the head, being serrated. The antennae are very long and geniculate ; the logs are also long, especially the hinder pair ; the abdomen constricted in its middle, is con- nected by an irregular, or anvil-shaped, pedicle to the thorax, which is gibbons. The famous Mououri Ant. which is used by the Indians as one of the ingredients in preparing the deadly wourali poison, is about three-quarters pf an inch Long, and of an entire glossy black colour, with a triangular shaped head, arcuated and crossed mandibles, two-lobed thorax and oblong, inany-lohcd abdomen. It is solitary in its habits, bites 01' stings SO severely ns often to occasion fever, and is used by the natives to test the hardihood and prowess of aspiring youths. It is met with on the ground in woods, and about the roots of trees and dry leaves. The following species of ant are also found here : ■ 1'oner.i clavata ; 1'. crassinoda ; P. apicalis : Formica at rat a. Another species is closely allied to the monouri, but is not s<> much dreaded ; indeed, the Indians have a habit of rousing their indolent children by subjecting them to the stings of these ants, which are called YouCOU (Myrmecoda). It is about the same size ami appearance as the monouri, very black and glossy, hut the thorax is divided by sutures into three seg- ments. The antenna' in both are large and geniculate, being also curled at the tips. Their haunts and habits arc much the same as the others which they so much resemble. Another species (if black ant (CryptocerusJ , but which is very different in shape to tin 1 two others above-mentioned, is gregarious in its habits. The head is flattened, square, and emaiginated ; the antennae small, and fitting into grooves at the side of the head, at the posterior angles of which arc two spines ; the thorax is very irregularly shaped, and spinous ; tin- abdomen almost globular, and joined to the thorax by two knots. They arc of very different sizes, being generally about half an inch long. They are armed with stings, but arc generally harmless. I have observed a colony of these ants in the same place for the hist six years. This chosen locality i^ a row of palings close to a house in the country, ami although the staves have been painted, and latterly coated with tar, t hese insects hare never aban- doned the spot. In (try weather they arc. to be seen in great numbers running along the ledge which traverses the palings, and have apparently made an excavation or nest in one of the larger corner posts, where a wide Orifice leads to their abode. 1 have repeatedly pushed in small pieces of wood to disturb them, but they very soon removed the offending intruder, and bit at it sharply with their mandibles. They climb the neighbouring trees, and perform expeditions on the ground, but in wet weather very few of them show themselves out of doors. Another allied species is Crypto- cents pusillux, whose habits and appearance arc similar to the other. There is a large species of ant called by the negroes " Yager, or hunter i DiLTOS. 160 YAGER OR HUNTER ANT— RED ANT. 4 'ants." I once stumbled upon a host of them, which had taken up their abode in an old box which bad Long been undisturbed. The commotion in consequence of the opening of the lid and moving of the box was indes- cribable. They swarmed in all directions, and endeavoured to escape; most of them had large wings folded horizontally. Some of these ants were nearly an inch long, but in general they were only about half an inch. Thf head is black and of an irregular triangular shape, flat beneath and round above; antenna' long, geniculate, and tapering towards the tips ; thorax black ; abdomen oblong, and connected to the thorax by a short, irregular pedicle; under surface of body and legs brownish yellow. There were a gieat number of young ones in the larva state, in different stages of growth, and wrapped up in mummy like bags of a yellow colour and oval shape. It was singular to witness the laborious efforts made by the ants to effect the escape of these precious babies and their swaddling clothes. They seized the bags firmly with their mandibles, which are short but strong, and, scarcely able to totter with their load, yet persevered steadily in attempting to escape, and only parted with the unconscious objects of their care with their lives, for some fowls, equally interested in the discovery with myself soon made their appearance and devoured a great number, irrespective of age and sex. These ants prey greedily on cock- roaches, maribuntas, flies, &c. 1 am acquainted with about four or five varieties of the red ants found here. The smallest is the palest, and is very harmless, although very trouble- some in attacking sugar and other sweets. It is difficult to keep them out of the cupboards and other places where such stores arc preserved; a lump of white isugar will atract hundreds of them, and their tiny bodies are quickly supplied by very minute rations : but, nevertheless, their company is always gladly dispensed with. The common red ant (Formica causticaj is common about flowers and trees, and if handled its caustic acid sting is very painful, and often raises a blister, even when touched after death. It wages war with the small black ant, and I have often watched columns of the latter, loaded with spoil, retreating slowly and in good order before the advancing impetuosity of the assailing red ant. On one occasion the two armies defiled slowly across my study, and although the black ants were pursued and attacked, they presented such a bold rearguard as to prevent any great numbers of the red ants from breaking through their lines, which were occupied in carrying away in their mouths some precious burden. In this manner they slowly retired behind a brick column, where I lost sight of the belligerents. Another species of red ant is similar to the last in most respects, but differs in being of a darker colour and of smaller size in general. They build their nests in holes in the ground, which are easily detected by the peculiar pulverised appearance of the earth immediately around the entrance, which has a sort of slight embankment thrown round it. On examining one of these subterranean passages I was surprised to find several ants larger than the others, and with such huge heads and ferocious mandibles 4 Daiion. RED AXT. 1«1 4 ' as at once to attract my attention. They wore three or foni times larger than the others, and it' touched with a small stick seized it firmly with their jaws; but if not actually touched, turning about in all directions, with mandibles gaping, ready to seize upon anything. These larger insects are, I believe, generally regarded as neuters, or soldiers and nurses. A larger species of red ant builds a habitation of finely pulverised earth, which is thrown up as a mound at the roots of trees, against their stems, or among low brushwood in the forests and uncultivated spots. A stick thrust in will cause hundreds to rush out, and their bite, or sting is so severe as often to occasion fever. These and similar species of ant are often made useful to the naturalist by the expedition and certainty with which they dissect dead bodies of animals and birds, leaving nothing in a tew weeks, after the corpse has been thrown into their nest, hut the bare and polished skeletons. Many of the ants, however, feed on fruit, insects, or their larva; — in fact, very few things come amiss to them. The ants of this species are larger than the foregoing; the colour is red, but the abdomen is much darker. Thee are several sizes of them in the same nest, audi have observed the same kind of large-headed ants with powerful mandibles as in the former family. Another species of red ant [Formica ritfa) is common in many parts of the interior, building habitations of a conical shape, like hillocks ; some- times these hillocks arc met with from feet upwards in height, and more than twice that size at the base. Some travellers* have asserted having met with them 100 feet in circumference at their base, and otherst have de- clared them to he of such enormous size, that they feared to approach them lest they should be devoured. These "ant-hills" are constructed of earth and woody tissue, and although rude and coarse externally, are arranged inside with much skill and foresight against both heat and rain. The apart- ments are numerous and suitable for the reception of the several inmates — males, females, neuters and young ones ; the latter are particularly looked after by the neuters, who carry the necessary food for them in their mouths, transport them in line weather to the sunny side of the hill, carefully pro- tecting them in wet weather, and otherwise defending them against their enemies celestial, terrestrial, or aquatic. The eggs of the females pass through the larva and pupa stages before they arrive at puberty or "anthood." Another species of red ant [Formica sanguined), blood-red about the head and thorax, but with a grey-black, is also met with in the woods, and is one of those species which babe been termed " Amazons," or "Legion- naires," by M. Huber, and which, like the driver ants of Africa described by different writers, arc in the habit of attacking a species of black ant [Formica cunicularia) and invading their premises, actually kidnapping the young ones, and carry them as slaves to their owu habitations, where they compel them to work and assist in the rearing of their young. There remains now but a few more species of ants which merit atten- 4 Dalton. * Stcdmtu'i Surinam. Darion. f M»lo»«t. 162 BLACK ANT— GROE GROE WORM— BUTTERFLIES. 4 ' tion. The small Common- Black ant [Formica bispinosa) is too well konwn to require any description of it. Their numbers arc incredible, for there is scarcely a house, tree, or plant but contains its hundreds and thousands. These are the ants which so particularly attach themselves to the aphides or wood lice, and extract from them their saccharine nutriment. They are never known to sting, and are uniform in size. They live inside crevices of trees and other wood, where they appear to have excavated passages or apartments which they more or less cover over, or protect with a light pow- dery substance. I have observed that this species of ant also builds a small nest of a membranous texture, which it suspends to the branches of trees. When fii'st I saw these minute nests I took them for the habitations of some small species of maribuuta. On examination, I found, to my surprise, that they were inhabited by small black ants. The size of the uest is about one inch square, and is shaped like a keg. On breaking into it I found it constructed of numerous tiers or layers fiat in the centre, but divided at the sides into a number of narrow cells or divisions, separated one from the other by membranous bands : in some of which were found small white eggs and oblong larva; enclosed in cases, and also numerous winged ants, similar iu structure to the others, but many had white anteume, and seemed very feeble, hiding themselves in the cells ; 1 also noticed that some of the ants were much larger than the others. When disturbed, it was curious to observe the common ants seizing the larvae and eggs, and hurrying away with them to place them in security in another tier, and returning for more eggs and larvie.' The Groe-Groe Worm 12 ' is produced in a tree called the mountain cabbage-tree, which is one of the palm species. The worm grows to the size and thickness of a man's thumb, is produced from the spawn of a black beetle, and is extremely fat. However disgusting to appearance, these worms are a delicious treat to many people. The manner of dressing them, is by frying them in a pan with a very little butter and salt, or spitting them on a wooden skewer. Iu taste they partake of all the spices of India, as mace, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, &c. Several species of these worms are produced in all the palm-trees when beginning to rot, but some are larger than others/ Butterflies 9 ' are very numerous, and of every colour that it is pos- sible to conceive; they are much larger than those of Europe, very similar in shape, hut far surpassing them in splendour and variety of tints and shades.' A IHLTON. 13 tTlDHiK. 9 M. MiKTlK. CRESTED EAGLE. 163 CHAPTEB VIII The Ahihai Kingdom — {Continued) — Birds. — The Eagle — Falcons — King of the Vultures — Hawk — Carrion Crow — Owl — Parrots and Parroquota — Lovo Birds — Macaw — Toucan — Kiskadi — Fire Bird — Wallababa — Hell Bird — Sakis — Thrush — Lazy Bird— Cock of the Bock — Swallows— Goat Sucker Moi king Bird — Troupiale- — Rice Bird — Ibibouri — Jawarracirie — llumming Bird — Houtou — Boclora — Cuia— Old Witchor.To.mbi Bird — Woodpeckers — I '.u i cher Bird— Cuckoos - Maara— Powise — Maroudi — Douraquara— Jlan- naqua — Stinking Bird -Sua Bird — Trumpeter — Tiger Bird— Pigeons — Gauldius— Snow White Egrette Heri— Jabiru- Spoonbill — Curry Carris — Water Hen — Darters — vicissy and Wild Ducks, c(e. British Guiana yields to no count iy in the world, in lier wonderful and beautiful productions of the feathered race. Here the finest precious stones are surpassed by the varied tints which adorn the birds. Our des- cription of some of the most remarkable shall begin with the Crested on Great 11 u;rv Eagle — This is a very fierce bird, and also \cry strong and sometimes measures seven or eight feet across the wings; the back is black, but yellowish at the base ; the breast and belly white, with black spots, as are its thighs, and even the feathers of its legs ; the rest of the body is entirely brown, and the bill and claws yellow. The head of this bird is flat, ornamented with a crest of four black feathers, two long and two short, -which it can erect or depress at pleasure. A fine specimen of this bird was a short time since shot by an Indian at a woodcutting establishment on the Berbice rirer. A gentleman who was present, gives the following description: — " This bird, true to its nature, stole or rather pounced upon a full grown powise which an Indian hunter had wounded severely, and jure bed on a very lofty tree, with its booty. The Indian not being well pleased, shot it in turn and secured both. The claws when expanded, would have compassed a child's bead, of say, three or four years of age. The expanse of the wings was almost incredible." 8 'Tuk Falcon of which there are two or three species, differs very little from those of Europe in shape or size, and is chiefly distinguishable by the colours. The White Falcon (so called from its body being of a beautiful clear white), h;is wings and tail like a swallow, of a bright glossy black, as are also the Iclts and eves. The Brown Falcon is in every respect like the former, except the 9 X. Uttxa, 164 SPOTTED FALCON— KING OF THE VULTURES. 9 ' colour of the body, which is brown, with the belly and thighs covered with yellow spots. The Spotted Falcon is a most beautiful bird, about the size of a pigeon, and similar in shape to the preceding ; head, beak, wings, and tail, black ; legs yellow and breast a deep orange, with white specks scattered over the whole body. The King of the Vultures, an immense bird, as large as the black eagle, is of a pinky white, or flesh colour, in the body ; wings black : head and neck (entirely divested of feathers) of an orange and rose colour, alter- nately shaded ; the beak is overhung with a fleshy substance, also of an orange colour, curiously shaped, like an ornamental tassel. The eyes of a light pearl colour, are round and large aud sparkling ; around the neck, above the breast, is a kind of collar of thick rough feathers, of an iron grey colour, which serves it as a safeguard to draw its head into when likely to be stung or wounded by the venomous snakes upon which it usually feeds.' Waterton gives the following description of the King of the Vult ires : — 3 ' The head and neck of the king of the vultures are bare of feathers ; but the beautiful appearance they exhibit fades in death. The throat and the back of the neck are ot a fine lemon colour : both sides of the neck, from the ears downwards, of a rich scarlet ; behind the corru- gated part, there is a white spot. The crown of the head is scarlet ; betwixt the lower mandible and the eye, and close by the ear, there is a part which has a fine silvery blue appearance ; the corrugated part is of a dirty light brown; behind it, and just above the white spot, a portion of the skin is blue, and the rest scarlet; the skin which juts out behind the neck, and appears like an oblong caruncle, is blue in part, aud part orange. The bill is orange and black, the caruncles on his forehead orange, and the cere orange; the orbits scarlet, and the i rides white. Below the bare part of the neck there is a cinereous ruff. The bag of the stomach, which only appears when distended with food, is of a most delicate white, intersected with blue veins, which appear on it just like the blue veins appear on the arm of a fair-complexioned person. The tail and long wing- feathers are black, the belly white, and the rest of the body a fine satin colour. I caunot be persuaded that the vultures ever feed upon live animals, not even upon lizards, rats, mice, or frogs ; I have watched them for hours together, but never could see them touch any living animals, though innu* merable lizards, frogs, and small birds swarmed all around them. I have killed lizards and frogs, and put them in a proper place for observation ; as soon as they begin to smell, the aura vulture invariably came and took them off. I have frequently observed, that the day after the planter had burnt the trash in a cane-field, the aura vulture was sure to be there, feeding on the snakes, lizards, and frogs which had suffered in the conflagration. 1 often saw a large bird (very much like the common gregarious vulture at a distance) catch and devour lizards ; after shooting one, it turned out to be not a vulture, but a hawk, with a tail squarer and shorter than hawks have in general. The vultures, like the goatsucker and woodpecker, seem to be 9 M. MmirN. SWa-hrio* KING OE THE VULTURES— HAWKS— KITES. 165 * ' in disgrace with man. They are generally termed a voracious, stinking, cruel, and ignoble tribe. Under these impressions, the fowler discharges his gun at them, and probably thinks he has done well in ridding the earth of such vermin. Some governments impose a line on him who kills a vulture. This is a salutary law, and it were to be wished that other governments would follow so good an example. I would fain here say a word or two in favour of this valuable scavenger. Kind Providence has conferred a blessing on hot countries in giving theui the vulture; he has ordered it to consume that which, if left to dis- solve in putrefaction, would infect the air, and produce a pestilence. When full of food, the vulture certainly appears an indolent bird ; he will stand for hours together on the branch of a tree, or on the top of a house, with his wings drooping, and after rain, with them spread and elevated to catch the rays of the sun. It has been remarked by naturalists, that the flight of this bird is laborious. T have paid attention to the Vulture in Andalusia, and to those in Guiana, Brazil, and the West Indies, and conclude that they are birds of long, even, and Lofty flight, Indeed, whoever has observed the aura vulture, will be satisfied that his flight is wonderfully majestic, and of long continuance. This bird is above five feet from wing to wing extended. You will see it soaring aloft in the aerial expanse on pinions which never flutter, and which at the same time carry him through the tields of ether with a rapidity equal to that of the golden eagle. In Paramaribo the laws protect the vulture, and the Spaniards of Angustura never think of molesting him. In 1808, I saw the vultures in that city as tame as domestic fowls ; a person who had never seen a vulture would have taken them for tnrkies. Thej were very useful to the Spaniards , bad it not been for them, the refuse of the slaughter-houses in Angustura would have caused an intolerable nuisance.' Hawks — 4 ' About forty kinds of true hawks arc known in British Guiana. They vary in size from the blackbird to the eagle. They prey on fish, snakes, birds, and the young of some animals, and abound throughout the country. Many species are very common, and are well known, such as the chicken-hawk, ike. The haunts and habits of most of the others arc, however, but little known, except to the patient Indian who frequents their vicinity. The Kirns first claim our notice. There are several kinds here. One, the Faleo melanops vel asturina melanops vel nvilvus, is about the size of a duck; the head, body, wings and tail, are black ; the belly whitish. The beak is short, curved, and yellow ; the throat is red ; it has also a red patch around the eyes, which arc of a reddish hue. The legs arc red, rough, and scaly. These birds are called by the Indians Pullatoo. They live in flocks, and make a great noise if disturbed ; their scream is very shrill. They prey on insects, eggs, and small birds, and arc chiefly found in the Savannahs. The second species is known here as the swallow-tailed kite, Faleo vel Nauclerus furcatus, owing to the tail opening like the blades of scissors. ' Wimiox, 1 nucox. 166 KITES— CARRION CROWS— OWLS. 4 ' The throat, head, neck, breast, aud belly arc white ; the wings and tail of a bluish black ; the tail is long ; the beak short and curved ; the legs short. These birds fly very swiftly, and arc met with in pairs or in flocks about the sandhills and open plains. The kites differ from the other hawks here in living occasionally on insects, aud in their swifter flight. The beak and feet are weaker than those of the hawks. Numerous other species are met with. I will content myself with dwelling ou some of them only. The Lakgb Brown Hawk measures about one foot ten inches from beak to end of tail, and three feet across the wings. The plumage of the back, belly, breast, tail, and wing coverts reddish-brown, with a black patch in the centre of the larger feathers. The tail and wings are black; the plumage of the head and neck yellowish-white, with black streaks in the centre of the feathers, and a patch of black feathers in front of throat.' There are also the crab liotvk, mottled hawk, bull dog hawk, black and blue hawk, fish hawk, and the common chicken hawk and several other •pecies. 4 'The Common- Carriox Crow [Cathartes vol vultur Jota) of this country is universally found both on the coasts and in the interior, either soaring ou dry sunny clays at an immense height in the air, or swooping down in wide gyrations towards the ground. In fine weather, when on the look-out for food, or taking a bird's-eye view of the earth, it has a quiet, steady, graceful soar, the head of the bird, if examined with a glass, being seen turning from side to side. If its attention is attracted to any inviting object, through the senses of scent and sight (for in its singular instinct in discovering dead and putrid carcases of animals it is evidently assisted by both these senses), it speedily descends, not direct, like the hawk, but in extensive gyrations or eircles, and commences its loathsome meal. This movement ou its part is not unnoticed by the other carrion crows similarly employed to itself, for no sooner does the fortunate discoverer direct his course to the earth, than the others invite themselves to the repast, and rapidly arrive from all directions. If the carcase be that of a horse or ox, they perch singly or in small numbers on the body, picking with impatience at the tough hide, if putrc- fraction has not commenced, or waiting greedily on the neighbouring trees to watch the desired change. Owls. — There are about seven species of night owls, from the size of a fowl to that of a sparrow. Some are met with in the city; but up the rivers, in the forests, and in country places they abound to a great extent. They frequent the haunts of bats, and the society of young birds aad small animals, on whom they prey. They associate frequently with the goatsuckers, and, at first glance, it is not always easy to distingush between the one and the other in cases where they approach in size. The same long silk}' feathers, the same grey sombre livery, characterises the plumage of both birds. Their cry is, however, very dissimilar. No one who has ever heard it in the silent watching of the night can mistake the screech of the owl. Some of the owls have a most peculiar cry, and persons familiar with them recognise the 4 Djuiok. PARROTS and PARROQUETS. 167 *' species by their voice. I once heard in thecountry, at midnight, the call of an owl called here the " Jumbi, or Ghost-bird," which greatly interested me. It gave a soft prolonged note, followed by a quick whistle or scream. There was da in the house at that moment, and the ominous voice of this peculiar bird did not tend to reanimate the desponding spirits of those present. It proved, however, a false prophet, for the patient got well. The ' is of owls have irs around their ears, which arc very long. They are known as the the horned or long-eared owls. Parrots and Parroquets. — The Parrots (PsittacusJ of this country both numerous and of the most varied kind. They are constantly to be met with in the fi trior j but al certain seasons when the guava-tn in fruit, they fly over town and country in large flocks of a hundred or more, arranging themselves in pairs. A cry frequently only siii"ie pairs ar l fai llfully wending their way together to the spot where the ripe guavas are prevalent, where they fee I early in the morning, and towards sunset, at which hours they become the v of the sportsman, wdio shoots them for eating; when roasted or made up in pies, they arc considered excellent food, and are much sought after by the negroi There is no difficulty in finding their place of resort, for they make an incessant noise in feeding ; Bometimea the. I ficult to shoot owing to their lofty High', and it requires heavy shot to bring them do y tena- l iUS of life. It would be diffi suit and tedious to enumerate the d species m,-! with j the larger kinds are green in colour, and are called by the Indians " Sa ;"' one species called " Toutou," is of a bluish green with red in the proboscis; an Psittacus sestivu I the " Screecher," is also bluish green with yellow round the beak ; a third ies, Psi iphalus, well known as the " Amazon" is the most comm in, its colour is a beautiful green with a yellow cap, and a patch of red feathers on the shoulders: sometim parrots are beautifully mottled green. A fourth species, r i accipitrinus, is called " Hia- hia," or Parrot of the Sun, it has a circle of tartan-coloured leathers round the back of the head, which are I is white, the back, wings, and tad g and belly tartan. The parrots build their nets i u old trees, and lay in general t- The Parroquets [Psittacula) are smaller than parrots, and fly much swifter, not in pairs like the 1 , but generally in large flocks. There are numerous species, which may be divided into the large and small ; of the former the plumage varies greatly. Some are green, with bhn ! and orange-yellow breast, belly, and throat ; others are mottled bluijh bl with grey breasl ; others bluish green with blue head; other- green h brown feathers round the neck like shells, hence called She 1 -necked ; the head is black, tail feathers yellow and blue. One remarha 1 , i culled the " Seven-coloured Parroquet," it is about the si i of a thrush, the head and ueck arc of a golden green, the breast and bellj blui h green, the back and long wing feathers are of a dark brown, the rest of tin; wings arc yellow and purple, the tail is lilac purple edged with black. Thes\j birds are chiefly met with in the creeks, and are shot only towards night 4 D*LT0>. 168 PARROQUETS— LOVE BIRDS— MACAWS— TOUCANS. 4 'They feed on fruits and seeds. The female has the same colours, but they are not so vivid. Of the smaller kinds of parroquets Psllfacula there are about eight species, some of which arc but rarely seen, and perhaps never described. They are chiefly of a green colour, some with purple tails, others with golden wings ; they are all beautiful ; a very small species known as the " Love- bird" {Psiitacula passerinus) is of an entire green colour, and flies in flocks about the gardens of the town and country, where seated amid the ever- green foliage, they are difficult to be distinguished from the sparkling leaves. They build their nests on trees, and sometimes a nest is found where wood- ants have constructed their habitations. Macaws or A has have a wide-world reputation on account of their magnificent plumage and singular appearance. There are four specimens if not more in British Guiana, and they are readily distinguished from the parrots by their long tail ; in general they are of a greenish colour, varie- gated with red and yellow. The true " Ara" has a splendid scarlet body, with patches of red, bins, yellow, and green about the wings. They fly in pairs and in flocks. Another species is of a lighter red, whilst a third is more or less blue in colour. The Toucans {Ramphastos) , or Bill Birds, are perhaps the most singular looking of the ornithological tribe met wtth in British Guiana. They are easily recognised by their enormous bills, which in some species are about six inches in length, and fully t^o in depth, marked with the most striking colours — such as red, black, and yellow, and having a horny appearance. These coloured bills, unless particular attention is paid to them,* fade after death, and soon lose their brilliant hues j it is remarkable that the colours of the bill is also those of the plumage. These birds build their nests in hollow trees ; they arc social but not gregarious, and having short wings and such unseenly mandibles fly hut little, and in jerks. They carry the tail erect, except in flying; they feed on fruit, seeds, peppers, insects, and occasionally bird's eggs, &c. ; they catch the seeds at the point of the beak, and jerk them into the throat; they have a long feathery- looking tongue ; their note is loud and whistling, and they generally com- mence to cry on the approach of rain. They are chiefly met with in the forests, where they delight in resorting to the lofty mora-trees ; the Indians, knowing tlieir haunts will shoot many of them from the same tree either with the guu or arrow. In Surinam they call the Toucan " Banara beak" or " Cujacai," and some of the Indian tribes call them " Piapoco," from the noise they make. One species, the largest, is found on the eta and cocorita palms, it is called by the Indians " Bouradi," which is rather personal, that word sig- nifying " noise ■/' the head, wings tail, and body are black, with yellow and red feathers at the throat and breast. A second species is known as the Yellow Earlet, owing to a patch of yellow feathers close to the ear ; a third •pecies has a black and whitish bill serrated at the edges ; a fourth species has greenish shades, head and neck chestnut, belly and vent yellow, bill with white serratures. • Watihton. THE KISKADI— WALLABABA— J5AK1 169 1 ' Sc\e al species have received different names by the Indians, who recognise them by their cry. Thus one kind, the Rhamphastos aracari, is (ailed by the Warraus "Teifari," and by the sinensis " Parupari," while (o other ears the cry sounds like the word " Kulik-knlik." The females lay generally two white eggs ; (lie young birds soon assume their natural plumage, but it takes from two to three years for the elaborate ami gaudy bill to arrive ai perfection. Tin: Kiskadi — These are perhaps the first birds which attract the urn of strangers on their first arrival, by their numbers, their bold* and their habits. The name Kiskadi is a corruption of the French sentence " Qu'est-ce-que-dit," to which the shrill note of the bird bears resemblance, It is constantly uttering this sentence, but it has also other notes shorter and deeper in tone. From the absence of shy) these birds collect about the dwelling houses, and do not seem at all dis- turbed at the presence of man. They are found very destructive to the produce of gardens, but are not often molested on account of the number of insects winch they destroy. They feed on berries, fruit, insects, and worms; when feeding, they will allow you to approach so close t to touch them. They possess gr< ngth and boldness. The most common species is met with in all ['arts of this country, the plumage of the wings and back is of a brown colour ; the breast, belly, and vent are of a beautiful sulphur yellow ; the head is parti-cohm red black and white, with an erectile tuft of yellow and orange feathers. The female is of a different colour, and less handsome. Tin- other species do not differ mate- rially in (heir plumage and habits, and need not be enumerated. The kiskadi builds a slovenly, irregular-looking nest of (hick grasses, generally upon the branches of some large dee; it looks more like a rat's nest, with a hole at the side. The female lays three eggs of a while colour, studded with black spots at the larger end. The Wallababa belongs to the family of crown birds and chatterers, It is a beautiful bird, with a deep purple body and white wings, the four first feathers being tipped brown. Another species of chatterer, the Ampelis garrulus is of a blackish colour all over, and is readily distinguished by a tuft on its head — a kind of " feather helmet." There is another species of a blue colour (Ampelis caruleq). Here we have an instance of the most charming birds as to plumage, but which are destitute of sen:;. Nothing is known in respect to their nests, for they retire during the breeding season far away from their usual haunts. The Sakis ok Tan age as appear to be allied to the linnets and finches of Europe. They are of a lively blue colour and are very noisy and quar- relsome. I have seen them tight so desperately as to fall down exhausted and struggling to the ground ; so that they could easily be captured. Thl Blue Sum (Tanagra seriopteraj lays two eggs, bluish colour, studded with purplish spots. There is one species of grey sacki, and three other species variegated blue and black. Another species of tanagra is white and black. Two very small S] ire blackish in colour with yellow breast, ami tuft over the beak. Another species is of a splendid dark purplq I~0 THRUSH— LAZY BIRD— BANANA BIRD— COCK of the ROCK. 4 ' colour all over, except about the breast, where the plumage is tinted reddish, iii': Thrushes of this country arc equally interesting with those of Europe, but do not exist in such numbers ; several species arc met witt about the city, and are known to have a sweet song. Early in the morning these birds may be heard about the houses. They are very shy, build their nests in lonely places, and are seldom molested by the inhabitants. There are six or seven different species met with; they differ much in size, but their plumage is more or less alike. The Lazy Bird as it is here termed, is about the size of a small thrush, but is in no other way allied to it. Its plumage is, however, in general of a brown colour, and it has rather a long tail. It derives its appropriate name from its indolent habits ; it builds no nest of its own, hut in a cowardly manner deprives the little wren of this country of hers, destroying the eggs and substituting its own in place of the others. There is often great disturbance occasioned in the galleries of the houses by these domestic disputes between the excited little lady wren, thus turned out of her dwelling and robbed of her progeny, and the domineering lazy-bird, which appears to think that might is right/ 9 ' The Banana Bird (so called from its fondness for that fruit), as large as a thrush ; body chiefly of a yellow or orange colour, beak and legs horn colour, wings and tail black ; it builds its uest nearly a yard in height, of a conical form, composed mostly of grass, with an opening half way down for its entrance. The bottom is semi-globular, with the upper and narrowest part fastened to the extremity of a branch that overhangs the water, in order to secure its inmate and brood from lizards and other reptiles.' 4 ' The Cock of the Rock is allied to the family of manakins, although much larger in size and belonging to a separate group, it is well known as the " cock of the rock" [Pipra rupicola), or hoopoe hen. The male is of a splendid orange colour on the body and head, the wing feathers are brown, edged with yellow and red like the tail, the beak is reddish yellow. There is a fine tuft of feathers, crescent shaped, placed on the head like a cocked hat; the eyes are yellow white; the tail is short and square, and looks as if it had been docked. The female and young birds arc of an obscure brown with a diminutive comb or crest. The female lays two eggs, and scratches the ground like the common fowl, which it also resembles in other respects. They build their nests chiefly of wood among the rocks, are solitary in their habits, and live chiefly on fruit. Some of the antics exhibited by the male birds are very remarkable ; they are described as inclined to dancing, and have been seen capering about throwing up the head, opening the tail like a fan; now strutting about, and scratching the ground with a hopping gait, gabbling all the time until tired, when another bird takes up the perform-. auce, the others looking on with apparent delight.' The Mocking Bird 16 ' of America is universally allowed to be the most wonderful of all songsters, as it not only possesses a very fine and melodious voice, but is also endowed with the capacity for imitating tho notes of any other bird, and, indeed, of immediately reproducing with the most astonishing exactness any sound which it may hear. >> Dal ion. 9 M. Martin . 15 Wood's Natural History, THE MOCKING BIRD. 17 1 la ' All persons who conic within the sound of a Mocking-bird's voice are" fascinated with the thrilling strains that arc poured without effort from the melodious throat, and every professed ornithologist who has heard this wonderful bird has exhausted the powers of his language in endeavouring to describe the varied and entrancing melody of the Mocking-bird. W itkiii the compass of one single throat the whole feathered race seems to be com- prised, for the Mocking bird can with equal ease imitate, or rather repro- duce, the sweet aud gentle twitterring of the hlue bird, the rich full song of the thrush, or the harsh ear-pierci ... cream of the eagle. At night especially, when labour has ceased, " silence has attuned her car," says Webber, " and earth hears her merry voices singing in her sleep. Yes, they are all here ! Hear (hen each warble, chirp, and thrill ! How they crowd upon each other! Yon can hear the Ratter of suit wings as the come hurrying forth! Hark, that rich clear whistle ? ' Bob White, is it you?' Then the sudden scream; is it a hawk? Hey! what a gush, what a rolling limpid gush! Ah, my dainty redbreast, at thy matins early I Mew! what, I'ussy ! No, the eat -bird ; hear its low Liquid love-notes linger round the roses by the garden walk ! Hillo ! listen to the little wren ! he must nearly explode in the climax of that little agony of trils which it is rising on its very tip-toes to reach I What now ? Quack, quack ! Phut, phut, phut! cock-doodle-doo I What, all the barn-yard ! Squeak, squeak, squeak! pigs and all. Hark, that melancholy plaint, Whip-poor-Will, fa »W sadly it conies from out the shadowy distance ! What a contrast ! the ml- bird's lively whistle, shrilly mounting high, higher, highest ! Hark, the orchard oriole's gay, delicious, roaring, run-mad, ranting-riot of sweet sounds I Hear that ! it is the rain-crow, croaking for a storm ! Hey, day I 3*7> y- x Y> 3 a 7 ■ if is i],c imperial dandy blue-jay. Hear, he has a strange, round, mellow whistle too! There goes the little yellow-throated warbler, the woodpecker's sudden call, the king-bird's woeful clatter, the dove's low plaintive coo, the owl's screeching cry and snapping beak, the tomtit's tiny note, the kingfisher's rattle, the crow, the scream, the cry of love, or hale, or joy, all come rapidly, and in unexpected contrasts, yet with such clear preci- sion, that each bird is fully expressed to my mind in its own individuality." i el all these varied notes are uttered by the one single Mocking-birdj as it sits on a lofty spray or flings itself into the air, rising and falling with the cadence of its song, and acting as if absolutely intoxicated with sweet sounds. Let it but approach the habitation of man, and it straightway adds a new scries of sounds to its already vast store, laying up in its most reten- tive memory the various noises that are produced by man and his surround- ings, and introducing among its other imitations the barking of dogs, the harsh " setting'' of saws, the whirring buzz of the millstone, the everlasting clack of the hoppers, the dull heavy blow of the mallet, and the cracking of splitting timbers, the fragments of songs whistled by the labourers, the creaking of ungreased wheels, the neighing of horses, the plaintive baa of the sheep, and the deep lowing of the oxen, together with all the innumer- nhlejind accidental sounds which are aecessarilj produced through human. J J Woob'i Natural Hi.- j?:j THE MOCKING BIRD— HEM— JABIRU-^HONOURI STORK. Unfortunately, tlie bird is rather apt to spoil liis own wonderful song by a sudden introduction of one of these inharmonious sounds, so that the listener, whose car is being delighted with a succession of the softest and richest- toned vocalist, will suddenly be electrified will; the loud shriek angry hawk or the grating whirr of the grindstone.' The Mocking Bird 9 ' is larger than the starling, of a black and yellow 1 »ur, with its beak of a sulphur tint, delights (as most of the birds of this continent do,) to take up his abode near the habitation of man ; his \.. I and short, but if a sheep bleat near him, a dog bark, or a hen cackle, he stops his own note, and instantly commences with appa delights an imitation of the animal he cars, with a mimicry quite extraordi- nary. The nests are pendulous, and suspended from the outer branches of trees, similar to those of the Banana Bird, to which it is a near species, if not actually identical : but the latter is not so perfect in its imitations, which is in all probability the reason they have been distinctly classed.' The IIeki. — *' There is a bird here called the heri, which is of the stork tribe. It lias a long feathered neck ; small head, with long, thick, and straight beak, and red patch around the eyes, which arc brown ; phu mage of body dirty wdiite ; wings and tail black. It stands from four to five feet in height, and is met with in savannahs and swampy places, where it preys on fish, snakes, &c. It utters a peculiar cry like the stork. The Jabirtj — Negro Cor. — The Jabiru frequents the banks of rivers, feeding on fish and reptiles. It is of a white colour, with black wines, which often measure six feet across. The largest species, however, is the "jabiru"* (Mycteria atnericanaj, which stands about six feet in height, and sometimes weighs 20 lbs. or more ; it has a bare head and neck of a black colour; the beak is also black and measures about sixteen inches in length, being curved upwards ; the young birds have a tuft of feathers at the back the head ; the colour of the plumage is a dirty white ; it lias a red patch around the neck, hence one of its numerous names " collier rouge ;" the feathers are long and downy, part of the wings is black. On account of its black head it is known here as the " negro cop." The young ones are grey in colour. The Honour] Stork. - This bird is about three feet in length when erect ; the head is of a bluish black at top, with long pendant feathers ; the neck is white at the sides, but of a bluish white in front ; eyes black with yellow borders ; the beak is of an orange yellow, with light blue membrane at base; the body is white; the wings lead coloured, and tipped black ; long pendant feathers hang from the body ; the legs are of a brownish colour. A wounded bird of this species was lately brought to the city, and was placed in a trench secured by a rope; it fed on fish and reptiles, but soon managed to effect its escape. The Wood Pelicax (Tantulus loculator) is occasionally seen in swampy marshes, and about the river sandbanks, where, sometimes in great numbers, they may be seen feeding along with the storks and cranes, whose habits l') Wood's Natural nistory. M.MAaTm -1 IMrro-. The ■ "i-'l '■ Jabiru" in il" 1 ' lu rani In i ties '■ ad i ipplied ti rant ofits flai ! d neck, which i enable of distension. It is called Taiaiamu by the Ma by I ■ ike. THE 0URRI-CURB4S— MARTINS and SWALLOWS. 173 4 ' they pai'take of. It is a Large bird, about the size of a stork, but mo Blender ; the skin of the head and neck is naiad of feathers, and is of a blackish colour; the bill and feet are also black as well as the quills of the v, tug i and tail. Of the long-billed waders there are numerous species here. Firs! in beauty and size are the birds so well known as The Curri-Ccrris or Scarlet Curlews {Ibis rubra) of which tl. are two kinds, distinguished only by the colour of the beak, which in the ■ is black, and the other whitish, The plum the adult bird i> magnificenl in the extreme, being oi a rich scarlei colour all over, with the tips of the wing feathers jet black. When young the plumage is blackish grey, changing gradually to a lovely white v. Inn they are r fly, the scarlet hue being acquired with age. The beak is long, slender, and sal iped : the eyes bluish greyj the legs red. These splendid birds are fre- quently seen flying about in flocks near to the city, and along is; they arc, however, most plentiful about A.u . they are also in finest plumage. They fly in general very high, and the phalanx is w dge-shaped, the old birds leading at the front. When seen in tine weatli: !■ tli - effect is most striking, the waving lines of bc rl I float in the air like (be pennon of a war vessel, and their j utions wh alarmed, added to the glittering hues reflected in the sun rery beautiful. They are difficult to shoot, being very shj and constantly on the alert. There i> a species of curri-flfcrri known 1 he fresh- water curlew, it is a splendid bird of a greenish olive lour; ii feeds on worms in ci here it is generally found towards night. T curlew : ' ■ phaopus) derives its name froja its cry. I, i rin . .n the curri-curri, which, except in colour, i; otherwise rcsembl The wings, bead, and neck are grey : breast and belly whitish; eyes bin beak long end curved. Mr, Waterton mentions a if black curlew, with a white bar across the wings, but I ha The whist: curlews are to be met with at all times of i\w year, along the e >asts, but . Lentiful in September. They fly singly, or in . and arc much esteemed tor the table. Martins and Swallows are constantly seen on the sugar estates, where y frequent the neighbourhood of the "megass logies," (large woodeu bui barns, open at the sides, and used for the storing of mej or d ic after the saccharine juice has been crushed out by rollers), doubt for the number of flies and other insects which abound there. iy in the morning, and about sunset, the swallows are particularly activp, their rapid and graceful movements in eager search for prey invisible to human eyes afford an interesting sight to the naturalist. One of swallow met with up the Demerara river is exactly four inches I nig, including the tail, it measures also four inches across the wing. It has a blackish bead, wings, back, and tail, the rump is white, the throat whitish, whilst the belly is of a bull' colour speckled brown and y ; the te.il is short and square, and composed of ten feathers, which 174. THE CUCKOO— STINKING BIRD*- PIGEONS and DOVES. 4 ' have their quills or shafts projecting beyond the barb, and very sharp pointed ; the legs are not feathered low down. A second species is of the same size as the above, but it lias a forked tail about three inches long. It is of a blackish colour on the head, back, wings, side and tail, but the leathers on the head, back, tail, and wing coverts arc edged white ; the throat and belly arc whitish. The legs are feathered as far as the toes. A third species (Hirundo purpurea) is larger than the other two, audis of a dec]) bluish black on the head, wings and back, whilst underneath it is white ; the tail is square. These birds are chiefly seen among the shipping, and oftentimes rest on the courida trees adjoining the river. The Cuckoos. — The habits of the (Cuculusi of this country are much the same with those of Europe, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, and feed on insects; but I have never heard them repeat the same plaintive note as the others. They are to be met with in the forests, and do not ap- proach habitations. There are four or live species here. Two of different siae are of a brick-red colour, with long tails tipped with white ; light red beak, overlapping at top. The larger species is of the same size as the English cuckoo, but the tail is longer. A third species is of a speckled grey brown, like the woodlark, with a crest on its head, dark eyes, and light brown beak short and curved. The fourth species is of a leaden colour with a whitish breast. The Stinking Bird (Phasianus crlstatus). — This very impolite name is derived from a most offensive odour which emanates from this bird dur- ing life, but when dried and stuffed, as proved by a specimen in my possession, there is not the least unpleasant smell. It measures about two feet four inches in length. The head is small, the beak short and crooked ; it is of a greenish brown colour, variegated with white above. The front of the neck and tip of the tail fawn-coloured ; the belly chestnut. The head is ornamented with a tuft of long and slender feathers. It is found iu the marshy lands, and feeds on leaves and the seeds of a species of arum. The flesh on account of its odour, is used as a bait. Pigeons and Doves. — Of the family of Pigeons (Columbw) there is a great variety in this country, which vary in size from a sparrow upwards. The number of species must be twenty, if not more, of which I have seen about twelve. These birds are met with at different seasons, except the ground doves, which are to be seen all the year round. Some pigeons feed in flocks in the woods, attracted thither by the ripening of certain fruits, such as the wild figs, &c. Others fly across the country singly or in pairs d iring certain months, generally from September to December. Some of the larger kinds dwell more or less constantly in the vasts forests, where they appear to feed loge, and breed. Without entering upon any account of domestic pigeons, of which great numbers are kept both in town and country, I shall here only allude to some of the most remarkable of wild pigeons. Of these, that known as the Itaribische pigeon deserves first notice. These beautiful 1)0 V US— WATER HEN— QAULDINS. 170 4 'birds are chiefly met with up a creek in Essequebo called the [taribische. This large creek is a tributary of the river Essequebo, and is of great size and beauty. Its waters are dark lint translucent, and deriving their origin many miles in the interior, meander through the most lovely scenery — some- times swelling out into a large lake amid open savannahs, or flowing through rich forest land and sandy hills, at times so shaded and encroached upon overhanging trees and flowering shrubs as to be almost impassable. It is in this romantic neighbourhood that the pigeons resort about the month of October, to feed on the berries and plants of particular trees. Their plumage is reddish brown on the back, wings, and tail ; sides and belly parti-coloured grey and brown j neck and breast speckled white ; beak and legs red. The male is distinguished by its more brilliant plumage. These birds are very shy, and require to be severely wounded before they drop. The common wood-pigeons arc also pretty birds, seen frequently in the fore its, where they startle the traveller by their rapid flight. They resemble somewhat the same description of bird in Europe. Another spec.es of large pigeon frequents the woods at certain seasons, where they may be seen resting on the withered branches of trees, They arc of a light brown colour, with various patches, and arc considered excellent food. Tin' pigeons in general here build their nests of wood, on the branches of thick trees. Tun Doves may be divided into the large and small, the latter being very common, and known as ground doves, feeding along the roads and in gardens, where they become more or less tame. There arc three or four species of this small but beautiful dove, which arc variously covered grey, brown, slate, or lead colour, with black spots. They arc about the size of sparrows, and construct their nests of coarse grass, loosely arranged in a circular form, but inside the greatest pains is taken to make them comfor- table, being generally woven with Bee grass and delicate fibres. The female generally lays two eggs of a whitish colour. These birds feed on grain and small insects. There is a large species of dove much like these small ones in colour and general appearance. Tut; Water Hen. — There are two species of water hen, one is greyish in colour. The common water hen {Fulica chhropus) is a pretty-looking bird about twelve inches long, with small head and short tail; it frequents marshy spots, and dels on fish. Its plumage is a dark slate colour, except about the thighs and tail, where there arc white feathers; it has a red caruncle on the forehead, the base of the beak is red, and the lip yellow ; wings and tail greenish brown, legs brownish, but above the tibia reddish. Tin. liti i ions are species of the heron tribe, which an- familiar to the inhabitants of British Guiana, being seen constantly about the trenches and mudflats, where (hey sometimes collect in great numbers, feeding on fish, snails, etc. They arc sometimes shot and eaten, but have a disagree- able fishy taatc. There are two species of gauldin, the white aud the grey, which are respectively known as the "Ardea alba" and •• Ardea viriscens." They are pretty looking birds when watched feeding on the beach, but have a heavy awkward flight. 4 IVlLTOH. 17G DIVERS— WILD Dl CKS. 4 'The Divers or Darters {Plotus), are allied to the con i but arc easily recognised by their long snake-like Decks and small head, with slender, straight, and pointed bill, serrated at the edges. There are several • in this colony. One species, called the black-bellied darter (Pli surinamensis) , is found up the rivers; it is often met with in pairs. Its plumage is black and white; it is an excellent diver, and is called by the Indians " yawrwa" and "oranih." Another species of darter (Plotus anhinga) is also found in similar places to the other, alone, in pairs, or in small companies. Its plumage is k, but the female and young ones are of a lighter colour., generally greyish brown. It is a very timid bird: if alarmed it stretches its long neck out, and gazes about, and if the cause of danger appears imminent, it plunges into the water and dives for several minutes, preferring this mode of escape to flying, at which it is not very apt. An allied species (Colymbus dominions) is found in small societies in the marshes and savannahs about the coasts. The femab builds her nest of grass and sedges, and lays two eggs. The "Wild Ducks of this country are numerous, and of various kinds ; they arc to be found throughout the colony, but abound especially in swampy places. The most common are the vieissi, or vis-sisi duck, the muscovy, and the common duck. The Vicissi Ducks (Anas arborea vel dendrocyna viduata) fly about in flocks of twenty or more, and are frequently seen even in the neighbour- hood of town. The plumage is striking and very beautiful, especially when birds are on the wing. The head is reddish ; the forehead pale ; the breast of a deep vinous red ; the Mings white, green, and black; the legs somewhat long, and the feet are so constructed as to enable them to perch on trees, where they build their nests. They have a peculiar whist- ling cry, " vieissi," or " vis-sisi." They are easily domesticated, and ociate readily with the other breed of ducks ; when any of their number is wounded, the rest of the flock fly around their injured comrade, and by their sympathising cries seem to urge to flight. The tamed ones sometimes used to decoy their wilder brethren ; by their cry they attract the latter to settle down in the water, where they became an easy prey to the sportsman ; they are excellent eating. Upon one occasion a labourer to my knowledge shot upwards of a dozen with a single barrel, but he only secured seven out of the number : a large flock had alighted on a decayed tree close to the water, and when the fatal shot arrived among them some twelve or more fluttered about hors de combat in the water; the wounded ones escaped by diving. These birds destroy guinea corn and other grain. There are several species of this vicissi duck. # The Wild Muscovy (Carina vel anas moschaia) is larger than the vicissi or vis-sisi, and is of less gaudy plumage, being of a brownish black colour. I have never seen them in large flocks, but generally three or four arc together; they alight on the loftiest trees, where their large bodies and outstretched necks present a singular sight. They build their nests on high trees, and when the young ones are sufficiently grown, the parents carry THE HUMMING BIRD. 177 4 ' them gently down to the swampy spots to begin their education. Whilst travelling up the creeks, I have frequently seen these tempting birds perched on the branches of trees, but as they generally choose very swampy ground with high grass that are not easily approached with the gun. This bird {Anas vel carina moschata) is also called here the musk dnek from its peculiar smell, the plumage varies, some being glossed blue or green, the head is slightly tufted, and the legs and feet are reddish. The eggs are of a greenish hue. The Macusis call them " mairva," and Warraus "oum<*h."' Our chapter on the Birds of Britith Guiana would indeed be incom- plete, were the following description by Watbrton omitted. This celebrated naturalist and traveller in his pleasant "Wanderings" thus begins his account of the Birds of the Colony with The Humming Bum. — 3 ' Though least in size, the glittering mantle of the Humming-bird entitles i; to the first place in the list of the birds of the new world. It may truly be called the bird of paradise; and had it existed in the old world, it would have claimed the title instead of the bird which has now the honour to bear it : — see it darting through the air almost as quick as thought ! — now it is within a yard of your face ! — in an instant gone ! — now it (letters from flower to flower to sip the silver dew — it is uow a ruby — now a t >paz — now an emerald — -now all burnished gold I It would be arrogant to pretend to describe this winged gem of nature after Button's elegant description of it. ("avenue and Demerara produce the same humming-birds. Perhaps you would wish to know .something of their haunts. Chiefly in the months of July and August the tree called 15 'is Iinmortcl, very common in Demc* rara, bears abundance of red blossom, which stays on the tree for some weeks; then it is that most of the different species of humming-birds axe very plentiful. The wild red sage is also their favourite shrub, and they buz/, like lues round the blossom of the Wallaba tree. Indeed, there is scarce a flower in the interior, or on the sea coast, but what receives fre- quent visits In m o ie or other of the species. On entering the forests, on the rising land in the interior, the blue and green, the smallest brown, no bigger than the bumblebee, with two long feathers in the tail, and the little forked-tail purple-throated humming- birds, glitter before you in ever-changing attitudes. One species alone never shows his beauty to the sun ; and were it not tor his lovely shining colours, you might almost be tempted to class him with the goat-suckers, on account of his habits. He is the largest of all the humming-birds, and is all red and changing gold green, except the head, which, is black. He has two long feathers in the tail, which cross each other, and these have gained him the name of Karabimiti, or Ara humming-bird, from the Indians. You never find him on the scacoast, or where the river is salt, or in the heart of *he forest, unless fresh water be there. He ' ps close by the side of woody fresh-water rivers, and dark and louely creeks. He leaves his retreat before sunrise to feed on the insects orer the water; he returns to it us soon as the sun's rays cause a glare of light, is sedentary all day long, and comes out again for a short time after sunset. He builds 4 DiLToN. • WATBHT9N 178 HUMMING BIRD— COTINGAS— BELL BIRD. J ' his nest on a twig over tlic water in the unfrequented creeks ; it looks like tanned cow leather. As you advance towards the mountains of Demcrara, other species of humming-birds present themselves before you. It seems to be au erroneous opinion, that the humming-bird lives entirely on honey-dew. Almost every flower of the tropical climates contains insects of one kind or other; now, the humming-bird is most busy about the flowers an hour or two after sun- rise, and after a shower of rain, and it is just at this time that the insects come out to the edge of the flower in order that the sun's rays may dry the nocturnal dew and rain which they have received. On opening the stomach of the humming-bird, dead insects are almost always found there. Next to the humming-birds, the Cotingas display the gayest plumage. They are of the order of passer, and you number five species betwixt the sea coast and the rock Saba. Per- haps the scarlet cotinga is the richest of the five, and is one of those birds which are found in the deepest lecesses of the forest. His crown is flaming red ; to this abruptly succeeds a dark shining brown, reaching half way down the back : the remainder of the back, the rump, and tail, the extremity of which is edged with black, are a lively red ; the belly is a somewhat lighter red ; the breast reddish black ; the wings brown. He has no song, is solitary, and utters a monotonous ■whistle which sounds like " quet." He is fond of the seeds of the Hi:ia tree, and those of the Siloabali and bastard Siloabali trees, which ripen in December, and continue on the trees for above two months. He is found throughout the year in Demerara; still nothing is known of his incubation. The Indians all agree in telling you that they have never seen his nest. The purple-breasted cotinga has the throat and breast of a deep purple, the wings and tail black, and all the rest of the body a most lovely shining blue. The purple-throated cotinga has black wings and tail, and every other part a light and glossy blue, save the throat, which is purple. The pompadour cotinga is entirely purple, except his wings, which are white, their four first feathers tipped with brown. The great coverts of the wings are stiff, narrow, and pointed, being shaped quite different from those of any other bird. When you are betwixt this bird and the sun, in his flight, he appears uncommonly brillant. He makes a hoarse noise, which sounds like " Wallababa." Hence his name amongst the Iudians. None of these three cotingas have a song. They feed on the Hitia, Siloabali, and bastard Siloabali seeds, the wild guava, the fig, aud other fruit trees of the forest. They are easily shot in these trees during the months of December, January, and February. The greater part of them disappear after this, and probably retire far away to breed. Their nests have never been found in Demerara. The fifth species is the Campanero or Bell Bird, called dara by the Indians, and bell-bird by the Engbsh. He is about the size of the Jay. His plumage is white as snow. On his forehead rises a spiral tube nearly three inches long. It is jet black, dotted all over with small 3 Waterton. csl to T» to <* nq -**** ft 3 BELL BIRD— TOUCANS— TOUCANETS. 170 * ' white feathers. It has a communication with the palate, aud when filled with air, looks like a spire; when empty, it becomes pendulous. Ilisnote is loud aud clear, like the sound of a bell, and may be heard a( the distance of three miles. In the midst of these extensive wilds, generally on the dried top of an aged mora, almost out of gun reach, you will see the cam- panero. No sound or song from any of the winged inhabitants of the forest, not even the clearly pronounced " Whip-poor- Will," from the goat- sucker, cause such astonishment, as the toll of the campanero. AYith many of the feathered race, lie pays the common tribute of a morning and an evening song ; and even when the meridian sun has shut in silence the m mths of almost the whole of animated nature, the campa- nero still cheers the forest. You hear his toll, and then a pause for a minute, then another toll, and then a pause again, and then a toll, and again a pause. Then he is silent for si\ ,,,' eight minutes, and then another toll, and so on. Acteon would stop in mid chase. Alalia would defer her evening BOng, and Orpheus himself would drop his lute to listen to him ; so sweet, so novel, and romantic is the toll of the pretty snow-white campanero. He is never seen to teed with the other cotingas, nor is it known in what part of Guiana he makes his nest. While the cotingas attract your attention by their superior plumage, the singular form of The Toucan makes a lasting impression on your memory. 'I '.. three sp of toucans in lVmcrara, and three diminutives, which may be called toueanets. The largest of the first species frequents the mangrove trees on the BOB coast. lie is never seen in the interior till you reach Macoushia, where he is found in the neighbourhood of the river Tacatou. The other two species are very common. They feed entirely on the fruits of the forest, aud though of the pie kind, never kill the young of other birds, or touch carrion. The larger is called Bouradi by the Indians, (which means nose), the other, Scirou. They seem partial to other's company, aud often resort to the same fettling tree, and retire I ther to the same shady noon-day retreat. They are very noisy in rainy weather at all hours of the day, and in fair weather, at morn and eve. The sound which the Bouradi makes, is like the clear yelping of a puppy dog, aud you fancy he says " pia-po-o-co," aud thus the South American Spaniards call hi. a Piapoco. All the toueanets feed on the same trees on which the toucan feeds, and every species of this family of enormous bill, lays its eggs in the hollow trees. They are social but not gregarious. You may sometimes see eight or ten in company, aud from this you would suppose they are gregarious ; but, upon a closer examination, you will find it has only been a dinner party, which breaks up and disperses towards roosting time. You will be at a loss to conjecture for what ends nature has overloaded the head of this bird with such an enormous bill. It cannot be for the offensive, as it has uo need to wage war with any of the tribes of animated nature ; for its food is fruits and seeds, and those are in superabundance throughout the whole year in the regions where the toucan is found. It can 3 WlTERrON, . 180 TOUCAN— HOUTOU. ' ' hardly be for the defensive, as the toucan is preyed upon by no bird iu South America, and where it obliged to be at war, the texture of the bill is ill adapted to give or receive blows, as you will see in dissecting it. It canuot be for any particular protection to the tongue, as the tongue is a perfect feather. The flight of the toucan is by jerks ; in the action of flying it seems incommoded by this huge disproportioned feature, and the head seems as if bowed down to the earth by it against its will ; if the extraordinary form and size of the bill expose the toucan to ridicule, its colours make it amends. Were a specimen of each species of the toucan presented to you, you would prouounce the bill of the bouradi the most rich and beautiful; on the ridge of the upper mandible a broad stripe of most lovely yellow extends from the head to the point ; a stripe of the same breadth, though somewhat deeper yellow, falls from it at right angles next the head down to the edge of the mandible; then follows a black stripe, half as broad,. falling at right angles from the ridge, and running narrower along the edge to within half an inch of the point. The rest of the mandible is a deep bright red. The lower mandible has no yellow : its black and red are distributed in the same man- ner as on the upper one, with this difference, that there is black about an inch from the point. The stripe corresponding to the deep yellow stripe on the upper mandible is sky blue. It is worthy of remark that all these brilliant colours of the bill are to be found in the plumage of the body, and the bare skin round the eye. All these colours, except the blue, are inherent in the horn ; that part which appears blue is in reality transparent white, and receives its colour from a thin piece of blue skin inside. This superb bill fades in death, and in three or four days' time, has quite lost its original colours. The Houtou ranks high in beauty amongst the birds of Demerara ; his whole body is green, with a bluish cast in the wings and tail; his crown, which he erects at pleasure, consists of black iu the centre, surrounded with lovely blue of two different shades : he has a triangular black spot, edged with blue, behind the eye, extending to the ear ; and on his breast a sable tuft, consisting of nine feathers edged also with blue. This bird seems to suppose that its beauty can be increased by trimming the tail, which under- goes the same operation as our hair in a barber's shop, only with this difference, that it uses its own beak, which is serrated, in lieu of a pair of scissors : as soon as his tail is full grown, he begins about an inch from the extremity of the two longest feathers in it, and cuts away the web on both sides of the shaft, making a gap about an inch long : both male and female adonise their tails in this manner, which gives them a remarkable appear- ance amongst all other birds. While we consider the tail of the houtou blemished and defective, were he to come amongst us, he would probably consider our heads cropped and bald, in no better light. He who wishes to to observe this handsome bird in his native haunts, must be iu the forest at the morning's dawn. The houtou shuns the society of man : the plantations and cultivated parts are too much disturbed to engage it to settle there ; 5 WAlfxiws JAY— BOCLORA. 181 ' ' the thick and gloomy forests are the places preferred by the solitary houtou. In those far-extending wilds, above daybreak, yon hear him articulate, in a distinct and mournful tone, " Houtou, houtou." Move cautious on to where the sound proceeds from, and you will sec him sitting in the under- wood, about a couple of yards from the ground, his tail moving up and down every time he articulates " houtou." He lives on insects and the berries amongst the underwood, and very rarely is seen in the lofty trees, except the bastard Siloaballi-tree, the fruit of which is grateful to him. lie makes no nest, but rears his young in a hole in the sand, generally on the side of a hill. While in quest of the houtou, you will now and then fall in with The Jay of Guiana, called by the Indians Ibibirou. Its forehead is black, the rest of the head white; the throat and breast like the English magpie: about an inch of the extremity of the tail is white-, the other part of it, to- gether with the back and wings, a greyish changing purple ; the belly is white:: there are generally six or eight of them in company; they are shy and garrulous, and tarry a very short time in one place : they arc never seen m the cultivated parts. Through the whole extent of the forest, chiefly from sunrise till nine o'clock in the morning, you hear a sound of " wow, wow, wow, wow." This is the bird called Boclora by the Indians. It is smaller than the common pigeon, and seems, in some measure, to partake of its nature : its head and breast are blue ; the back and rump somewhat resemble the colour on the pea- cock's neck ; its belly is a bright yellow ; the legs are so very small that it always appears as if sitting on the branch ; it is as ill adapted for walking as the swallow ; its neck, far above an inch all round, is quite bare of fea- thers ; but this deficiency is not seen, for it always sits with its head drawn in upon its shoulder: it sometimes feeds with the cotingas on theguavaand hiti.-i trees; but it* chief nutriment seems to be insects, and, like most birds which follow this prey, it* chaps are well armed with bristles : it is found in Demerara at all times of the year, and makes a nest resembling that of the stork dove. This bird never takes long tlights, and when it crosses a river or creek it goes by long jerks. The boclora is very unsuspicious, appearing quite heedless of danger : the report of a gun within twenty yards will not cause it to leave the branch on which it is sitting, and you may often approach it so near as almost to touch it with the end of your bow. Perhaps there is no bird known whose feathers arc so slightly fixed to the skin as those of the boclora. After shooting it, if it touch a branch in its descent, or if it drop on hard ground, whole heaps of feathers fall off: on this account it is extremely hard to procure a specimen for preservation. As soou as the skin is dry in the pre- served specimen, the leathers become as well fixed as those in any other bird. 8 ViII»T01l. 182 CU1A— RICE-BIRD— CASSIQUE. 5 ' Another species, larger than the boclora, attracts much of your notice in these wilds ; it is called Cuia by the Indians, from the sound of its voice ; its habits arc the same as those of the boclora, but its colours different ; its head, breast, back, and rump are a shining, changing green ; its tail not quite so bright ; a black bar runs across the tail towards the extremity, and the outside feathers are partly white as in the boclora; its belly is entirely vermilion, a bar of white separating it from the green on the breast. There are diminutives of both these birds ; they have the same habits, with a somewhat different plumage, and about half the size. Arrayed from head to tail in a robe of richest sable hue, the bird called Rice- Bird loves spots cultivated by the hand of man. The woodcutter's house on the hills in the interior, and the planter's habitation on the sea coast, equally attract this songless species of the order of Pie, provided the Indian corn be ripe there. He is nearly of the jackdaw's size, and makes his nest far away from the haunts of men ; he may truly be called a blackbird : independent of his plumage, his beak, inside and out, his legs, his toes, and claws are jet black. Mankind, by clearing the ground, and sowing a variety of seeds, in- duces many kinds of birds to leave their native haunts, and come and settle near him : their little depredations on his seeds and fruits prove that it is the property, and not tie proprietor, which has the attractions. One bird, however, in Demerara is not actuated by selfish motives; this is The Cassigue ; in size, he is larger than the starling ; he courts the society of man, but disdains to live by his labours. When nature calls for sup- port, he repairs to the neighbouring forest, and there partakes of the store of fruits and seeds, which she has produced in abundance for her aerial tribes. When his repast is over, he returns to man, and pays the little tribute which he owes him for his protection ; he takes his station on a tree close to his house ; and there, for hour's together, pours forth a suc- cession of imitative notes. His own song is sweet, but very short. If a Toucan be yelping in the neighbourhood, he drops it, and imitates him. Then he will amuse his protector with the cries of the different species of the woodpecker ; and when the sheep bleat, he will distinctly answer them. Then comes his own song again, and if a puppy dog, or a Guinea fowl in- terrupt him, he takes them off admirably, and by his different gestures dur- ing the time, you would conclude that he enjoys the sport. The Cassique is gregarious, and imitates any sound he hears with such exactness, that he goes by no other name than that of Mocking bird amongst the colonists. At breeding time, a number of these pretty choristers resort to a tree near the planter's house, and from its outside branches weave their pendu- lous nests. So conscious do they seem that they never give offence, and so little suspicious are they of receiving any injury from man, that they will 3. Waiieiok. CASSIQUE— WOODPECKERS. 188 ' choose a tree within forty yards from his house, and occupy the branches so low down, that he may peep into the nests. A tree in Waratilla Creek affords a proof of this. The proportions of the Cassique are so fine, that he may be said to be a model of symmetary in ornithology. On each wing he has a bright yel- low spot, and his rump, belly, and half the tail, arc of the same colour, All the rest of the body is black. His beak is the colour of sulphur, but it fades iu death, and requires the same operation as the bill of the toucan to make it keep its colours. Up the rivers, in the interior, there is another cassique, nearly the same size, and of the same habits, though not gifted with its powers of imitation. Except in breeding time, you will see hundreds of them retiring to roost, amongst the moca-moca-trees and low shrubs on the banks of the Demerara after you pass the first island. They arc not common on the sea coast. The rump of this' cassique is a flaming scarlet. All the rest of the body is a rich glossy black. His bill is sulphur colour. You may often see numbers of this species weaving their pendulous nests on one side of a tree, while numbers of the other species are busy iu forming theirs on the opposite side of the same tree. Though such near neighbours, the females arc never observed to kick up a row, or come to blows ! Another species of cassique, as large as a crow, is very common in the plantations. In the morning, he generally repairs to a large tree, and there with his tail spread over his back, and shaking his lowered wings, he produces notes, which though they cannot be said to amount to a song, still have something very sweet and pleasing in them. lie makes his nrst in the same form as the other eassiques. It is above four feel long ; and when you pass under the tree, which often contains fifty or sixty of them, you cannot help stopping to admire them as they wave to and fro, the sport of every storm and breeze. The rump is chestnut ; ten feathers of the tail are a fine yellow, the remaining two, which are the middle ones, are black and an inch shorter than the others. His bill is sulphur colour \ all the rest of the body black, with here and there shades of brown. He has five or six long narrow black feathers on the back of his head, which he erects at pleasure. There is one more species of cassique in Demerara, which always pre- fers the forests to the cultivated parts. His economy is the ,ame as that of the other eassiques. lie is rather smaller than the last described bird. His body is greenish, and his tail and rump paler than those of the former. Half of his beak is red. You would not be long in the forests of Demerara, without noticing The Woodpeckers. You meet with them feeding at all hours of the clay. Well may they do so. Were they to follow the example of most of the other birds, and only feed in the morning and evening, they would be often on short allowance, for they sometimes have to labour three or four hours at the tree before they get to their food. The sound which the largest kind makes iu hammering against the bark of the tree, is so loud, that you would never suppose it to proceed from the efforts of a bird. You would take it 3 Waibrton. 181 WOODPECKER— KING FISHER. ' ' to be the woodman with liis axe, trying by a sturdy blow, often repeated, whether the tree were sound or not. There are fourteen species here ; the lirg'st the size of a magpie, the smallest no bigger than the wren. They arc all beautiful ; and the greater part of them have their heads ornamented with a fine crest, moveable at pleasure. It is said, if you once give a dog a bad name, whether innocent or guilty, he never loses it. It stick close to him wherever he goes. He has many a kick, and many a blow to bear on account of it ; and there is no- body to stand up for him. The Woodpecker is little better off. The pro- prietors of woods, in Europe, have long accused him of injuring their tim- ber, by boring holes in it, and letting in the water, which soon rots it. The colonists in America have the same complaint against him. Had he the power of speech, which Orid's birds possessed in days of yore, he could soon make a defence. " Mighty lord of the woods," he would say to man, " why do you wrongfully accuse me ? Why do you hunt me up and down to death, for an imaginary offence ? I have never spoiled a leaf of your property, much less your wood. Your merciles shot strikes me, at the very time I am doing you a service. But your shortsightedness will not let you see it, or your pride is above examining closely the actions of so insignifi- cant a little bird as I am. If there be that spark of feeling in your breast which they say man possesses, or ought to possess, above all oilier animals, do a poor injured creature a little kindness, and watch me in your woods only for one day. I never wound your healthy trees. I should perisli for want in the attempt. The sound bark would easily resist the force of my bill, and were 1 even to pierce through it there would be nothing inside that I could fancy or my stomach digest. I often visit them it is (rue, but a knock or two convince me that I must go elsewhere for support ; and were you to listen attentively to the sound which my bill causes, you would know whether I am upon a healthy or an unhealthy tree. Wood and bark are not my food. I live entirely upon the insects which have already formed a lodgement in the distempered tree. When the sound informs rue that my prey is there, I labour for hours together, till I get at it; and by consum- ing it for my own support, I prevent its further depredations in that part. Thus I discover for you your hidden and unsuspected foe, which has been devouring your wood in such secrecy, that yoi* had not the least suspicion it was there. The hole which I make in order to get at the pernicious vermin, will be seen by you as you pass under the tree. I leave it as a signal to tell you, that your tree has already stood too long. It is past its prime. Millions of insects, engendered by disease, are preying upon its vitals. Ere long it will fall a log in useless ruins. Warned by this loss, cut down the rest in time, and spare, O spare, the unoffending Woodpecker." In the rivers, and different creeks, you number six species of The King-Fisher. They make their nest in a hole in the sand on the side of the bank. As there is always plenty of foliage to protect them from the heat of the sun, they feed at all hours of the day. Though their plumage is prettily varied, still it falls far short of the brilliancy displayed by the 3 tViTinrw .lACAUAi;— TROITIALE. is:> ' ' English king-fisher. This Little native of Britain would outweigh them altogether in tlir scale of beauty. A bird railed Jacamar is often taken for a king-fisher, but it has no relationship to thai tribe ; it frequently sits in the trees over the Mater, and as its beak bears some resemblance to that of the king-fisher, tins may probably ac- count for its being taken tor one; it feeds entireh upon insects J it sits on a branch in motionle - cpectation, and as soon as a fly, butterfly, or moth pass by, il dans a; ii , ami returns to the branch it had jusl left. It seems an indolent, sedentary bird, shunning th« society of all others in the forest. It never visits the plantations, bul is found at all times of the year in the woods. There are four species of .laeamar in De- merara ; they are all beautiful : the . rich and superb in theextremc. Its plumage is of so tine a changing blue and golden green, that it ma;, be ranked with the choicest of the humming-birds. Nature has denied it a sung but given a costly garni! nt in lieu of il. The smallest species of Jacamar is very common in the dry savannas. T d Bize, all golden green on the back, milt be looked for in the Wallaba forest. The third is found thri ughout the whole extent iA' these wilds: and the fourth, which is the largest, frequents the inferior, where you begin to perceive stones in the ground. When you have penetrated far into Macoushia, you hear the pretty songster, called Troupiale pour forth a, variety of sweet ami plaintive notes. This is the bird which the Portuguese call the nightingale of Guiana; its predominant colours arc rich orange, ami shining black, arrayed to great advantage: bis delicate and well-shaped frame seems unable to bear captivity. The Indians sometimes bring down Tronpiales to Georgetown, but in a few mouths they languish and die in a cage. They soon become very familiar ; and if you allow them the liberty of the home, they live longer than in a cage, ami appear in better spirits ; but, when you least expect it, they drop down and die in epilepsy. Smaller in size, and of colour not so rich, and somewhat differently arranged, another species of Troupiale sings melodiously in Pemcrnra. The woodcutter is particularly favoured by him ; for while the hen is sitting on her nest, built in the roof of the woodcutter's house, he smgs for hours together (dose by : he prefers the forests to the cultivated parts. "Sou would not grudge to stop for a few minutes, as you are walking in the plantations, to observe a third species of Troupiale: his wings, tail, and throat are black, all the rest of the body is a bright yellow. There is something very sweet and plaintive in his song, though much shorter than llial ol the Troupiale in the interior. A fourth species goes in flocks from place to place iu the cultivated parts at the time the Indian corn is ripe ; he is all black, except the head and throat, which are yellow; his attempt at song is not worth attending to. i W a J J. i i 186 TANGARA— MANIKIN-TIGER BIRD— YAWARICIRI. 3 ' Wherever there is a wild fig-tree ripe, a numerous species of birds, called — Tariff ara, is sure to he on it. There are eighteen beautiful species here. Their plumage is very rich and diversified ; some of them boast six separate colours ; others have the blue, purple green, and black so kindly blended into each other, that it would be impossible to mark their boundaries ; while others again exhibit them strong, distinct, and abrupt : many of tkese Tan garas have a fine song. They seem to partake much of the na- ture of our linnets, sparrows, and finches. Some of them are fond of the plantations ; others are never seen there, preferring the wild seeds of the forest to the choicest fruits planted by the hand of man. On the same fig-trees to which they repair, and often accidentally up and down the forest, you fall in with four species of Manikin. The largest is white and black, with the feathers on the throat remarkably long : the next in size is half red and half black : the third black, with a white crown : the fourth, black, with a golden crown, and red feathers at the knee. The half red and half black species is the scarcest. There is a creak in the Demerara called Camouui. About ten minutes from the mouth, you see a common-sized tig-tree on your right-hand, as you ascend, hang- ing over the water ; it bears a very small fig twice a year. "When its fruit is ripe, this Manikin is on the tree from morn till eve. On all the ripe fig- trees in the forest you see the bird called the small Tiffer-bird. Like some of our belles and dandies, it has a gaudy vest to veil an ill-shaped body: the throat, and part of the head, are a bright red; the breast and belly have black spots on a yellow ground ; the wings are a dark green, black, and white ; and the rump and tail black and green. Like the Ma- nikin it has no song : it depends solely upon a showy garment for admira- tion, Devoid too of song, and in a still superbcr garb, The Yawaraciri comes to feed on the same tree. It has a bar like black velvet from the eyes to the beak ; its legs arc yellow ; its throat, wings, and tail black ; all the rest of the body a charming blue. Chiefly in the dry savannas, and here and there accidentally in the forest, you see a songless Yawaraciri still lovelier than the last : his crown is whitish blue, arrayed like a coat of mail ; his tail is black, his wiugs black and yellow ; legs red ; and the whole body a glossy blue. Whilst roving through the forest, ever and anon you see individuals of the wren species, busv amongst the fallen leaves, or seeking insects at the roots of the trees. Here, too, you find six or seven species of small birds, whose backs appear to be overloaded with silky plumage. One of these, with a chestnut breast, smoke-coloured back, tail red, white feathers like horns on his head, and white, narrow-pointed feathers under the jaw, feeds entirely upon ants. When a nest of large, light, brown ants emigrates, one following the other 5WAISEION, PARROTS and PAKKOQUETS. 187 1 'in meandering linos above a mile long, you see this bird watching them, and every now and then picking them up. When they disappear, he is seen no more : perhaps this is the only kind of ant he is fond of: when these ants are stirring, you are sure to find him near them. You cannot well mistake tlie Ants after you have one,- been in its company, for its sting is very severe, and you can hardly shoot the bird, and pick it up, without having five or six upon you. Parrots and PafTOqutts are very numerous here, and of many different kinds. You will know when they are near you in the forest, not only by the noise they make, but also by the fruits and seeds which they Lei fall while they are feeding. The Hia-hia Pin-rot, called in England the parrot of the sun, is verj remarkable: he can erect at pleasure a fine radiated circle of tartan feathers quite round the back of his head from jaw to jaw. The forepart of his head is white; his back, tail, and wings, green ; and his breast and belly tartan. Superior in size and beauty to every parrot of South America, The Ara will force you to take your eyes from the rest of animated nature, and gaze at him : his commanding strength, 'he (laming scarlet of his body, the lovely variety of red, yellow, blue, and green in his wings, the extraordi- nary length of his scarlet and blue tail, seem all to join and demand for hiin the title of emperor of all the parrots. He is scarce in Demerara till you reach the confines of the Macoushi country; there be is in vast abundance; he mostly feeds on trees of the palm species. When the Concourite trees have ripe fruit, on them, they are covered with this magnificent parrot; he is not shy or wary: you may take your blow -pipe and quiver of poisoned arrows, and kill more than you are able to carry back to your hut. They are xcry vociferous, and, like the common parrots, rise up in bodies towards sunset, and fly two and tWo to their place of rest. It is a grand sight in ornithology to see thousands of Aras Hying Over your head, low enough to let you have a full view of their flaming mantle. The Indians find their flesh very good, and the feathers serve for ornaments in their head-dresses, They breed in the holes of trees, are easily reared and tamed, and learn to speak pretty distinctly, Another species frequents the low lands of Demerara. He is u early the size of the scarlet ara, but much inferior in plumage. Blue and yellow arc his predominant colours. Along the creeks and river sides, and in wet savannas, h N species of the Hit/, rn will engage your attention. They are all handsome. The smallest not so larje as the English water-hen. In the savannas too, you will sometimes surprise The Snow-While Egret le, whose back is adorned with the plumes from which it takes its name. Here too, the spur-winged water-hen. the blue aud green water-hen, and two other species of ordinary plumage are found. While in quest of these, the 3 Watebton. 188 SNOW-WHITE EGRETTE— GOATSUCKER'. 5 ' blue Heron, the large unci small brown heron, the boatbill, and muscovy duck, now and then rise up before you. When the sun has sunk in the western woods, no longer agitated by the breeze ; when you can only see a straggler or two of the feathered tribe hastening to join its mate, already at its roosting place, then it is that The Goafs." e lues out of the forest, where it has sat all day long in slumbering ease. unmindful of the gay and busy scenes around it. Its eyes are too delicately formed to bear the light, and thus it is forced to shun the flaming face of clay, and wait in patience till night invites him to partake of the pleasures her dusky presence brings. The harmless, unoffending goatsucker, from the time of Aristotle down to the present day, has been in disgrace with man. Father has handed down to son, ami author to author that this noc- turnal thief subsists by milking the flocks. Poor injured little bird of night, how sadly has thou suffered, and how foul a stain has inattention to facte put upon thy character! Thou has never robbed man of any pait of his property, nor deprived the kid of a drop of mill:. When the moon shi,,es bright, you may have a fair opportunity of examining the goatsucker. You will see it close by the cows, goats, and sheep, jumping up every now and then, under their bellies. Approach a little nearer — he is not shy, " he fears no clanger, for he knows no sin." See how the nocturnal flies are tormenting the herd, and with what dexte- rity he springs up and catches them, as fast as they alight on the belly, legs, and udder of the animals. Observe how quiet they stand, and how sensible they seem of his good offices, for they neither strike at him, nor hit him with with their tail, nor tread on him, nor try to drive him away as an uncivil intruder. Were you to dissect him, and inspect his stomach, you would hint no milk there. It is full of the flies which have been annoying the herd. The prettily mottled plumage of the goatsucker, like that of the owl, wants the lustre which is observed in the feathers rf the birds of the da] . This, at once marks him as a lover o; the pale moon's nightly beams, There arc nine species here. The largest appears nearly the size of the English wood owl. Its cry is so remakable, that having once heard it you will never forget it. "When night reigns over these immeasurable wilds, whilst lying in your hammock, you will hear this goatsucker lamenting like one in deep distress. A stranger would never conceive it to be the cry of a bird. He would say it was the departing voice of a midnight murdered vic- tim, or the last wailing of Niobe for her poor children, before she was turn- ed into stone. Suppose yourself in ho| h rr ,w, begin with a high loud note, and pronounce, " ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha," each note lower and lower, till the last is scarcely heard, pausing a moment or two betwixt every note, and you will have some idea of the moaning of the largest goat- sucker in 1 > merara. Four other species of goatsucker articulate some words so distinctly, that they have received their names from the sentences they utter, and abso- lutely bewilder the stranger on his arrival in these parts. The most common 3 Watert'iv PARTRIDGE— HANNAQUOI— POWISE. 189 'one sits down close by your door, and flies, and alights three or four yards beforeyou, as you walk along the road, crying, " Who-are-you, who-who- who-are-you." Another bids you, ■' Work-away, work-work-work-away." A third cries, mournfully, " Willy-come-go. Willy-Willy-Willy-come-go." And high up in the country, a fourth tells you to " Whip-poor-Will. Whip- whip-whip-poor-Will." l'ou will never persuade the negro to destroy these birds, or get the Indian to let fly hi- arrow at them. They arc birds of omen, and reverential dread. Jumbo, the demon of Africa, lias them under his command; and 1 hey equally obey the Yabahou, or IK in. rani Indian devil. They are the receptacles for departed souls, who come hack again to earth, unable to rest for crimes done in their days ol nal ure ; or they are expressly sent by Jumbo, or Yabahou, to haunt cruel and hard-hearted masters, and retaliate injuries received from them. If the largesl goatsucker chance to cry near the while man's door, sorrow and grief will soon be inside; and they expect to sec the master waste away « ith a slow e> msuming sickness. 1 1' it he heard close to the negro's or Indian's hut, from that nigh! misfortune sits brooding over il ; and they await the event in terrible suspense. Would you wish to pursue the different species of game, well stored and boundless is your range in Demcrara. Here no one dogs you, and af- terwards clandestinely inquires if you have a hundred a year in land to enti- tle you to enjoy such patrician sport. Here no 'saucy intruder asks il' you ha\ e taken out a license, by \ ill Hi' of which you are allowed to kill the birds which have bred upon your own property. Here "Yon 1 » soothe the rest of anima'ed nature; and, ere the sun's rays appear on the horizon. thou wilt spring From thy hammock fresh as the V [it'll lark. Be convinced also, that the dangers and difficulties which are generally supposed to accom- pany the traveller in his journey through distant regions, are not half so numerous Or dreadful as they are commonly thought to be. The youth, who incautiously reels into the lobby of Drury-lane, after leaving the table sacred to the god of wine, is exposed to more certain nun, sickness, and decay, than he who wanders a whole year in the wilds of Demerara. Bui this will never be believed ; because the disasters arising from dissipation are so common and frequent in civilized life, that man become8 quite habituated to them; and see-- daily victims sink into the tomb long before their time, with >ut ever once taking alarm at the causes which precipated them headlong into it. But the dangers which a traveller exposes himself in foreign part- are novel, out of the way things to a man at home. The remotest apprehension of meeting a tremendous tiger, of being carried off by Hying dragon, or having his bone picked by a famished cannibal; oh, that makes him shudder. It sounds in his ears like the bursting of a bomb-shell. Thank heaven, he is safe by his own fireside. Prudence and resolution ought to be the traveller's constant com- panions. The first will cause him to avoid a number of snares which he will liiul in the path as he journies on; and the second will always lend a hand to assist him, if he has unavoidabl) got entangled in them. The little distinctions which have been shown at his own home, ought to be forgotten when he travels Over the world at large ; for strangers know no- thing of his former merits, and it is necessary that they should witness them before they pay him the tribute which he was wont to receive within his own doors. Thus, to be kind and affable to those we meet, to mix in their amusements, to pay a compliment or two to their manners and customs, to respect their elders, to give a little to their distressed and needy, and to feel, as if were, at home amongst them, is the sure way to enable you to pass merrily on, and to find other comforts as sweet and palatable as those which you were accustomed to partake of amongst your frieuds and acquain- tance in your own native land. \Yc will now ascend in fancy on Icarian wing, and take a view of Guiaua in general. Sec an immense plain I betwixt two of the largest rivers in the world, level as a bowling-green, sa\e at Cayenne, and covered with trees along the coast quite to the Atlantic wave, except where the plantations make a little vacancy amongst the foliage. Though nearly in the centre of the torrid zone, the sun's rays are not BO intolerable as might be imagined, on account of the perpetual verdure 3 Waimtoh, V.r2 SCEfrERY OF THE INTERIOR. 5 ' and refreshing north-east breeze. See what numbers of broad and rapid rivers intersect it in their journey to the ocean, and tbat not a stone or a pebble is to be found on their banks, or in any part of the country till your eye catches the hills in the interior. How beautiful and magnificent are the lakes in the heart of the forests, and how charming the forests themselves, for miles after miles on each side of the rivers ! How extensive appear the savannas or natural meadows, teeming with innumerable herds of cattle, where the Portuguese and Spaniards are settled, but deserl as Saara, where the English and Dutcli claim dominion ! How gradually the face of the country rises ! See the sand-hills all clothed in wood first emerging from the level, then hills a little higher, rugged with bold and craggy rocks, peeping out from amongst the most luxuriant timber. Then conn 1 plains, and dells, and far-extending rallies, arrayed in richest foliage : and beyond them, mountains piled on mountains, some bearing prodigious forests, others of bleak and barren aspect. Thus your eye wanders on, over scenes of varied loveliness and grandeur, till it rests on the stupendous pinnacles of the long-continued Cordilleras dc los Andes, which rise in towering majesty, and command all America. How fertile must the low-lands be, from the accumulation of fallen leaves and trees for centuries ! How propitious the swamps and slimy beds of the rivers, heated by a downward sun, to the amazing growth of alligators, serpents, and innumerable insects ! How inviting the forests to the feathered tribes, where you see buds, blossoms, green and ripe fruit, full grown and fading leaves, all on the same tree ! How secure the wild beasts may rove in endless mazes ! Perhaps those mountains too, -which appear so bleak and naked, as if quite neglected, are, like Potosi, full of precious metals.' 3 WATfcHTO.v. PISHES 0PG1 I ANA. 193 C 1! A PT E It ] \. The Axtm.w, Kingdom — (.Concluded)— Fishes.- Canoes — Corials and methods of capturing Fish hythe Indian Tribes The Law Law — Dnwalla — Bashaw Pacooma— Gilbagre— Cartabac and Rforocoto Pacu — Pirai— Sun Fish — Haimurn — Mullet Hussar— Flounders Fleet He Eel — Tacuta — Snapper — Sting Ray — Jew Fish — Snook — Saw Pish— Snake Fish — Shark, etc. The Fishes of this Colony have been very fully described by Sir II. II. Schomburgk, and published in the Naturalist.' Library. The same author, as an introduction to his Natural History of the Pishes of Guiana, has given an interesting account of the mode of fishing adopted by the Indian tribes, with their manner of manoeuvring their canoes upon fishing expeditions, &c. Extracts (Von: the above mentioned work are now given and form principally the subject of the present chapter: — 2 ' How I delight in recalling the scenes and adventures of our exploring tours in Guiana I I still recollect, when starling on our first expedition, we approached the embouchure of the majestic Es lequibo, forming at its mouth an estuary nearly twenty miles wide, and divided into tour channels by three islands. Numerous other islands follow on ascending, until the last traces of cultivation are passed, and we sec its banks lined by primitive forests, only here and there interrupted bj a solitary cottage. From the margin of the water, as far as the low land permits the survey of the shores, on cither side, extends an immense forest. We ascended in a schooner, as far as the confluence of the Mazaruni with the Essequibo, where we made the neces- sary preparation for our further journey. The canoes which were selected for that purpose are manufactured by the Indians, and consist of the trunk of a huge tree, which has been hollowed out, partly by the axe, partly by the fire. They arc sometimes from thirty to forty feet long, and are pecu- liarly qualified for these rivers, as they draw but little water and are less subjected to leaking when drawn over cataracts or coming in contact with rocks, than if they were constructed of timbers. A covering of palm leaves is substituted for an awning. As the largest of these canoes is seldom more than four feet wide, its load must be restricted, and the baggage is generally placed in such a manner that, arrived where a cataract opposes obstacles to further progress, it may be unloaded and carried over land. The Indian propels his canoe by paddles ; these are generally about five feet long, of which the blade occupies about two feet. The Caribs and Macusis prepare their paddles generally of the i/nrnri or massara, a very curious tree, which has the appearance of being Butted, or a- if it consisted of numerous slender trees all grown together at the centre ; the fiat or lubu I ai projections of the lower part of the trunk qualify them peculiarly for their construction, 3. SchombvbckS Natural Histor; ol till I ma. 194 CANOES— COJRIALS— AYOODSKIN . 3 ' besides which, the wood is light, elastic, and very strong. I have frequently seen the Indians split one of the flutes off, and finish a paddle in course of a few hours, having no other tool hut a cutlass and a common spcar-knife ; it was then handed to the women, who painted it with rucu* and /ana, the former of which colours red, the latter black. The Indian sits or squats on the thwart of the canoe, fronting or look- ing towards the bow, and grasping the handle with his right hand : if he sits on the larboard side, he puts the left just a little above the blade of the paddle, strikes outward into the water, and having pulled forward, gives the blade a slight turn, so as to present the edge, and prevent unnecessary splashing when he withdraws it in order to repeat the former movement. There is no rudder to steer by, but the Indian who acts as coxswain has a paddle of larger dimensions, and, taking his seat at the stern, he directs the course of the boat with as much agility as if the canoe possessed one of the common rudders. Their mode of paddling is various : if it be on along intended journey, a long and strong stroke is required ; but if perhaps only a short distance is to be made, or on approaching a settlement, the stroke is varied ; and keeping a certain time, the handle is knocked against the side of the canoe at each stroke, sometimes twice slow and thrice in double quick time. A European, unacquainted with their mode of paddling, is awkward, audit sure to draw their ridicule upon himself, by knocking the fingers of the hand which is near the blade against the canoe ; but au Indian paddles with grace, and his arm forms a fine arch, showing what sinews he possesses. The canoe is flat on the bow and stern, and in order to prevent the water from getting into it, two pieces of wood cut according to its shape are fitted in, which the Indian never fails to ornament according to his fashion. The corial narrows to a point towards the stern and bow. Like the canoes, they are scooped out from the trunk of a tree, and have no keel, — which indeed would be quite a superfluous appendage, as it would be soon knocked off by coming in contact with sunken rocks, or when drawn over cataracts. The pakasse, or woodskin, is a boat merely constructed of the bark of a tree. It is generally made of a single piece of the tough bark of the murianara tree, which grows to a very large size. An incision of the length the boat is to possess is made in the bark, which is removed from the trunk by driving in wedges ; when loosened from the wood, it is kept open by cross sticks, and is supported at the extremities upon two beams, in order to raise those parts of the intended boat. Vertical incisions, at about two feet apart, and a few inches in depth, are then made, and the parts secured afterwards by overlapping. It remains for several days exposed to the wea- ther before it is fit for use. Though the pakasse is so crank that the slightest motion, when once in, renders it liable to upset, I have seen pakasses among the Tarumas, in the C'uyuwini, with five or six Indians in them. Their great advantage is, that being flat, they can float, where a common corial 2. Schomburgk's Natural History of the Fishes of Guiana. * It is produced from t hn red pulp which covers th" seeds of the ffixa orellann • pcrhnps better known in England by the name of nrn.Mo, where it is much used for dying cheese. The The luna n the fruit of Gtnipa J.mcric*na, the juice ot which givei a fine black dye, ASCENDING THE RAPIDS. 195 'of the smallest dcseriprion cannot pass : and are so light, that in crossing cataracts, one man can easily carry his boat on his head. TV'heu propelled by one man, he squats in the middle and paddles on either side, Great care is requisite in stepping in or out of them, as, if upset, they sink almost instantly, owing to the greal specific gravity of the peculiar bark of which they are built. When we ascended the river Berbice, two Waccawai boys belonged to our party, who navigated one of those pakasses. They were perhaps not more than eight years old, but we were highly delighted to see how ably they managed it. The beat seemed to f!\ through the water ; and the juve- nile steersman directed its course with such judgment and precision, that it never grounded, though it went over places where there was not more than eight or nine inches water. They were equally expert in the use of the bow and arrow : and wherever they observed one of the finny tribe, the pakasse was halted, the bow strung, off flew the pointed arrow, and when taken out of the sand, which the water barely covered, we generally observed a lish struggling for liberty. In spite of these occasional detentions, they were always in the van when the hour approached for our stopping for breakfast or to encamp for the night. The first impediments which are thrown in the navigation, on ascend- ing the Essequibo, are the Aritaka Rapids, distant about sixty miles in a direct line from the mouth of the river. They arc the beginning of a series which extends for six miles, caused by the river's passage through a chain of hills about t«o hundred led high. The most considerable of them is the [taballi Rapid, and the manner in which these impediments are overcome is as follows. W we except the larger cataracts, where the mass ot' water falls over a level ledge, and to overcome which the canoes must be drawn overland, large blocks generally divide the river, through which it forces itself a passage by numerous fissures, sometimes merely a tew feet in breadth, in other instances from fifty to sixty and upwards. At the base of the blocks which form these rapids there is generally an eddy, where the canoe is almost stationary, having no current cither way. The head of the canoe, after a long hawser has Keen fixed round her DOW, is brought to the stream, and the most intcrpid and best swimmers of the crew now attempt to reach the next rock, cither bj wading, a courageous leap, or by swimming; when successful, the canoe or corial is pulled into one of the shoots of the fall where there is water enough to Hoat her, and by main strength sin- is hauled up the ascent, the steersman (sometimes lashed for security's sake to his seat) attempting to direct her course as far as in his power by his large paddle. Safely arrived at the head of the rapid, she is taken out of the current, and her stern laid against the top ot' the rock with her head up the stream; the crew instantaneously spring into her. and paddling with all their strength, they endeavour tocio s the current ot' the succeeding rapid, until they get into another eddy. It is evident, should the rope break hi hauling her over the ascent, or if the crew are not active in jumping into the canoe when lying against the rock, and should not be strong enough to pull against the current, the head of the canoe is turned, and she drifts broadside down the Km ihik'» Nstuml Hislorr of the 1 ishcj of Gui»ii». 196 SHOOTING THE FALLS. 3 ' fall, where she must infallibly upset, should slic even escape the danger of the rocks, where otherwise' she would bedashed to pieces. The hauling of canoes over rapids affords a most enlivening scene ; the activity of the Indians is only in sucb instances brought in perfect play. Here we sec a party attempting to swim towards one of the rocks which are partly raised above the surface of the river, while others arc. wading along- side the canoe up to their waists in water. Their cheerful cry when yield- ing to force, she steins the current and is drawn by means of the rope towards the rock where the Indians are standing, is a peculiar feature of the scene attending the passing of a rapid, and the roar of the water, and the wild grandeur of the surrounding scenery, assist to make the picture impressive. Where the nature of the cataracts permits it, the canoe in descending the river is let down by ropes, to avoid its being dashed to pieces. But this is frequently impracticable, and then her safety depends entirely upon the steersman and the bowman acting in concert and with decision. In descend* ing, the canoe is generally kept in the centre and force of the stream, and, carried forward, she shoots along with the swiftness of lightning; she arrives at the edge of the cataract, and, balancing for a moment, she plunges headlong into the surge below, dashing the spray on cither side against the rocks that bound the passage, so as almost completely to conceal the body of the canoe, leaving the men only visible above the spray : then she rises again above the foaming waters, obeys the steady hand of tin- helmsman, and ski pping over the wave?, formed by the fall -and impetuosity of contend- ing currents, the danger is over, and a simultaneous burst of joy generally escapes from the canoemen, to proclaim their success. Alas ! success does not always attend the descent of these falls, and large is the number of those who have lost their lives in descending the cataracts by the canoe having been upset or split on coming in contact with a hidden rock. I had thus the grief to witness, during our descent of the river Berbice, the upsetting of one of our canoes, while passing one of the Christmas cataracts, and of her inmates, thirteen in number, ^Tr. Rmss, a talented young man, who accompanied me as volunteer, lost his life by this disastrous accident. South of the first series of rapids, the Essequibo assumes a new pros- pect, displaying numerous sandbanks rising above its surface, which obliged us constantly to cross and re-cross to avoid running aground. The guana {Lacerta iguanna) had selected them as a deposit for its eggs, which when fresh arc a great delicacy. Our Indian canocrnen showed great dexterity in securing them, and in a very short time they took some hundred eggs and captured several of the guanas. We frequently selected these sand-banks for our night-camp, and our attempts in fishing were here generally more successful than when we camped on the wooded banks of the river. Every one of our canoemen knew his duty : scarcely had the boat touched the selected spot, when all was life and bustle ; some were seen running to cut the necessary poles for pitching the tent; others unloaded the utensils wanted for our night-quarters and 2. Schombvrgk's Natural History of the Fishes of Guiana. NIGHT FISHING 197 2 ' for that important personage the cook, whose indispensable qualities and skill are only fully acknowledged, when, after a long day's journey, the minutes appear hours to the murmuring stomach which can scarcely brook delay. The gun on the shoulder, the hunters dive into the thick woods, attracted by the noise of the cooing pauia [Crow alector), or a herd of monkeys. The smaller crafts are unloaded, and some of the more skilful archers paddle away from the noisy camp to see whether they are fortunate enough to shoot, with bow and arrow, some luganani <>r other fish. Fires are seen in all directions, with the simmering earthern pot or aina on them, and the squaw watching with anxiety the bubbles which com- mence to rise mi tin' surface of the water. This contained a guana; the other, part of a monkey; a third, some fish j but all seasoned with capsicum, the indispensable condimeut of the Indian's cookery. The tents are now finished; if the weather promises fair, the Indian satisfies himself with putting a few poles in the ground, from which he suspends his hammocks . but if it threaten to rain, and palms or the gigantic leaves of tin- wild plantain , urat lia are in the vicinity, then he constructs, in an incredibly short time, a hut which proves impervious to the rain. Some of these huts are square or oblong, others arched, and below it he slings his hammock. Our lint did not differ much in construction, only in place of the roof of palm-leaves we usid a curtain of sail-cloth. In tin' courseof an hour our camp was m order, and offered the appearance of a little village. Mean- while the fishermen and hunters returned, and brought frequently an acces- sion to our approaching dinner, which, after all, was best seasoned by a good appetite. During night commenced the fishing for laulau and others of the family of siluridea. Vlter tin- hooks have been baited with fish or animal flesh. they arc carried out info the stream, they line to which they arc attached being about thirtj to fortj fathoms long. If the Indian feels inclined, he keeps the end on the laud in his hand: but frequently he takes a forked stick, which he drives into the ground, and after having tied some dry bushes to the fork, hi- leads the stray line over if. If a fish should bile, the line being drawn with rapidity over tin- dry leaves, makes a rustling noise, and the Indian hurries to seize it and to haul the fish in. If' it be a laulau [silurus) or a large pacaruima [Phn dus bicolor), some considerable skill is necessary to land the fish without breaking the line or the hook. Many of the siluridcffi issue a sound when taken out of the water, but few so loud and so continued as the pacaruima. I have somewhere else observed, that the Indians have always a bludgeon at hand with which tiny beat the thickly armed skull, and each blow is sure to produce the loud grinding sound ; so that we who were lying in our hammocks knew whether a laulau, pacaruima, or any other fish had been secured. The Indian considers (hat a large fire kindled at the water's edge is sure to attract such fishes as take the bait only during night, and they never fail therefore to have a fire or a large brand when they are fishing for laulaus or pacaruimas. If large blocks of granite impeded the river near our camp, all hand- 2. Scbow»ve..k's Natural History of the Fiihei of Ouiano. 198 SHOOTING FISH WITH BOW and ARROWS. 1 ' lines which could be spared or procured were set in requisition to fist for ftirais (serrasahno). The avidity with winch they take the Lait insured success to the least practised in the art of fishing, and if the place proved a haunt of the pirai, the Indian was sure to secure his dinner. The natives possess great art in throwing the handline from the shore into the stream ; and it is a pretty sight to see the line circling in the air aud descending on the water at a great distance from the hanks or the rock which the angler has selected for his stand. The Indians use likewise, for the purpose of catching the pirai and numerous other species of tha{ family, the rod, Hue, and hook. The rod is generally made of yari-yari or lance-wood (a species anonaceai), which, in consequence of its toughness and elasticity, is pecu- liarly fit for that purpose. It demands, however, considerable skill to draw the fish out of the Mater, as of all others the pirai possesses tenacity of life and considerable strength for its size, and inflicts, besides this, very formi- dable wounds with its triangular teeth. A bludgeon is always at hand to kill the fish before it is unhooked. If the Indian has been successful enough to secure as many as he thinks he requires for his dinner, sonic tough slender twig is taken, and one end being put through the gill aperture and then out at the mouth, they are thus strung and carried to the camp. The Indians arc a nation of ichthyophagists, they possess therefore various methods of securing fish, but the most wonderful is the skill which they possess of shooting them with bow and arrow. If we recollect that proper allowance must be made for the false reflection of objects under the surface of the water, and the resistance which the arrow meets, it is really wonderful to see the success which attends this mode of fishing. The sharp- ness of the sight of the Indian is equally surprising : when the fish is com- paratively at ease or rest, I have not been able to see it under the surface of the water, although the Indians pointed it out, and no doubt ridiculed my stupidity in not being able to observe it : but the Indian not only sees the fish when in quick motion, but shoots it likewise with his arrow ; making, therefore, just allowance for the false reflection, its progress while discharg- ing the arrow, aud the resistance which the latter meets when entering the water. The arrow remaining a moment in a perpendicular position, and then vanishing, is a proof that his aim has been correct, and that the h>h is of considerable size, to sink with, the arrow in its body. However, it lasts not long before it is obliged to make its appearance again on the sur- face. If the fish is very powerful, this is the opportunity to discharge a second arrow into its body, and c\ en a third or fourth if its size demands it. I have seen an arapama or pira-rucu (Sndis yiyus) with upwards of twenty in its body before it could be secured. The bow of the Indian is generally from five to six feet in length, and is made of hard and clastic wood, which is rounded below and slightly con- cave above ; in this we have to admire his ingenuity ; if it were perfectly round above, the woody fibres of the bow, when bent, would split. The string is made of silk grass (the fibres of Bromelia karat a), and is equal in durability to our best bowstrings. There is sometimes a difference in the form of these bows, which indicates the tribe by whom they are made. The i. Scuoubdbok'i Natural History of th« Fiihet of Guiana. VARIETIES or the FISIIIXU ARROW. 199 1 ' most serriceable of the Indians of Guiana arc made of wamara, a tree which belongs to the natural family of lecythidea ; and fur ornament, they likewise choose the latter, or snake- wood, do doubt one o\ the costliest ornamental woods which Guiana possesses. The most common arrow which the Indian uses for shooting fish, is the takusi or poya, The shaft of the arrow is from Eve to five and a half feet long, and is made of the upper part of the stem of n reed if/i/itcricinii) which is very common throughout Guiana. A piece ol lame-wood or yari- yai'i, of about twelve inches in length, is (irmly fixed to it, which is armed with an iron point consisting of two pieces, namely, the pointed one to inflict the wound with, and a second being bent backward, as a barb or counter-hook. They are fixed with curauya or curawatu, the fibres of the bromelia above aUuded to, and are well coated with caran or mani, a mixture of resin and bees-wax. Through the frequent intercourse which the Indians have with the coast, iron is in no great sear perthcless, whereit is not at their commaud, they use monkey bones instead, and among the savi tribes, where iron is a precious article, the -renter part of the arrow-points arc made of monkey bones. A peculiar arrow is used for shooting the delicious fish called paCU. They are stronger than the generality of arrows, and arc nearly six feet in length. They are called puya by the Paribs and Macusis, and their lower part is not feathered. A long string is attached to the arrow's point, which detaches itself from the shaft. The end of the long string is kept round the little finger of the left hand when the arrow is shot oil'; and if the fish be struck, the shaft detaches itself, and the fish is hauled in. The line is sometimes plaited the length of the arrow, and the string attached to a kind of noose. Of a similar construction is the sarra-racca or uttewacca. The iron point is slightly fixed and attached to a long string. which is neatly wound up round the upper shaft of the arrow; when the fish is struck, it darts into the deep, and the point having detached itself, the line runs off rapidly, while the arrow which sw ims on flic surface points out the situation where the fish is, and the Indian goes in (base with his canoe. This kind of arrow is likewise used for shooting fresh-wafer turtle, which are sometimes of an enormous size; nevertheless., the force with which the arrow is discharged causes the point to penetrate through the shell. It is only to be wondered at how so huge an animal can be secured with so thin a string as that which is attached to the iron point ; but 1 be- lieve, in their skill in landing a large fish or hauling in a turtle, they would not yield to the best angler in England. 'flu- samoro is an arrow of peculiar construction, and three wounds are at once inflicted by it. It is used for striking the larger fishes which Frequent the rivers of Guiana. These arc the arrows which arc generally in use for shooting fish, but Various arc the ways used to entrap the finny tribe. An ingenious method to secure fish, without much trouble, is by mean: of spring-hooks. The Indians take an clastic and tough stick, of the thickness of a finger, to the thinner end of which a hook is attached, while the thicker end is driven in . ■ mm Huh t .\ahiirti Hietory of the lubes of Guuiu. 200 INDIAN MODK OF PISHING. 2 f the bank of the river, or perhaps tied to the branch or root of a tree under water; just somewhat below the surface of tlio water, a notch is made in t lie stick, and a similar notch at the thinner end where the hook is attached. The stick is now bent, and by means of the two notches it is kept in that situation, the liook and bait being a little under the water ; but scarcely is it touched by the fish, in his eagerness to seize the seducing morsel, when it is not only hooked, but, in consequence of the jerk, the notches part from each other, and the fish is drawn by the elasticity of the rod out of its element, and there it hangs until it is secured by the fisherman. Alter we had passed by the Christmas cataracts of the river Berbice, our ill success in securing game would have left us in want, if we had not been indemnified by a large number of fish ; and 1 recollect that our canoe- men caught, in one night, fourteen large haimuras [erythrinus) by means of spring-hooks. If the fish is very weighty, and the elasticity of the rod or stick not in comparison, the fish is only partly drawn out, and in its attempts to disentangle itself, it struggles and lashes the water, and this is a sign for the fisherman to secure the captive ; or the noise attracts the wily cayman, always on the alert to seize some prey, which is soon in attendance, and snaps at the entrapped fish carrying away hook and Hue. In this pirati- cal system he is assisted by the pirai or huma, who slashes piece after piece from the poor captive, and when the tardy fisherman takes his round, he finds nothing but the head attached to the rod. Those who set the hooks must therefore be constantly on the alert. In the vicinity of their villages, the Indians frequently plant numer- ous poles along the bank of the river, where it is shallow ; these are about ten feet apart, and a line is drawn from one to the other and secured. To this line, which frequently consists merely of a liana, numerous smaller ones are tied, each of which has a baited hook at its end, and thus the In- dian, provided he attends to his hooks, has a better chauce of securing fish. If a large fish takes the bait, the consequence is that it tears the line, and he not only loses the fish, but likewise a number of hooks. The Indian employs likewise different shaped baskets, which are made of thin twigs, or of a reed rather flat and held asunder by hoops ; some are cylindrical, others conical, with an opening at both ends ; and small shar- pened sticks are placed, funnel-shaped, in such a manner that they point inwards, to allow the fish to get in but not out again. "We observed, in the llio Negro, numerous contrivances at the mouth of small rivers, to secure fish on a similar plan, but on a larger scale. The mouth of the stream is barricaded with high poles. One part fronts the current, and there is a narrow entrance, which in a winding manner opens in the reservoir entirely shut in with poles. The fish coming down the river easily enters the camhoa, but, as in the foimer instance, it cannot find its way out again. The poles of which it consists being of considerable height, it serves equally well when the river is swollen ; it is entered from behind: and there is frequently a kind of grating at half of the whole height of the camboa, to prevent the fish from sinking in the deep, if the river stands very high. "We observed here likewise numerous ;. Schohbuhgk'b Natural Hietor; "i Sht Fishes ol Guiana FISHING EXPEDITIONS. 201 2 ' weirs, called cacuri, which resembled those which are employed for taking the sturgeon in the Havel and other rivers of Germany. A peculiar feature of the rivers of Guiana arc Large inlets, which no doubt have been formed by the river changing its course. These inlets (kira- hagh or itabu) are narrow at their mouth, but expand considerably when once entered, and arc entirely currentlcss. They arc the favourite abode of many fishes, and consequently the haunts of alligators, caymans, and nu- merous aquatic birds which prey on the fiuny tribe. The magoari or Ame- rican stork (Ciconia Americana), the jabiru {Mycteria Americana), the hanura [Ardea cocoi) , the roseate spoonbills [Platafea rosea), the boatbill [Cancroma cochlearia) , thepereka [Carbo Brasiliensis), the American dar- ter (Plotus Americanus) , and numerous others, frequent these inlets in search of food. The Indians, with their families, undertake large fishing expeditions to those which they know to be well stocked with fish ; aud after their out- lets have been partly barricaded, they erect their temporary huts and com- mence fishing with the line or with bows and arrows. If they are success- ful, a small triangular or square stage is erected. Should a laulau have been caught, then a squire and large barbacot is sure to be erected, and the Indian, always willing to spare himself trouble where he can, seeks until he finds two trees which are just apart enough to serve in lieu of poles. The women have been meanwhile occupied in collecting dry wood ; and after the fish has been washed and cleaned, and cut in pieces if it be a large one, it is put upon the grating and the wood lighted below it. The smoke acts as pyroligneous acid upon the fish ; and this method is more effec- tual than if the fish had been simply moistened with the acid, as it combines the complete exsiccation of the animal substance with the effect of the pyro- ligneous acid. The fish thus prepared keeps for several days ; nay, if it be well smoked, for weeks. Meat of feathered or other game is smoked in the same manner, and keeps for a longer period. The smoking ought to be, however, repeated after a certain lapse of time. But the most effective mode of fishing is to poison the water with kai-ari, the root of a leguminous plant (lonchocarjjiis), a climber, with a bluish papilionaceous Sower. The root is about three inches in diameter, and contains a white gummy milk of an acrid taste. After a sufficient quantity of hai-ari root has been collected, and the spot in the river has been fixed upon, a large space is inclosed. If it be among t lie* falls where the pacu has its haunts, the ledges of the rocks frequently afford opportunity of lightening the labour of inclosing a spot above where the lads is in abundance, and which plant constitutes the favourite food of thai lUh. By means of a wall of loose stone, and hurdles made of light wood, the re- mainder of the barrier is accomplished ; two or three spaces arc generally left open, for which likewise hurdles are prepared, but which arc not closed until the\ intend to commence to poison the water. These openings are, lastly, closed with daybreak : but previously the hai-ari h:is been prepared. They beat it upon the rocks with heavy sticks until it is in shreds; aud a corial or canoe having been filled with water, they immerse the hai-ari and KHUDMk'a Natural Hinorr of the F«h?> of Gaum. 202 POISONING FISH WITH THE HAI-AR1. 3 ' turn it about, until the water has a milky whiteness. If the canoe is not too lar ge,it is now carried to the spot which has been inclosed, and the in- fusion is thrown at different spots into it. The first symptoms that the poi- son has takeu effect are observable in about ten or fifteen minutes ; the fish rise to the surface, commence to swim unsteady, jump out of the water, and attempt to pass the stone-walls and hurdles; ultimately, 'hey gasp vio- lently for air, the gill-covers remain open, and turning the belly upwards, they die. As soon as the poison has taken proper effect, the fish may be secured with the hand, or they are shot with the arrow. The fish thus killed are by no means deteriorated in quality, and the number which are caught is enormous. In the Brazil, as at the Rio Negro, this mode of fishing is interdicted under a penalty of two hundred mil reis, but it is not strictly kept, nor is the fine enforced. I estimated the quantity of fish which I saw taken in the Upper Deme- rara river, during one of those fishing expeditions, at fifty hundred weight. Mr. Hillhovse relates, that in less than an hour he has taken two hundred and seventy pacu, averaging seven pounds weight, viith one hundred weight of other fish. I have seen frequently a peculiar mode of fishing practised among the IndianSj when at the period that the water in the rivers fell after the inun- dation, large pools of water had collected on the savannahs or on the islands. As soon as it was discovered that the pool contained fish, then young and old set to with calibashes, pots, and whatever would serve the purpose, to empty the pool of its water. The Rio Negro was, at the end of March 1839- on so low a level, that many of its tributaries ceased to flow, and consequently the deeper parts of the bed of the river formed pools. These pools, in the river Auapara, were so stocked with fish, that we rushed with cutlasses into the water and waged war against the finny tribe on a novel method. The number we secured by cutting them in pieces was astonishing. Among the Arecuna Indians I observed a kind of net which they called pente, with which they secured a number of smaller fish, perhaps three to four inches in length, which bury themselves in holes in the banks of rivers. The Indian knocks with the net at the hole, and the alarmed fish rushes out into the net. This is the ouly instance iu which I saw the Indians of the interior make use of a net. "We are too little acquainted with the habits of fishes in general, aud even with the modes and periods of propagation of those which inhabit Europe ; it is therefore, not to be expected, that I, during the comparative short period which I spent in the interior of Guiana, should have become acquainted with what has remained in many instances a riddle to the inves- tigating eye of European philosophers for centuries. The general belief among the Indians is, that at the period when the annual rains cause the rivers to overflow and inundate the low countries, the fish ascend to those inlets which the rivers form in their upper parts, and where the water is currentless ; here they are said to deposit their spawn. An old Macusi cheiftain at Pirara informed me that even the pacu deposited its eggs in 2. BCHOHBi'BGE'fl X.ituial Hifitorj oi ilie Fishes el Guiaua. HASSAR'S NEST 203 i ' those still waters. It is a singular fact, that the fry of the pacu is entirely unknown at the lower regions of the rivers, where the adults feed in number* on the lacis or waia and other similar water plants. Mr. Hillhovse, who so frequently visited the interior, observes, in his " Voyage up the Massaroony/' — "I have caught, by poisoning the waters, upwards of one thousand pacou, and the fry of other hinds of fish to a finger's length; but in all this wholesale destruction, I have never seen a pacou less than a foot long."* Tliere is no doubt that tlic fish docs not descend the rivers till of a sufficient age and strength to venture among the turbulent waters at the cataracts, where its favourite food, the waia is growing. A species of fish, which belong to the same division as the callichthys, namely the Doras ffancockii of C'uvier and Valenciennes, possesses the sin- gular property, as we are told already by Margrave of his Tamoata, of travelling over land. 1 have been informed by eye-witnesses, that they have met sometimes whole droves during the dry season, when those pools of water which bad remained from the last inundation were about to dry up. Tbey then march over land in search of water, and the shield with which their body is armed, as well as the strong spring ray of their pectoral (ins, serve to help them forward. It is thought that "they have the power of retaining a portion of water in a membranaceous bag surrounding the gills, which keep I atous structure moist, and enables the animal to continue the respiratory action. "\ So numerous are those droves, that the negroes have filled sometimes whole baskets during the terrestrial excur- sions of the doras in search of their natural clement. Fish are generally accused of having no attachments for their offspring ; they neither construct a nest, nor do they feed or defend their young. There are, however, exceptions, and among these belongs the fish which is known at the coast of Guiana under the name of hussar or hardback (Callichthys subulatus%), which constructs a regular nest of blades of grass and leaves, in holes just above the surface of the water, where it deposits its roe and watches it with maternal care until the fry is brought forth. Somewhere else I have related the maternal care which the lau-lau and other species of siluridce show for their young offspring, which swim in shoals about them, and in case of danger enter the large throat of the mother. § These are only single instances ; the far greater number, when once brought into exter- nal life, are left to themselves, and perish, devoured by larger fish reptiles, or aquatic birds ; and if the survivors should live to increase in size, their safety is endangered for the rest of their life. It is not only man, who for economical purposes pursues the fishes which inhabit the mighty rivers of 2. SosoMBOfl ok's n il the Fishes of Guiana. * Journal of the R ival Geographical « i t. iv. p. 33. t Yi>\ LLLIGAT0R8 AND OTTERS. ' ' Guiana, various are their other enemies, which for the purpose of satisfying their appetites wage war on the finny tribe. They themselves, the most voracious and insatiable of the animal creation, assist in their mutual des- truction. The large alligators and caymans arc the foremost among the inhabi- tants of the water which prey upon the fishes. There they lie, like dry logs ot wood, at the foot of some cataract, their mouth half open, ready to snatch and swallow what the increased rapidity of the current should earn- down the fall. How frequently have we seen them in that situation while ascending the upper river Berbice, which beyond all others seemed to swarm with these horrid monsters. I have already observed how often they tore the fish from our spring-hooks, and carried fish, hook, and line away ; and we naturally did not owe them good-will for their stealing propensities, which served as an additional proof to what extent their depredation must be carried on. And although abundance of fish, during certain seasons, prevails in the rrrers of the interior, the cayman is nevertheless the most covetous of all animals, and envies every other successful fisher. This he gives to understand, particularly by angry growls, if the line with the cap- tive is drawn in, and his attempts to intercept the captured fish, before it be drawn on the laud, should have proved unsuccessful. While we were encamped at the mouth of the river Rewa, or Roiwa, during our last ex- pedition, the afternoon of 21st October had passed under thunder and rain; but at the approach of night, Nature lulled herself to rest, and only the droppings from the leaves told of the former storm. I was lying sleepless in my hammock, and I watched two Indians who had their lines out to en- trap some hungry fish. A kilbagre, lured away by the tempting bait, had snapped at it, and the fisherman, acquainted by the stress on his line of his success, drew the unwilling fish towards the canoe, when the roar of a cayman awoke the echo of the woods, and rushing towards the canoe with all its might, he recaptured the fish, as the astonished Indians were just on the point of drawing it in, and with it went the hook and a great part of the line. At our second night's camp, after we had entered the river Rupununi, the Indians were likewise fishing, and whenever a fish was caught and drawn towards the canoe, the caymans commenced such a roar that it baffled description. We distinctly heard that there were three ; first one commenced when the fish that was drawn in began to stru^o-le and another answered him, until the noise was so great that the Indians as if in self-defence, and to intimidate the approaching monsters, set up a shout themselves. Indeed, the roaring of the cayman is so strong, that in the still hour of night it may be heard a mile off, — and there is some- thing awful and indescribable in it ; it is not the tiger's growl, the bull's bellowing, the lion's roar; it is different from all, and really terrific, when that sound bursts suddtnly upon the ear. I might compare it to the snort- ing of a frightened horse, if the strength of that snort could be increased ten, — no, twenty-fold, in effect. The otters of Guiana, of which there are two species, are more des- tructive to the fishes than the European and Canadian otters to the finny S. Schomji »c.k') Natural Hittory of tlie Fishes of Guiana. THE TIGERS MODE OF FISHING. 205 1 ' tribes of their rivers. As constant summer prevails in Guiana, their depre- dations continue the whole year : while, during the period when the rivers of the colder zones are frozen over, the otters there are obliged to feed on terrestrial animals. Old Izaak Walton would have found, therefore, addi- tional reasons to bestow hard names upon those " villanous vermin." Every rock in the vicinity of their residence hears the mark of their excrements ; and their feedingiplac.es are so devoid of vegetation, if we except the larger hushes and trees, that they cannot be mistaken, even if the number of Bcalea and fish bones did not point out their success and frequency of their visits. A complete path leads up from the water's edge to these places, which, in consequence of their ascending and descending in single rile, is hollowed out. The smaller species of otter limit in packs of eight or ten, and they swim mostly against the stream ; the larger, seldom more than two together. As they dive to a great distance, and arc able to remain under the water lor six or eight minutes, what fish passes over them at that time are SUM to fall a prey to their voracity; they seize them at once by the belly and drag them on shore, where they are frequently deposited while they continue their pursuit. The Indians, who are aware- of this, watch their success in ainlmsli, and secure what the otters have brought ashore. The arapaima or pirarucu, the largest fresh-water fish of those regions, is not safe from their attacks : and I have been informed by the Indians, that this giant of the rivers is sometimes attacked by the otters en masse; so much I know from personal observations, that they secure haimurtu {Erythrinus) from ten to twelve pounds in weight. Even the jaguar, the tiger of the new world, is ranged among the de- predators upon the lishes ; and as every Indian will inform the inquirer, his attempts to take fish prove successful, lie may be seen frequently prowling on sand banks or along the low banks of rivers, and as the fish approach the shallows, be dexterously knocks them out of the water with his paw ; hut, that in order to entice them to the surface, he drops some of his saliva on the water, is no doubt an asser'ion which wants confirma- tion. I have been astonished at the feats of strength which a jaguar dis- played in one of his fishing depredations. While we were sojourning at Curassawaka, a settlement of Caribs on the Rupununi, we were much an- noyed by a jaguar which prowled almost nightly about the settlement, One evening the Indians, who had been out fishing returned with a huge arapaima or pirarueu [Si/t/i* gigas). As it was late, and the fish weighed not less than two hundred pounds, we deferred convey- ing it on land until next morning. When morning came, no fish was to be found in the canoe; but there were sufficient traces to show that it had been dragged by the jaguar into the wood, where we found it minus its tail part, which to a third of the fish's length had been eaten off. It may be con- ceived what strength was necessary to get it out of the canoe; and I am almost inclined to think that it had been assisted by another jaguar. How numerous are the enemies which the fish possess amongst the winged tribe of Guiana ! If we consider their number, from the pygmiest of the kingfishers, scarcely the size of a sparrow, to the stately jabiru,* 2. a. "hiimiii aim's Natural History of :he Fishes of Goiana, * Myeteria Americana. 20G BIRDS PREYING OX FISH. 2 ' which with his neck erect stauds upwards of six feet high, it may be easily imagined how many perils the finny tribe have to undergo, aud that perhaps scarce one iu a thousand of those which are excluded from the egg dies of old age. Look at the hanura {Ardea cocoi), alike distinguished, like its Euro- pean prototype the heron, for cowardice, indolence, and insatiable hunger. There he sits on yonder tree, which partly overhangs that broad expanse of water, named a kirahagh or itabru by the Indians, his long neck sunk between the shoulders, and his whole figure bespeaking leanness, though gorged with prey, as it' there were not abundance for his support. But let the call of hunger remind him that exertions are wanted to satisfy his unna- tural appetite, and we soon see him upon the wing or wading solitary along the shallow waters, until he finds opportunity to dart with unerring aim upon his prey ; or he awaits patiently the smaller fry, which, driven into shallow water, have only escaped the danger which the larger spe:ies of their own kind threatened them, in order to be devoured by the voracious bird. Numerous are the different species of bitterns and smaller herons which aid in committing devastation among the fishes : they are assisted by the roseate spoon-bill, the boat-bill,* and, of all others, by the cormorants and the tl liters, or carara.f The latter arc worthy companions of the hanura ; alike indolent and voracious, they share in all its depredatory habits, having moreover the advantage that they can fall on their prey in the deep. The carara, as well as the cormorant, is an excellent diver ; the peculiar formation of the nasal organs of the former qualify it particularly to remain for a length of time under water. Large flocks of gulls chiefly that strange species the darradarra or razor-bill,:): frequent the inland rivers, and although the peculiar formation of their bill gives to them an awkward appearance, scarcely are they on the wing when they show their agility, and soaring over the water, slightly dipping their wings in that element, they arc skilled enough to stay the smaller fish in its gambols, and carry it away an easy prey. frequently resounds the gloomy forest from the piercing cry of the fishing eagle, which, soaring in circles high above the water, darts with the swiftness of an arrow upon the fish which played on the surface of the river. He who would make himself acquainted with the numerous enemies which the fish possess among the feathered tribe, ought to be present when the waters, in one of those inlets or kirahaghs, arc poisoned with the hai-ari plant. Scarcely commence the torpid qualities of the plants to operate upon the fish, which, penned in, cannot escape its pernicious influence, and snapping for air, show themselves on the surface, when the environs already resound from the shrill cry of numerous gulls, which not minding the presence of man, dart between them upon the helpless fish, and seem equally intent upon their destruction. The trees are occupied by herons, maguaris,§ darters, aud perekas,|j which only await the absence of man to assist in the work of destruction. The king of the vultures* and his sable 2. Schombvrgk's Natural History of the Fishes of Guiana. * Plat ilea ajaja, Cane. ma, cochlearia. t Oarbo Brasiliensis, Piouis Areeiicanm J Rhyncliops melanura. § Cinconia Americana || Curbo Brasilieasit, * Sarcoramphus papa. THE PACT— MOROCOTO— AKAPAIMA. 207 'attendants,* in anticipation of the approaching toast, when those fishes which were neglected to he taken up by the Indians or aquatic birds should have acquired the necessarj sit around in solemn silence, and their head withdrawn in the ruff, their wings parti} drooping, they convey the very picture oi gloomy scavengers. Bui it' 1 were to judge from a living speci- men which had been entrapped in an adult slate, and which 1 possessed f«>r several weeks while in the interior of Guiana, 1 would no! be astonished to see the king of vultures, wheu hard pressed by hunger, regaling itself on fresh fish. The individual to which I allude never declined to (-at the fish which was thrown in a fresh state before him ; for hat purpose, he kepi ids food with talons, and spread his wings, picking the flesh from the bones if the fish was large, but swallowing it entire if of a small size.f We thus close the Ion:.'- list of enemies whieh the fumy tribe of the mighty rivers of Guii sessea ; but if we consider the extraordinary fecundity of fish, it is uol to be wondered at that there is still such an abundance as to afford nourishment to man. in whose sustenance the whole creation has been made subservient. Such i'f the Gu h-water fishes as might prove of economical use to mankind are exceedingly numerous. The many noble streams of these fertile regions are in general stocked with fish, although at present they profit only a few, Ai tin period that the inundations subside, and the granite dykes which cross the rivers of the interior are no more covered by the waters, pailios of men proceed from the lower Essequibo to these dykes in order to procure the fish called pacu, which arc caught in large numbers, slightly suited, and dried on the rocks, and sold in the colony :it about a shilling each ; however. I do not think thai fifteen hundred are brought at present to the coast. The morocoto or osibu, a species which belongs to the same division of fi lies as the pacu, frequenting only I of rivers, chiefly those of the Orinoco and the adjacent streams, while the pacu belongs exclusively to the fresh-water rivers where the tide has no influence, is likewise much prized as an excel- lent article of food, hoili when fresh or salted, and large numbers of them arc occasionally brought to Georgetown. It the i heries were carried on in a more active way, and not as a pastime, or mi relj on a tour of pleasure to give some change I" a monot inous and indolent life, it would not only become productive of considerable benefits to those who embark in it, hut open another resource of the colony, whieh at present lies entirely neglected. Of great importance is the fact, that there exists in the Rupununi one of the largest fresh-water fishes, namely. The Arapaima or Pirarucu which attains occasionally a length of twelve feet, and weighs upwards of three hundred pounds. It is used fresh and salted, and affords the means of subsistence to a large number o( inhabitants on the Rio Negro and the Ama- zon, which ii likewise inhabits. Were the fishing-ground on the Rupununi attended to during the dry season, an abundance of that fish might he obtained for internal consumption and occasional traffic « iih the coast regions, b >HS I : i Natui I ! i ' wmnfl. * Cathartee aura et solitaru. + Aimah of N vol, ii. p. 2b9. 208 THE LAU-LAU. The Lau-lau * ' readies nearly the size of the arapaima, and it belongs to a division of fishes, the air-bladder of which is used with the same advantage as that of the sturgeon, in lieu of isinglass, it might be collected in sufficient abundance; besides that, its flesh is considered excellent. " The Lau-Law is, next to the pirarucu fSudis ffiffas) , the largest fresh- water fish of the rivers of Guiana. Although it has been sometimes secured near the mouth of rivers which fall into the sea, it is nevertheless my belief that it has been carried thither by accident, and belongs properly to the inland rivers. They sometimes attain the length of ten or twelve feet and the weight of two hundred pounds, and their flesh is so much esteemed, that it is considered to be one of the ties which binds him who has ouce tasted it, for ever to the region where it is indigenous. It is smooth, of a greenish black, and silvery white near the belly ; mouth and fins yellow, behind the latter somewhat reddish. The head is flat and broad, and covered with a strong bony plate which expands to the first dorsal fin. The first ray of the first dorsal and of the pectoral fin is strong and spiny, studded with whitish bony tubercles, and can be depressed or erected at pleasure. Four barbules below, those nearest the mouth smaller, two above ; nostrils double, about an inch apart. Eyes small ; iris silvery. Intestines with numerous appendices or creci, otherwise simple. It is remarkable that the young of the lau-lau are excluded from the ovarium into the abdomen, in which state they might be likened to the yolk of an egg, in which the two specks of the eyes, the mouth, and fins, are, however, observable. If a lau-lau should be taken when near parturition, in consequence of fear, the eggs pass off. Mr. Hillhovse has assured me that he had repeatedly put the eggs in a glass of water, where they hatched themselves, and the young fish appeared with a large yellow protuberance on its belly, like the abdomen of a chicken just hatched. When left to nature, the eggs are hatched in the abdomen; and the young are excluded, they swim in large shoals over the head of the mother. In case of danger, the mother opens her mouth, and the fry find a safe retreat in the thorax. " They live chiefly upon other fish, but we have likewise found seeds and vegetables in their stomach. In spite of their un wield iness, they swim with rapidity, and their strength may be conjectured from their size. They bite rapidly, but if the Hue be not calculated for this giant among the inha- bitants of the rivers of Guiana, it carries off both hook and line. While we ascended the river Parime, we encamped one night at the head of a large cataract, and Sororeng one of the Indians who accompanied me afterwards to London, went late in the evening alone in a canoe, to try whether he could hook some fish. We were all fast asleep, when I was awakened by- some person crying out for help, and wc soon ascertained that it was Soro- reng, who had hooked a lau-lau, and having got entangled in the line, with neither knife nor other sharp instrument at hand, the fish carried him and canoe at a rapid rate towards the cataract. Armed with cutlasses, wc soon came to his assistance, and time enough to prevent him from being carried Stuun»i-Ki.!i's Suture] Ui haul the fisherman than the fisherman the fish. It was slain, and when brought on (he land, measured eight I'eet and a half in length. This fish, which is very n in the upper part of the rivers, might afford sustenance to many, if ifs fishery were carried on with regularity to a greater or less extent. The lau-lau, as alrea ly observed, i* delicious, h ith in the i I ; the liver would furnish oil of c\< lent quality, and we have frequ i'.:ly used the air-bladder, instead of isin- glass, lul' glu .' I or Pi 8 ' is shaped something like a trout, and also in some de it in taste, not h »wever, po he fine flavour of that fish, being dry and insipid. grows to the length of thirty inches, somewhat resembling the Morocoto in shape, hut not so much in demand as food, being rough and stroi or Pacooma 1 ' is an ugly-looking fish, from one to two feet in length, found in holes on the mud Hats, where the fishermen hook (hem out at low water. The head is large and flat, frog shaped; they bite severely; (hey make a kind of grunting noise when captured. This fish is very plentiful at times. The Gilbagre or Gillbacl (Silurus parkerii) , is a large salt-water fish, found plentifully in the estuaries of the rivers of the colony. It is caught from two to five feet in length, and is of a beautiful golden colour. It is purchased very readily by the inhabi- tants, and when stewed is excellent eating, and has the appearance and taste of veal. A valuable kind of glue, like isinglass, is obtained from (he dried natatory bladder, and is much used in (he colony. It is also in considerable demand for exportation. It is a voracious fish; one that was caught and opened had (he arm of a child in its stomach.' The Cartabac ''is from fifteen to eighteen inches long; back of a darkish colour; sides light red or orange ; belly white : the tins very soft and fleshy, and the whole body covered with small scales. It (ceils on fruits, seeds, and insects, and is excellent food, being fat, and containing few bones ; the taste some- what resembles turbot. This fish is peculiarly fond of the seed of the carassa, and is in the highest state of perfection in the month of June, when that seed falls from the trees. The Indians boil the seed, and, en- closing it in a small basket, lower it about two feet in the water, and as the fish appear to devour it, shoot them with arrows. The Morocoto or Osibn, usually between two and three feet in length, feeds entirely on herbs and fruits, and is a most delicious fish, equal to the Paeon, or in fact any other natural to the topics, li is in taste nearer resembling flesh than fish, and eagerly sought after by the epicure. 3 tcnoMBi'Mi'i N'nturiJ ;HistoiT nt tht FUhei of Cuinut. D M. Maitix. 4 Duios. 210 PACOU— PI11AI. The Pa con 5 ' is from sixteen to twenty-four inches in length, sub-oval shape, with very small scales, of a silver grey groimd colour, beautifully spotted with bright scarlet. It chiefly feeds upon aquatic plants and seeds, and is, when well prepared, quite a delicacy. The "Weyra, an aromatic vegetable, eaten by the Pacou and other gregarious fishes, is thus employed by the Indians for the purpose of taking that valuable fish. A part of the falls, where the Weyra grows plentifully, and where shoals of the Pacou arc perceived feed- ing, is enclosed with a wall of loose stones, about a foot above the surface of the water, leaving two narrow spaces for the fish to enter, which, having done, the apertures are speedily and silently closed with long staves and bundles — and the fish arc thus confined within a temporary dam or pond. In this manner from 200 to 300 Pacou, weighing, on an average, seven pounds each, and a hundred weight of other fish, are taken at a time. The Pacou are split, salted and dried on the rocks.' The Pirai or Huma. 2 ' " This most voracious fish is found plentifully in all the rivers in Guiana, and is dreaded by every other inhabitant or visitant of the river. Their jaws are so strong that they are able to bite off a man's finger or toe. They attack fish of ten times their own weight, and devour all but the head. They begin at the caudal fin ; and the fish being thus left without the prin- cipal organ of motion, is devoui'ed with ease, several going to participate of the meal. Indeed, there is scarcely any animal which they will not attack, man not excepted. Large alligators, which have been wounded on the tail, afford them a fine chance of satisfying their hunger, and even the toes of this formidable animal are not free from their attacks. The feet of ducks aud geese, which are kept in the neighbourhood where they are plentiful, are almost invariably cut off, aud young ones devoured altogether ; and in these places it is not safe to bathe, or even to wash clothes in the river, many cases having occurred of fingers and toes having been cut off by them. They vary in colour from lead-colour to nearly black ; the eye is situate near the middle of the head : scaling rather small, smooth at the edge, oval, and adhesive. Lateral line runs near the middle of the body, bending from the top of the opercle. Head and body depressed ; ventral fins, under the dorsal, large aud strong ; nostrils oval, double, situate near the eye ; tongue fleshy ; lower jaw produced ; teeth triangular, serrated, aud very sharp — six on each side of upper, and seven in the lower jaw ; vent near to the anal fin; gill- cover striated, with smooth edges ; gill-rays 4, — -are not covered by the gill- lid, but free, and extend from its lower margin towards the throat ; the opening semilunar. They live about an hour after being taken out of the water; air-bag is long and double. They are a principal article of food amongst the Indians, and as they are so voracious, they are easily taken by hook and line, which is secured near the hook with a piece of tin to prevent cutting. Their flesh is dry and indifferent, and rather bony. It is, however, a good relish while the Indian is travelling in the rainy season, when other kinds are not to be obtained.' 9 M. Marti*. 3. Schohbcrok's Natural History of the Fishes of Guiana SUN FISH— HAIMORA— MULLET— H ASS AR. 211 The Sun Fish or Lucanani * ' is seldom more than seven or eight pounds in weight, or two feet in length ; it has in its tail a golden circle that renders it perceptible to the Indians at the depth of three or four feet in the water, who shoot it with barbed arrows called wayuwakassy. It feeds upon smaller fish and insects, and it is excel- lent food, being firm, fat, and with but few bones. Owing to its extrenit lusciousness it is difficult to salt or dry. It lives ouly half an hour after being taken from the water. The Haimora {Esox) is a fine fish, growing to the length of four feet, and twelve pound* in weight. The power "I ifs teeth and jaws is sufficient to cut off a man'i hand at the wrist ; it is exceedingly voracious, preying upon fish half its size, — is excellent eating, and forms the principal article of food with the Acca- ways of the Demerara river. The Indians have an ingenious mode of catching this fish, by means of a trap made of a cylindrical piece of bark, about five feet long and six inches in diameter, which, after being stopped at one end, and a live fish fastened to the bottom, is suspended horizontally by a string tied to the branch of some neighbouring tree, at about two feet below the surface; the haimora then, attracted by the bait, puts his head beyond the centre, the lower end of the cylinder sinks, it becomes vertical, and the fish, enclosed with its head downwards, is beyond the possibility of escape.' Mullets (MugUoides) 4 ' are found both in salt and fresh water. A small species is found in canals and trenches, and is much esteemed on account of its flavour. The quality of the mugil varies with its habitat ; in the open seas it is a poor fish, but in running streams it enjoys a high character at table. The Hassar or Hardback (C. Pictus) is of a dark colour, and corered with a sort of armour, and is found in trenches, muddy walls, and even on land, for these fishes, like many others of this family, are capable of living a long time out of water, and are known to travel overland by means of their spines and fins. They are from six to eight inches in length, and are eaten readily by the natives. They are easily caught, and the Creole boys arc often seen return- ing with numbers of them strung through a thick blade of grass, and carry- ing them home in triumph lor supper. The following species are also known : — C. coelatus, C. exaratus, whose habits are allied to the Hassar. One of these species is called by the negroes Banja Man,* from the noise it makes when taken out of the water.' lfl ' The Hassar, | Doras costataja. South American fish, makes rather long journeys on land ; and will go on the whole night through in search of fresh water, when the pond in which it has hitherto lived dries up. The shelly plates which cover the body, and the hard ventral fins, enable it to perforin such a tour. It can even live for several hours in the hottest sunshine. The Indians, who often fill baskets with these emigrants (for the flesh is rery dainty), assert quite correctly, that the Hassar takes a stock of water 8 M. Mahtin. 4 Dai.tox. 16 Life in tin' * ; .:'i it cause frequently severe inflammation. As they generally frequent such places of the river where the bottom is sandy and, i axon. K»'» ivitural History of the Fishes of Guimn. 214 STING RAY— JEW FISH. 2 ' in which they bury themselves, in order the easier to entrap their prey, the Indians use the greatest precau'ion when they are obliged to draw their canoes over such shallow places. I have known several instances where, nevertheless, wounds have been inflicted, and a swelling of the part, and in some instances feverish symptoms have been the consequence. The Indians use sometimes the leaves of the aromatic guava (Pisidium parviflorum, Beuth), which grows so abundantly among the rocks in the rivers of the interior, and after having pounded them, they are put on the wound, but I do not think with much effect, at least not in those cases where 1 saw it applied, laudanum in the first instance, and afterwards warm poultices of cassava-bread to subdue the inflamation, appeared to me the most effective remedy. The pain which the wound causes to the individual appears to be excruciating ; no wonder, therefore, that the Indian is likewise under the idea that the spine which inflicts that would is poisonous. The spine being serrated on each side with barbs and hooks, recurved towards the base, it may he expected that the wound becomes dangerous from its jagged nature, while the extraction must cause additional laceration. Dr. Hancock has known the part to mortify and to slough off, and then the healing process went on favourably. I have no doubt that much depends upon the state of health of the individual who is wounded, and the cases which I have wit- nessed fortunately never came to those extremes. " The spines are sometimes double, and I. have seen an instance where there were three. One is generally larger than the other; no doubt a pro- vision of Nature, that in case one was to break off, the animal may not be entirely deprived of its weapon of defence. These barbs are deciduous, and their size depends much on that of the individual. The Indians of the inte- rior use these spines to arm their arrows with ; but among many hundreds which I have seen, none reached the length of three inches. I no where observed these rays in such abundance as in the river Taeutu, when that river was, in April 1839, on its lowest level. As they afford tolerably good eating, we took some pains to secure them. The Indian is always armed with a sharp-pointed pole, which he thrusts before him when he is wading through shallow water which lie thinks frequented by the sting- ray. The yellow colour of that fish, so much like the sand in which it buries itself, makes it the more dangerous ; and as it strikes with the swift- ness of an arrow, tne wound itself would be frequently the first token of the approaching danger. The pole, therefore, serves as a protection to dis- lodge the ray, which darts swiftly forward when it finds that the enemy is superior in strength. The Indian rushes after it, and is generally skilled enough to pierce and transfix the ray with the pointed pole. His first operation, if he has been successful, is to cut oil' the tail with its dangerous weapon, which he cuts afterwards out, and preserves it carefully for arrow- points/ The Jew Fish (Plerfropoma chlorurum) 4 c is a large golden-coloured fish, which is found in great plenty along the coasts. Its brilliant colour renders it a pretty- looking fish ; but its flesh is coarse, aud it is chiefly eaten by the poor. This - - * Daitow -'. Schombvkgk's Natural History of the Fishes of Guiana. SAW FISH— SNAKE FISH— SHARK. 2K 4 ' fish is called a grooper in the island*, and at certain seasons it is not eaten on account of its supposed poisonous properties. It is very plentiful off the coast. The Saw Fish (Pri.i/is) arc found here: they have been captured near tfce mudflats, where they apparently delight in groping about for food. The only species which I have seen is the common one, Pristis antiquorum vel squalus pristis : hut I have heard of several varieties as to size. The largest one taken was about twenty-six feet in length, including its projecting and serrated snout. This formidable bony process or saw, as it is called, presents a most singular appearance. It often measures from six to ten feet in length : itis broadest at the base, gradually tapering towards a truncated extremity. Its broadest part is about the width of a man's hand, ami from each side strong bony and pointed spines branch off at right angles at a distance from each other of a few inches ; very often one or more of these spinous processes is found broken off, indicative of the rough work to which this fish-saw is evidently applied.' The Snake Fish ' is about two feet six inches long, and an inch and a half in diameter ; of a dark brown colour on the upper part, underneath of dull yellow, studded with dark spots; the head is very soft, snout flattened, eyes small, and near the point of the jaw. The greatest singularity connected with this fish is, that its heart will continue to move several hours after the fish is dead. The bladder, or sound, running along the spine, contains air that burns when put in contact with the light.' The Shark 'There are two or three varieties of shark found here ; a very large species, Squalus vel carcharias prionodon, is common to the waters of the coasts and the mouths of the larger rivers. Numbers of them may he seen daily swimming about the slaughter-house which is built close to the river, and as animals are killed the offal is east into the muddy waters, where it is greedily seized upon by the sharks. I have repeatedly seen the dead ear- cases of animals floating along the river and surrounded by sharks, who in the rapacity with which they attacked them, frequently drew them beneath the water. It is feared that they often help to destroy sailors and others who accidentally happen to fall into the river. These sharks are frequently Captured by tin" negroes, who destroy them for the sake of the skin and spinal column, as well as the jaw-bone, which are purchased by strangers. Their size varies from six to ten feet in length, but they are of enormous hulk. The colour is of dull brownish black on the back and sides, gradually approach- ing to a dirty white on the belly. Another species, the Carcharias vel squalus lienlei. about four feet to six feet long, is also commonly met with in the river Demerara, about the slaughter-house and stellings. A species of hammer- headed shark is occa- sionally found, Zygauia malleus vel vulgaris. The fishermen of the colony call the varieties found here the shovel-uosc shark, the ground shark, and the queriraan shark.' i Utii' I 9M. Mariis. 216 VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS of GUIANA. CHAPTER X. The Vegetable Kingdom.— (Principal Hardwoods).— The Mora — Greenlieart — Purplehaart— Kakaralli — Deteraa — Houbaballi—Wallaba— Bully Tree — Siruaballi — Ducaliballi — Itaballi — Suradani — Moraballi — Cueuritiballi — Brown and "White Oder — Cuamara or Tonka — Souari — Washiba — Locust Tree— Hyawaballi— Coutaballi — Simaruba — Monkey Pot Tree — Itikiriboura Balli — Crabwood — Ebony — Candlewood — Letter or Snakewood — Ironwood — Paddlewood— Tari Yari — Black Cinnamon— Silk Cotton Tree— Heri Heri — Lignum VitaB. The dense and almost impenetrable Forests of Guiana, contain inex- haustible treasures, in the form of valuable woods admirably adopted for building purposes and cabinet work. Trees, plants, and herbs yielding chemical and pharmaceutical products arc also to bo found in endless variety, 8 ' Malte Brvn writing of the valuable vegetable productions of the colony states " that Guiana is famed for its medicinal plants. It supplies Europe with Quassia, or the wood of Surinam. The Doliehos pruriens, the Palma Christi a species of Ipecacuanha, Gentian, the Cos tics arabicus, the Copaiba balsam, and many others are mentioned in the memoirs of Bajon and Aublet." Al- though this field of observation is comparatively unknown and uninvestigated, yet, in addition to the simples or remedies familiar only to the Indians, the following drugs and materials used in the arts, some of well known commercial value, may he enumerated, as a few among the products of the Colony. The greeuheart, whose bark and seeds yield bibirine ; Angostura bark, so efficacious in the milder forms of fever ; simaruba, the reputation of which is established in the cure of dysenteiy ; the well known sarsapaiilla ; spige- lia; Eryngium fcetidum, a new uterine specific; Rhizophora racemosa, found remedial in chylous urine ; laurel oil, useful in chronic rheumatism, and au admirable solvent of India-rubber ; tobacco, physic-nuts, wild cinnamon, ginger, guinea-pepper, capsicums, pimento, nutmegs, blackpepper toyo, le- mon-grass, wild honey, the fragrant tonka bean, and the odoriferous vanilla. The vegetable treasures of the mountainous regions have not yet been explored ; but Dr. Hancock is of opinion that cinchona will be found on the Makerapan range of mountains. Over the whole settled parts of the colony is to be seen the papaw, with its wonderful property of intencrating fresh animal fibre ; and in the remote creeks and recesses of the interior grows the Strychnos toxifera, yielding the famous Wourali poison. The forests also yield their contributions to the Arts. Gums from the locust tree, from the mani, from the hyawa, from the kurakai, and from the wallaba; Oils I.Cst. Con, from British Guiana to th« London International Exhibition of 1862. «• * g c*5 VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS of GUIANA. 217 8 ' from the crab tree, from the cocoanut, the monkey-pot, the wangala, the aouari, the acuyuri palm and the cucurit palm, arc abundant. Arnatto, fustic, lana, turmeric, indigo, logwood and Brazil wood, furnish materials for dyeing. Caoutchouc is yielded by many trees, and the barks suitable for tanning are innumerable. Referring to some of the vegetable products of this colony, Dr. Hancock makes the following observations: — "The Acqucru (Acuyuri) is a palm of moderate size, the fruit of which affords an abundance of a sweet bland oil, of a golden yellow colour, and of tlie finest quality. The large, sweet and juicy fruit of the ubndi affords a deli- cious wine, and its bark is of great use as an application to foul ulcei Although this country has been but Little explored, it is rather extraordinary that this fruit, one of the finest of the American Continent should still remain totally unknown in Europe. The dali, or wild nutmeg, a species of myristica, abounds in the interior, and furnishes a vegetable tallow, which forms excellent, candles, and. with an alkali, a soap of the finest balsamic quality. Here are numerous species <>f cassia ; the caoutchouc which gh the valuable elastic resin, and a multitude of gum-resins. The Hyawa, or Incense tree, perfumes the forest with its salutiferous balsam : and the great Siruba tree, not only furnishes the finest timber in the world for ship-building, but also, by incision, a camphor. iccous etherial fluid, a product which, 80 far as we know is without a parallel in nature." The forests yield caoutchouc, and a variety of gums of allied nature. One of these recently known as the " Balata," possesses properties intermi- diate between those of caoutchouc and gutta pcreha. Although several of this class of gums differ but slightly in chemical Composition, it is well- known that they are possessed of very different properties. For example gutta percha becomes plastic when immersed in hot water, a property not possessed by caoutchouc. Again, while the latter can be extended with facility in all directions, the former admits of extension only in the direction of the fibre or grain. Caoutchouc seems impermeable to water even under great pressure and elevated temperature, while gutta percha is of a somewhat porous nature, and not so well adapted to the purposes of insulation in the construction of Submarine Telegraphs. This fact appears to have been established by the Messrs. Silver, of London. While it is desirable that a more extensive knowledge should be obtained of the various gums yielded by the forest trees and plants of this colony, attention should be strongly directed to the importance of extending and improving the preparation of Caoutchouc as being likely to be attended with benefit in a commercial point of view.* The numerous samples brought from the Upper Essequebo, al- though of fair value, indicate that tin- process of preparation admits of great improvement. A short description of some of the principal Hardwoods of the colony will now be noticed. i it. Con. from British Gatana to the London International Exhibition ' i f I • Th'uval known as Batata, I brought into notice by Br. Van Bolst of Berbic!. but the en rodncin? il to md applying it to ,i pu p s s in the arts, is due to sir \V. II. 11. u ji.es (late Special Commission foi Quiana to tin- international Exhibitions of London and Paris.) h large!) in demand and crable quantities are now yearly exported. Ih ' i.i 1st; I, awarded li a M dal to its 218 MORA— GREENH EART. Mora, ' ■ [Mora c,m-/sn 1 Benth). This, the most majestic tree of the fore Guiana, towers above every other, often attaining a height of from 120 to 150 feet,, and is frequently seen rising to the height of GO feet without a branch. When of that length it will square 18 or 20 inches, but is seldom then sound throughout. The wood is extremely tough, close, and cross- grained, so that it is difficult to split, which renders it peculiarly adapted for shipbuilding. The trunk makes admirable keels, timbers, and beams ; and the branches, having a natural crookedness of growth, are unsurpassed as knees. Were men-of-war ceiled with this wood, little mischief would be occasioned by splinters during action. In must respects it is superior to oak, particular in its exemption from dry rot. It ranks as one of the eight first class woods at Lloyd's for shipbuilding. It is abundant along the rivers of the coast region, and extends as far south as lat. 3 deg. N. It grows luxuriantly on sand reefs, and on tracts of barren clay known as " Mora clay," a soil so sterile as not to admit of profitable culture. Sir R. Schomeurgk, referring to this tree, states : — " In all my former travels in Guiana, I have nowhere seen trees of this description, so gigantic as on the land adjoining the Barima at its upper course. Indeed, frequently when the boat rounded some point which the river made in its course, and a long reach was before, these majestic trees appeared in the background as hillocks clothed with vegetation, until a nearer approach showed our mistake, and we found that what we considered to have been a hillock was a single tree, rising to the enormous height of 130 to 150 feet, forming by itself, as it were, a forest of vegetation. The importance of the mora in naval architecture is now fully recognised in Great Britain, and a new export trade has been opened to the colony. On the upper Barima this tree is so abundant, and grows to such a size, that the whole British navy might be reconstructed merely from the trees which line its banks, a circumstance well worth consideration, for the river being navigable to vessels of 12 feet draught, the craft intended for the transport of the timber might load at the very spot where the trees are cut down." The bark of the mora is used for tanning; and in times of scarcity the seeds, grated and mixed with decayed wallaba wood, arc eaten by the Indians. The seeds also are said to be beneficial in cases of diarrhoea or dysentery. Gremhenrt, Sipiri, or Bihirti, yellow variety, {Nectandra Rodicei, Schomb.)- — This tree is very abundant within 100 miles of the coast region, and its timber squaring from 18 to 24 inches, may be had without a knot from GO to 70 feet long. It is a fine even-grained hard wood, well adapted for planking of vessels, house-frames, wharves, bridges, and other purposes, where great strength and durability are required. As it is unsurpassed in resistance to tensile and compressive strains, it is admirable for kelsons and for ship timbers. Its excellence is now acknowledged at Lloyd's, where, along with mora, it ranks as one of the eiyht first-class woods for shipbuilding.' 2 ' The seeds are of the size of a walnut, and possesses a strong bitter, neat. Con. from British GuiAna to the London International Exhibition 1302. 2. Scuomburos. KAKARALLI— DETERMA— HOUBABALLI— WALLABA. '.MO 5 ' which has been extracted by Dr. Rodik, ami been used with great advantage as a powerful febrifuge. In times of scarcity the Indians grate the fruit and immerse it in water, by which process the fecula sinks to the bottom; the flour thus obtained is mixed with rotten wood, pounded and sifted; the bread prepared is bitter and disagreeable. The black Greenheart is scarce. Its wood is in great request in the islands, as from its well-known durability it is preferred to all others for windmills, shafts, spindles, rollers, arms, water-wheel planks, fee. The Purple Heart is rather scarce on the coast regions. It is a tree of the largest size, and its wood U used for furniture in consequence of the beauty of its colour and its durability ; its elasticity is wry great ; it has been used with advantage for the cons, ruction of mortar- beds.* The Indians call the Purple Heart mari way ana. Tiny take oil' tic bark of this tree when fresh cut down, and with very little trouble convert it int., a canoe, commonly called a "wood-skin,'' some of which are huge enough to carry twenty to twenty-five persons with perfect safety on smooth water,' KakaralH, (Lecythis Ollaria Lin.) s ' This wood is very abundant, and may he had from (i to 1 I inches square, and 30 to 40 feet long. It is heavy, hard, and close- grained, and more durable than Greeuheart in salt water, from its property of resisting the depredations of the ship-worm am' harnacle. On this account it is much employed in the construction of wharfs, sluices, fee. It is also used for house frames. The hark is easily stripped oil', and con- sist? of numerous layers, which the Indians separate by beating with a stick, and SCHOMDURGK has counted as many as 70 of these layers in a sin strip. When separated they have the appearance of thin satin paper. They are dried in the sun and used as wrappers fur cigars. The tree, which grows tall and straight, is found mostly on rising ground along the hanks of the rivers, and there are several varieties known as blai k. red. and white. Height of the tree 90 feet : diameter of the trunk 1 ,N inches. Determa This tree is plentiful, and grows to a great height, yielding plank* from 12 to .'30 inches wide. It is the most durable wood for boat-building that Guiana produces, provided copper nails are used. It is also used for masts, booms, and spars ; and. as insects will not infest it, is well adapted for chests, wardrobes, fee. Hoitbalxilii A tight brownish wood, beautifully variegated with black and brown streaks; easily worked, takes a line polish, and makes beautiful furniture and cabinet Work of every description. It may be hail from L 5 to 20 inches square, and from -10 to 70 feet long. The tree grows to the height of about 100 f< i and is by no means scarce in 30IU3 localities. Wallaba lEperua falcata, Aubl.) This wood is of a deep red colour, and is hard ami n H :. ,.,.h. k c.it. Con. from British Guianfl fo III l on ill International Exhibition 1862, * Col. Mood?, of the Koyal EnRin^err, observes thai tin 'black Q n HeHrt" uvtihe Purpli llcai t," were the only wood* which atoo -i i),,- bc je •>(■ Fort Bourbon at M 220 BULLY TREE— SILYERBALLI— DUCALIBALLI— ITABALLI. 8 ' heavy, but splits freely and smoothly, and is much used for shingles, staves, palings, posts, house-frames, &c. It is impregnated with a resinous oil, which makes it very durable both iu and out of water. A roof well shingled with this wood will last more than 10 years. The tree is very abundant throughout the colony, growing generally on the banks of rivers, It may be cut 30 or 40 feet long, and 15 to 20 inches square. The tree yields an oil and a gum resin having medicinal properties. Buruch — Bully, or Bullet Tree (Sapota Mulleri Miq.) This tree is found throughout the colony, but most abundantly in Berbice. It is of the largest size, often 6 feet in diameter, and having the trunk destitute of branches nearly to the top. The leaves, branches, and trunk produce a whitish milk, forming the gum now known as "Balata" the properties of which appear to be intermediate between caoutchouc and gutta-percha. The fruit is of the size of a coffee berry, very delicious, and resembling the Sapodilla. The wood is dark blown, variegated with small white specks, and is extremely solid, heavy, close-grained, and durable. It is chiefly used in house-framing, for posts, beams, and floors ; and as the weather has but little influence ou it, is esteemed the most valuable timber for the arms, shafts, and framework of windmills. It squares from 20 to 30 inches and may be obtained from 30 to 60 feet long. In salt or brackish water it is sure to be attacked by the worms. A tree cut down by Schom- bi t rgKj near the Cuyuni, measured G7 feet to the first branches, and thence to the top 49 feet, — in all 116 feet. The upper portions of the trunk and. branches are manufactured into wheel-spokes, palings, &c. A decoction of the bark is used, in the form of a clyster, and is said to be very efficacious in a disease known to persons residing in the interior by the name of " Quata," (" Kaina-Kuhu," Arawaak name), which is very prevalent among the Indian Tribe at certain seasons of the year, and more especially at the commence- ment of the dry season in September. Siruaballi or SUverbalH, yellow variety, {Nectandra, or Oreodaphne Sp. ?) This tree grows to a considerable size, but is then often hollow. It will, however, square sound from 1® to 14 inches, and often from 10 to 50 feet long. The wood is lighter than water, and contains a bitter principle, which resists the attacks of worms. Hence it is much used in the colony for the outside planking of vessels and boats. ~[i is also used for masts and booms. There arc four varieties or species of this tree, distinguished as black, brown, yellow, and white silverballi, possessing the same properties, but of these the white is least esteemed. Ducalibulli. This tree is of large size, but not plentiful. The t'mber may be had 40 feet long, but seldom more than 20 inches in diameter. It is a deep red, close-grained wood, more even and compact than mahogany, and takes a high polish ; it is in great repute for cabinet and turning work. It re- sembles, or perhaps is identical with, the Brazilian beef-wood. It ab alii, (Vochysia tetraphylla, Aubl.) This tree grows from 60 to 80 feet high, B Cut, Con. from BpititH Gui.iua to tin London International Exhibition 1862. SURADANI— MORABALLI— CUCURITABALLI— CEDAR. 2tl ' ' and 3 to 4 feet in diameter. Its flowers arc of a beautiful yellow, highly odoriferous, and very omamenal. The wood is not durable, when exposed to the weather, but being softt and easily worked, is often employed by the Indians for their corials, and is used tor inside work, staves for sugar hogs- beads and oars. The tree yields a clear brown gum. Suradani. A bard wood much used for COrisls or canoes; also for timbers, rails, the naves and felloes of wheels, and for planks and covering hoards of colony CI aft. It will squaii' from 14 to 20 inches, and from .'50 to 40 feet long. Its rich brown colour would adapt it well for furniture. The tree is plen- tiful and of large size. Moraballi or Mooraballi, This tree is very plentiful on the high lands, and grows to a large size. The wood is "hard and durable, and makes good beams and boards for build- ing. The Indians use the young trees, when beaten out so as to separate the fibre, for torches. The baik is used as a fish poison. Height of the tree 100 feel : diameter of the trunk ."20 inches. Cucuritiballi, or Koqueritiballi. This wood is hard, tough, close-grained, and durable, and forms excellent beams and rafters. It grows from (10 to DO leer high, and from .-0 to ~'l inches in diameter. The bark and fruit yield a milky juice. Brown Cedar, Tenyari, or Mara, (Cedrela odorata, Lin. — This tree is found only in the interior of the colony, rising to the height of nearly 150 feet, and measuring 4 or 5 feet in diame- ter. The wood will square from 10 to 36 inches. It is light, open-grained, easily worked, and not liable to Split, and as its strong aromatic smell keeps oil' insects, it is much in request for book-eases, shelves, chests, and wardrobes. Its great height would adapt it for mas's, and the Indian pre fcr its trunk to that of any other tree for canoes. One of the canoes employed by Schomburgk during an expedition into the interior, which was 1'.' feet long and 5| feet wide, was hollowed out of a single trunk of this tree. It was found at the end of four years service, having previously been much used, to be as sound as when bought for the expe- dition, although it had been in both fresh and salt water, and haulded over land and cataracts in the interval. It is considered to be only a variety of the white ceilar, ami is not very abundant. It yields a gum resembling gum-arabic ; and a decoction of the leaves or of the young wood is used as a remedy in cases of fever. Warracoori or JJ'/iilc Cedar [Id a altistima Aubl. or Cedrela?) Grows abundantly in the low grounds. It is a light aromatic wood, easily worked; it splits freely, and is, there- fore, well fitted for staves. During the American war it was used for sugar hogsheads. It is frequently employed for the frames and inside work of houses. Oars and paddles arc also made of it, and even canoes. The bark in decoction is used for the Indian malady called (he '' Caribisi Sick." Cuamara or Tonka, (Dipteryx odorata.) This tree is not very plentiful in the colony. e«n. from IV: lo the Loodou International Exhibition 18S2. 322 SOUARI- WASHIBA— LOCUST-TREE— HYAWABALLI. 8 ' The timber may be Lad from -10 to 50 feet long, and 18 to 20 inches square It is hard, tough, and durable in an eminent degree, ant it is said that a piece one inch square, and of a given length, will bear 100 lbs. more weight than any other timber in Guiana of the same dimensions. It is, therefore, peculiarly adapted for any other purpose where resistance to great pressure is desired. It is used for shafts, mill-wheels, and cogs. ■ This tree yields the well known Tonka Bean. The pods of this plant only produce one seed in each ; this seed or bean is an inch in length, shaped somewhat like a thin almond, covered with a shining black skin, and is of an agreeable and powerful odour, re- sembling newly-made hay : the odoriferous principle resides in a substance called courmarine. It is used principally for scenting snuff. The bark and the leaves contain an aromatic oil. Surahwa, Souari, or Suwarroiv A T ut (caryocar bulyrosum.) The Surahwa nut is somewhat kidney-shaped, about half the size of an egg. The kernel is perhaps the most agreeable of all the nut kind ; it is as bland and sweet as an almond, with a softer texture, and a milky flavour. The timber is highly valued for shipbuilding, and the oil expressed from the nut is much esteemed in Dcmerara ; it equals that of the olive in sweetness. JVashiba or Boic-Jf'ood. A strong, hard, durable, and elastic wood, much esteemed by the Indians for bows and war-clubs. Height of the tree 110 feet. It is not plentiful. Si?niri or Locust Tree, [Hymenaa Courbaril, Lin.) This tree, which is abundant in the colony, often attains the height of 00 or 80 feet before it throws out a branch, and has a diameter of 8 to 9 feet. The wood is close-grained, hard, and com- pact, of a fine brown, streaked with veins, and takes a beautiful polish, which recommends it for furniture. As it does not split or warp, it is well adapted for mill timbers and engine-beds. A good deal of it is sent to England to be used as trenails in planking vessels, and in beams and planks for fitting up steam engines. It has also been found to answer well for the frames, wheels, fee, of spinning machines. The Indians and Negroei are fond of the farinaceous saccharine pulp enveloping the seeds. The Indian make " woodskins" or canoes of the bark. The tree yields what is supposed to be the gum animi of commerce. Hyarvaballi, or Incense Tree, (Icica heptaphylla Aubl.) This wood is of large size, and bouyant, and said to be proof against the attack of worms. The tree produces a fragrant gum. Coutaballi (Theobroma, Sp. ?) Abundant on the banks of the Demerara, Essequcbo, and Cuyuni rivers, growing chiefly upon sand hills, close to the water The wood is very hard and durable if not exposed to weather. It is prin cipally used for house frames, and will square 12 inches, from 30 to 40 feet feet long. Height of the tree 72 feet ; diameter of the trunk 15 inches. Simaruba, (Simaruba officinalis, Dec, Simaruba umara, Aubl.) This tree grows on 8 Cat. Coo. from British Guiana to the London International Exhibition 1862. MONKEY POT— TIGER-WOOD— .CllAB-WOOD— EBONY. ' ' hill sides to the height of 80 feet, branching anil somewhat crooked; its wood resembles white pine in colour and quality. It is light and easily worked, and may be had in boards 20 to -10 feet long and from 24 to 30 inches wide. It is much used for partitions and other inside work of houses, but will not bear exposure to the weather. The simaruba tree bears a fruit about the size of an English pippin, and is divided into partition like a walnut it has a pleasant bitter taste. It is an efficient remedy against dysentary, and a powerful stimulant. JVadadur'i or Monkey Pol, {Lecythit grandiflora, Aubl.) This tree is plentiful throughout the colony. It grows tall, straight, and to a large size. The wood is hard, close-grained and handsome. It is used for furniture, and makes good staves for hogs- heads. Height of the tree 106 tcet, diameter of the trunk 80 inches. Itikiriboura-ba/H or Tiger-Wood, [Machaerium Schombun/kii, B form, than the cells, with their store of fccula, all i leaving the stem quite a hollow shell. This is oue of those wondrous provisions of an all-wise Creator for carrying out the beautiful varied arrangements of the Vegetable Kingdom, and at the same time fur- nishing food 10 hia favoured creature man. In order to procure the sago, it is of course necessary to cut down the tree ; this is done before the flowers are developed ; the stem is then cut II t .»..* 17 Arcber'i BoUnjr. 228 ETA— COCKARITE. " ' into short lengths and split open, and tLe pith scraped out and submitted to repeated washings, which separate the sago. By this operation the sago sinks in the water, and the fibrous and cellular matter of the stem floats and is easily separated ; the sago is afterwards dried in the sun, and con- stitutes the sago-flour or sago-meal of commerce, which is now used as starch by our manufacturers in considerable quantities ; it is also used as food by the natives of the Indian Archipelago, where the plants are native, and where they are extensively cultivated. In order to fit this sago-meal for food in the European market, the natives submit it, whilst wet, to a curious process of granulation, which, besides forming it into small round translucent bead- like grains, gives it a pearly lustre. ' The Eta Palm, (Mauritia flexuosa) is a beautiful tree and is adored by the Indians for the numerous uses to which it can be applied. 9 ' The fruit tastes like cheese, and is eaten with the pith, manufactured into a kind of cake of the consistency of sago. The young leaf is woven into ham- mocks, ropes, and baskets. The old leaf thatches the house. The trunk, split up, incloses it, aud makes the Hour. The pith of the large arm of the leaf, split longitudinally, makes a sail for the corial ; and, by raising the fibres of the arm, and placing a bridge under, they make a rude kind of musical instrument. The Cockarito Palm usually grows to the height of fifty feet, and produces the most delicate cabbage of all the palm species. The cabbage is found in the very heart of the tree, at its summit, enclosed in a green husk, which is peeled off in strata, until the white cabbage or inner leaves appear in long, thin, white flakes, and are in taste much like the kernel of a nut ; the heart or centre of it, is the most delicate, and, being sweet and crisp, is frequently used as a salad ; the outside, when boiled and eaten with butter and salt, is far perferable to an European cabbage. There is a worm or maggot natural to this tree which is reckoned a great delicacy in the West Indies. It is the larva of a black beetle (Urculio), and grows to the length of four inches, and as thick as a man's thumb ; it is called Grogroo, and although disgust- ing in appearance, when well dressed furnishes a delicious treat, partaking, it is thought, of the flavour of all the spices of the East. Grogoos are only to be found on such cabbages as are in a state of decay. The bark of this tree, on account of its hardness, is used by the In- dians for the manufacture of their poisoned arrows. The are generally cut twelve inches long, with one end sharpened to a point, which is dipped into the poison of the wouralie, so called, from the nebe, or bushrope, which forms the principal ingredient in its composition. The other end is wrapped round with a small piece of cotton, adapted to the cavity of a long and hollow reed (usually about nine feet long), into •which the arrow is inserted, and by one blast of the breath it is discharged with extraordinary swiftness and unerring aim, carrying inevitable death to the person or animal wounded by it/ 17 Archer's Botany. 9 M. Mahtin TOOROO— AC UYURU— AW ARA— TROOL1E— MANGROVE. 9g9 The Tooroo Palm (Oenocarpus Bataita, Mart.), 8 'This Palm grows to the height of 60 or 70 feet. Its woody outside is used for inlaid work, billiard cues, walking sticks, &c Of the fruit a drink resembling chocolate is made. The Acuyitru Palm, (Astrocaryum aciileatinn, Meyer.) The trunk of this palm, which rises to the height of 00 or 70 feet, is covered with long prickles. The woody part of the stem is hard and takes a fine polish, and is used for cabinet work, walking sticks, &c. Tin- t'ruil. about the size of a lien's egg, contains a large seed covered witli pulp, from which a blight yellow oil is obtained. Both pulp and oil are edible.' 7V(i- Awara ur Avoira "'is less remarkable for the excellence of its flavour than its beauti- ful appearance, grows upon a spe'ies of palm tree, and is of an oval form, about the size of an Orlean plum, and of a rich dee]) orange colour, nearly approaching to red. These stones are large, extremely hard, and as black as jet or ebony : but the pulp which surrounds them is very thin.' It is a sure guide to the natives in preparing their newly cut fields for cultivation — a large show of fruit in the first stages, indicate an average dry season or perhaps severe one ; which is the proper time for burning the plot of ground to be cleared The natives use the fruit in many ways, among others, they pound in a mortar until the pulp is separated from the seed or nut, aud then add boiling water, strain after cooling, ami add a little sugar. This beverage is highly nutritious, and after one or two libations, extremely palatable. The fruit are also used by all classes of settlers without any prepara- tion after being taken from the tree. The Troolie Palm is abundant in many parts of this colony more especially in the Essequebo Islands and the river I'omeroon — The Troolics are chiefly employed for roofing estates logics and building, being durable and well calculated for the purpose. The leaves are large twenty feet long, aud about two broad, of a strong texture, and straight fibres growing from a small fibrous root, from which arise eight or ten stems, each producing a leaf of the above demension. The Mangrove Tree [Rhizophora mangle) Skirts the whole sea coast of Guiana. ' ' It is a tree of singular structure, as it shoots fresh roots as it grows, which, wheu the tree is at its full age, may be found six or tight feet from the ground ; to which they gradually tend in regular succession ; timber very heavy of a free grain, and employed principally for the manufacture of fishing-rods walking-sticks, arrows, aud other light purposes; leaf very thick anil stiff, aud about eight inches long ail tiiuc wide. The tree seldom attains more than a foot in diameter, am! fifteen or twenty feet in height. The leaves aud bark yield a thick juice, which is very viscid, and of a yellow colour.' SCat. Con. fiom British Qaiau to tin London IuUrnational Exhibition 1682. 11 srri»,N 9 M. HaSTO, 230 BREAD-FRUIT— BREAD-NUT— SNAKE-NUT. Bread-Fndt Tree, (Artocarpus incisa.) 18 ' This tree is a native of the Islands of the Pacific Ocean, and is distinguished by having the male flowers in catkins, with a two-leaved perianth and one stamen ; the female flowers naked ; the fruit roundish, fleshy, and tuberculated. The bread-fruit tree is a rather sleuder tree, of -40 — 50 feet high, often rising almost half its height without a' branch. It has large, pinnatifid leaves, frequently 12 — 18 inches long, dark green, and glossy. The fruit is generally oval, or nearly spherical, and about the size of a child's head. It is a sorosis, a compound or aggregate fruit formed from numerous flowers on a common axis, and is covered with a roughish rind, which is marked with small square or lozenge-shaped divi- sions, having each a small elevation in the centre ; is at first green ; when imperfectly ripened, brown; and when fully ripe, assumes a rich yellow hue. It is attached to the small branches of the tree by a short thick stalk, aud hangs either singly or in clusters of two or three together. It contains a somewhat fibrous pulp, which, when ripe, becomes juicy and yellow, but has then a rotten taste. At an earlier stage, when the fruit is gathered for use, the pulp is white and mealy, and of a consistence resembling that of new bread. In a still less mature state, the fruit contains a tenacious white milk. The common practice in the South Sea Islands is to cut each fruit into three or four pieces, and take out the core ; then to place heated stones in the bottom of a hole dug in the earth ; to cover them with green leaves, and upon this to place a layer of the fruit, then stones, leaves, aud fruit alternately, till the hole is nearly filled, when leaves and earth to the depth of several inches are spread over all. Iu rather more than half an hour, the bread-fruit is ready ; ' the outsides are, in general, nicely browned, and the inner part presents a white or yellowish cellular pulpy substance, iu appearance slightly resembling the crumb of a wheaten loaf/ It has little taste, but is frequently sweetish, and more resembles the plantain than bread made of wheat-flour. It is slightly astringent, and highly nutritious. Bread-Nut Tree, (Brosimuin alicastrum) is allied to the bread-fruit, and is a native of Ja- maica. It is distinguished by male and female flowers on separate trees, in globose catkins, with peltate (shield-like) scales for perianth, and the fruit a one-seeded drupe. The bread tree has ovate-lanceolate evergreen leaves ; it abounds in a tenacious gummy milk. It leaves and young shoots are much eaten by cattle, but deleterious qualities are developed in them as they become old. The nuts, boiled or roasted, form an agreeable article of food, and are eaten instead of bread. Their taste resembles that of hazel-nuts/ Snake-Nut Tree (Ophiocaryon paractoxum, Schomb.) , 8f This tree has received its name from the peculiar, coiled embryo of the seeds, resembling a snake/ The snake-nut tree grows along the banks of creeks in certain localities only. It does not attain a great size or height, and is not adapted for the ordinary purposes, such as budding, &c. The branches spread and hang over the streams, and are something like that of the Etoolie Wallahs. The nuts much resemble those of the mix vomica. > Cat. Coa. from Britiih Guiana to London International Inhibition 1862. II Chah'behs' Ency. COCOA— COFFEE— COTTON. 231 The Cocoa or Cocao Tree i Theobroma cacao), A ' is found plentifully in this country, where it miiit have been imported many yeaia ago. It yields numerous large nuts or pods, in which the seeds, from which cocoa is prepared, are found embed- ded in a kind of pulp. When separated from the husks the seeds are dried, and the Creoles of this colony prepare an excellent chocolate by pounding them, and working them up. with a little spice and other substances, in long rolls, which arc carried about the street for sale. With a little care and attention this important article of commerce, which is in such demand in England, and is chiefly introduced from foreign countries, might be ex- ported from British Guiana >n considerable quantity. It appears to be a hardy tree, and, once planted, large forests might be grown, requiring little trouble to watch and protect them. Coffee was cultivated in this colony as far back as the year 17-1, when, its value and importance being recognised, as well as the suitableness of the soil for its growth, a great many plantations were laid out, and it was for a very long time almost the only staple oi Berbice and Demerara. The coffee trees were found to grow very well on the lands result from the indiscriminate aud long-continued application of the leaves t<> inflamed and swollen legs. To- bacco was perhaps the first article of any importance cultivated by the early settlers in this colony. So early as the year 1600 nieutiou is made of tobacco plants being found growing in abundance in the cleared lauds, but its cultivation was not long persisted in, as it yielded to the production of more lucrative articles of commerce. ' Hi, M ' {Oryza saliva). This useful gram is a native of the East Indies, whence it has spread to all the warm parts of Asia, Africa, and the southern parts of America ; its habit of growth is very much like the oat, the grain hang- ing gracefully from the very thin hair-like pedicels of an elegant loose panicle, less however than that of the oat. Rice appears from its astringeucy to be admirably adapted to the use of the natives o\: warm climates, where it usually constitutes the' staple food of the lower classes. That from the Southern States of North America is decidedly the best, being much sweeter, larger, and bei ter-eoloured than that of Asia, where its cultivation is less carefully managed. The States of Carolina produce the best American, aud Patua the best East Indian Rice.' *' Several experiments, on a considerable scale have been lately made with the view of introducing Rice as an article of cultivation in the colony. The most important of these has been that conducted, in 1853, by Mr. A. V. Colvin, on plantation Vive-la-Force, where about 70 acres of land, in second growth " bush," were cleared, and planted with seed brought from the State of Georgia. The Rice grew to great perfection, and was esti- mated to yield CO bushels per acre ; hut from damage sustained in the stacks, which were exposed to four months of rainy weather, while awaiting the arrival of a thrashing machine from the United States, the actual return of good rice* fell far short of that quantity. Part of the rice in husk, or paddy 17 Archer^ Botany. 4 Daltok. . __ v «j U „ _, IUH 8 Cat. Con, from Britten Guiana to the London International Exhibition of 1862. 234 THE SX'GAR-CANE. * ' was shipped to London, and when dressed sold for 30 shillings per hundred weight, being five shillings higher than the price of ordinary Carolina at the time. The poddy shipped netted in Demerara $1 10 per bushel. Some of the crop was used in the colony for feeding horses, being, when crushed, deemed equal to oats for that purpose, and at the then prices considerably cheaper. While a bushel of oats weighs from -40 to 45 lbs., a bushel of paddy weighs 54 lbs. At the Georgetown Exhibition, in 1851, a sample of rice from Dc Kin- deren obtained the prize, and its superiority would seem to have been derived from the circumstance that the water used in irrigating the crop was the muddy water of the Demerara river ; while other crops appear to have been dependent on the rain or bush water from the interior. Al- though these experiments have not been followed up by any systematic attempt to establish rice as a staple, in consequence of the starved condition of our labour market, they have demonstrated that even under ordinary circumstances as to the supply of water, and without any peculiar advan- tage of locality, one hundred bushels of paddy may be obtained annually, per acre, at a cost of §40 ; a sum which includes the expense of preparing the land, of seed, of sowiug, weeding, reaping, and thrashing, all the work being done by manual labour. But when a command of water can be obtained, a much larger increase may be expected : and if the cattle labour were applied to the stirring and levelling of the laud, and machinery used for thrashing the grain, the expenses would be materially reduced. It has also been established by the De Kinderen experiment, that water, slightly brackish, may be used successfully in the cultivation of rice/ Stiff a r Cane, (Saccharum officinarum.) 17 'A11 we know of the origin of the sugar-cane is, that it was first known in Asia, and that it has not been found wild in any other part of the world ; its cultivation has however spread from the Old World to the American continent and islands, where it now forms per- haps the most important vegetable product. The sugar-cane is a gigantic grass, growing from six to twelve feet high; it is solid, being filled with pith and saccharine juice, and jointed at very short intervals : the panicle, or flower-head, is large, often more than two feet long, elegant and feathery, from the flowers being surrounded with fine loug reddish-coloured hairs, whilst the scales of the flower are of a pale rose-colour. The art of the cultivator has originated numerous varieties. The sugar-cane is a perennial plant, and when ripe is cut down ; the canes are then taken to the mills, where they arc subjected to great pressure between iron rollers, by which the cane juice is separated ; it is then mixed with lime and boiled ; by this proce inches deep, in squares of '.' to 12 feet apart, for the reception of the plants. The plants consist of the root of the plantain tree with some two feet of the stem. After the plants are placed in these holes vertically, stem even with the surface, they ought to be tightly rammed all round with earth, so as to prevent water lodging round and rotting them. They generally produce from five to ten suckers, the most forward of which will bear in nine months from the period of planting in rich land; in a poorer soil they will take 12 months to come to maturity. Plantains, to be produced in perfection, require a rich soil ; and in such I have known bunches to be cut weighing as much as SO lbs., with stem, skins, &c. ; perhaps about one half of that weight would be tit for food, of a very nutritive quality. When it is considered that each plant, from its suckers, will probably produce an average of four bunches of plantains per annum, it will be seen how valuable it is an article of food, and that in this colony it is justly termed the staff of life.'t R Cat. Con. from British Guiana to \\w London International Exhibition 1862. * From 3,00nlbs to 6,000fbs <>t plantain fibre could In- obtained annually from an estate of 400 acres, the value of which would probably be Prom £40 to Lit per ton, + JUcHai's Planter*' Manual. 238 THE BANANA. The Banana Tree, (Musa sapientum) 4 ' is allied to the plantain, but although the fruit is sweeter and more luscious, it is not so nutritous ; a bunch of bananas often contains from 160 to 180 fruits, weighing rnlectively from 701bs to 801bs. From thirty to forty plants will grow in a o^ace of little more than 1000 square feet. The fruit may be collected about ten months after the sucker has been planted. The stem yields a large proportion of excellent fibre, suitable to many of the purposes to which flax and hemp are applied.' 8 ' Eight or nine months after the sucker Las been planted, the Banana begins to form its clusters ; and the fruit may be collected in the tenth or eleventh month. When the stock is cut, the fruit of which has ripened, a sprout is put forth, which again bears fruit in three months. The whole labour of cultivation which is required for a Plantation or Banana, is to cut the stalks laden wifh the ripe fruit, and to give the plants a slight nourishment once or twice a year by digging round the roots. A spot of little more than a thousand square feet will contain from thirty to forty Banana plants. A cluster of Bananas produced on a single plant often contains from one hundred and sixty to one hundred and eighty fruits, and weighs from 70 to 80 lbs. But reckoning the weight of a cluster only at 40 lbs., such a Plantation would produce more than -1,000 lbs. of nutritive substance. Humboldt calculates that as 33 lbs. of wheat and 99 lbs-, of potatoes require the same space as that in which 4,000 lbs. of bananas are grown, the produce of bananas is, consequently, to that of wheat as 133 to 1, and to that of potatoes as 44 to 1. The bananas ripened in the hot houses of Europe has an insipid taste, hut yet the natives of both Indies, to many of whom it supplies their principal food, eat it with avidity, and are satisfied with the nourishment it affords. This fruit is a very sugary substance ; and in warm countries the natives find such food not only satisfy- ing for the moment, but nutritive. Yet weight for weight, the nutritive matter cannot at all be compared with that of wheat, or even of potatoes. At the same time, a much greater number of individuals may be supported upon the produce of a piece of ground planted with bananas, compared with a piece of the same size in Europe growing wheat. Humboldt estimates the proportion as twenty-five to one ; and he illustrates the fact by remarking that a European newly arrived in the torrid zone is struck with nothing so much as the extreme smallness of the spots under cultivation round a cabin which contains a numerous family of Indians. It may be proper to notice here, that the banana is cultivated in this colony but to a very limited extent, and is solely used as a fruit in its ripe state. The plantain, on the other hand, is extensively cultivated, and in its unripe state is the staple and favourite food of the Creole and African population of the colony.' Among the numerous Fruit Trees — The Citrus Aiwantium 9 ' or China orange-tree, as also the Seville, grows in great luxuriance ; it rises from twelve to twenty feet in height, distinguishea 1 by the beautiful deep green of its foliage; stem upright and ramifying in every dire cliou, i U4i.io.N-. 8 Cat. Lun. from British Guiana to London International Exhibition ISM. a M- Maeiin. FRUIT TREES. 239 9< forming a regular aucl beautiful head. The fruit is excellent and may be improved by grafting on the Seville orange stock ; but the best is to be obtained by grafting on the pomegranate. The flowers are highly odoriferous, and yield their flavour to rectified spirits by infusion, and to both spirit and water by distillation. There arc varieties also of the common Lime and Lemon, citrus limon ; but the most elegant of this genus is citrus tubtrosa, or citron tree, the fruit of which imparts to spirits an agreeable flavour. The Stunt/lock, and Forbidden Fruit are of the citrus tribe. The shaddock is supposed to have been transplanted from Guinea, in Africa, by a Captain Shaddock, v ' e name it still bears throughout the West Indies. The fruit has all the appearance of belonging to the orange species, and is divided in the same manner by a thin skin, into several quarters ; but it is as large as a melon, and of a most agreeable and refreshing flavour, between sweet and aeid. The outer coat or skin is extremely thick, of a bitterish taste and a pale yellow, or citron colour, very like, in appearance, to the skin of a lemon. There are two species of the shaddock ; the pulp or inside of one is white, that of the other a beautiful pale red : the last is considered the most wholesome. This fruit a European may indulge in with safety ; and it is almost the only one in this climate, excepting the orange, that will not injure him on his first arrival. The forbidden fruit is a species of the shaddock, only smaller and more delicate, while the outer skin is less coarse. Its juice and the flavour of the inside are quite delicious in a West Indian climate. The granadilla is another excellent fruit, contained in a soft husk, which is produced by a large passion flower ; the husk is filled with a sweat and most agreeable liquid ; and the manner of eating it is to cut oil' one of the ends, aid mix up in il Madeira wine and sugar, stirring it all up together; this renders it safe and wholesome for the stomach. It is of the size of a small melon. The linirus persea, or avocato, vulgarly called alligator pear, comes to fine perfection here; it is a pulpy fruit, resembling in appearance a large-sized swan's egg ; the pulp, or vegetable marrow, as it is called, is enclosed in a light-green papyraceous skin, and contains a large, irregularly- formed seed, that is immediately surrounded by brownish, membraneous coverings.' Numerous other delicious fruits grow abundantly in the colony, such as the luscious sapadillo, semitoo, marmalade fruit, guava, cashew, mango, pineapple, Btar apple, pomrose, sour sop, melon, etc. Abundant also are the trees, plants, and shrubs from which valuable medicinal and chemical substances may be obtained, which at present are unheeded and unsought for, and remain as buried riches in the dense forests of the interior. The following are a few of those already known ; — The Indiijn Plant, {Indigofera tinctoria) * ' was formerly cultivated in this colony. It thrives well in a moist climate like this, and would be admirably suited for culti- vation in the interior and elsewhere. The indigo formerly exported from South America was considered superior in quality to that produced in the 9 il. MiRTI*. 4 Dil.TOM. 240 ARXOTTA— VANILLA— IIYA HYA or COW TREE. 4 ' East, but, like many other articles of equal value, its culture has been neglected in these latitudes. Tin- Arnotto Dye, or Rocou plant {Bixa orellana), appears to be indigenous, and is the princi- pal dye with which the Indians paint themselves red on the forehead, cheeks, and head, either for ornament or in accordance with the prevailing fashion. i^or this purpose small cakes are prepared, like coloured chalks, from the seeds, which are enclosed in rough pods. 77/ f Lana Tree, (Genipa amer'icana), a stately and handsome tree, furnishes a powerful black dye; if the flesh is staiucd with this pigment, it takes days, if uot weeks, to remove it ; the dye is yielded by the leaves and branches. The Logwood Tree, (Hcematoxylon campechianum) , also grows here, and yields the well-known and useful extract/ TuniUa, 2 ' Different species of vanilla are natives of Guiana; and it is found in large quantities along the banks of its rivers, and in the wooded districts which intersperse the savannahs. It is well known that it is added to cho- colate to give it an aromatic flavour, hut it is likewise used for several other purposes in confectionary ; and the oily and balsamic substance which the minute seeds possess may be found to have medicinal qualities. Its cultivation can he connected with no difficulties ; it needs only to plant the slips among trees, and to keep them clear of weeds/ The Nutmeg Tree, (Myristica rnoschata) , 4 ' has been found to grow very well in Trinidad, and would be sure to thrive in a soil and climate so suitable to its cultivation as that of Guiana. Indeed, some plants were lately introduced here, and, if I mistake not, are still flourishing in the grounds where they were placed. A species of wild nutmeg, accawai or waecafcai nutmeg (Acrodiclidium camara), is indigenous to this colony; it is used by the natives as an effi- cacious remedy in disorders of the bowels.' The Hya Hya or Cow Tree, ' ' is of the species of sapotacea, many of which furnish excellent fruit, and some of them are extremely valuable as timber. The whole of this uumerous class contain, in a greater or less degree, a milky juice, and in all probability, the hya hya will be found identical (or a very near species) with the cow tree (Palo de vaca) of Venezuela. It bears a small eatable yellow fruit, of an oblong shape ; the leaves are oval, rigid, and lactescent on being broken. It yields abundantly a milky fluid, of a sweetish and rather plea- sant taste, also a resinous and albuminous matter, or a kind of elastic gum or caoutchouc.' In order to have the milk free of curding particles, take a bottle of hot water in the vessel, allow the milk to flow into this and then convey to your house and use as ordinary milk. This milk used with coffee will be quite as good as if made with cow's milk. The tree grows tall, and proportionate m size, but the timber is not reckoned valuable. 4 DlLTOK. 2, gCHOMBUBOK. 9 M. MABTJN, THE LAUREL OIL TREE— MEDICINAL TREES and PLANTS 241 The Laurel Oil Tree, ' ' Trees which belong: to the laurel oil tribe are very numerous in Guiana, ami are not only important for their aromatic and stomachic qualities, but likewise for the volatile oil which is obtained merely by making incisions in the bark ; this oil is used in rheumatic complaints, or in general exter- nally as a (liseutient, and internally as a diuretic and diaphoretic. The bark of Laurus Cinnamomoidea is warm and aromatic. The Mahaima or Amabaima of the natives, or Casca preciosa of the Brazilians, is a sweet, aromatic bftrk which comes from a tree that belongs likewise to the Laurel family. T have no doubt that the tree which furnishes the Sassafras nuts of the London shops [Laurus Pucheri) will be found indige- nous in Guiana. The forests of Guiana produce plants which possess powerful febrifugal properties. On the banks which bolder the river Berhice in the fourth and fifth parallel, the Quassia amara, or bitter ash, and further south, the Portlandia hexandra, are to be obtained in abundance. Several of the AnonacetB, as Uvaria ftbrifuga {Frutta it Burro of the Colombians), are used as a febrifuge. The Indians of the Iiupnnuni set a great value on the bark of a tree which they call Allissau : in the absence of its flowers I con- sidered it to belong to the Bucku tribe [Diosma). The Simaruba, Tarhia guianensis, Malpighia febrifuga, and numerous others, would prove useful for their febrifugal properties. The violet tribe comprises a plant which furnishes the Ipecacuanha, namely lonidium parviflorum. The root of the Cephaelis Ipecacuanha, found iu the damp and shaded forests of the interior, furnishes the best Ipecacu- anha. A small creeping plant, a species of Vandellia, is used as an emetic by the Indians with great sue. ess. The diuretic and demulcent powers of the Sarsaparilla are well known ; and the Saisa de Rio Negro is most esteemed for that purpose. Guiana possesses several kinds, and the Duroijuaro, one of the indigeuous species, is used with great effect by tin- Indians. If the Stnilax siphilitica, which is considered to furnish the best sarsaparilla, should not be found, it might be cultivated with success ill British Guiana. The root of the Pliiolacca decandra, HeHcteris Sacarolha, Waltheria Douradinha, are used in Biphilitic diseases. That valuable substance Caoutchouc is yielded by divers trees and plants, via. a species of fig-tree, several of the family of Eupliorh'tarete, and and the hya-hya or milk-tree, which affords a milky secretion, possessing a small quantity of caoutchouc, and has been used as a substitute for milk. Many trees of the forests of Guiana are famed for their fragrant resi- nous juice and healing quali ies, The balsam copaiva is yielded by the genua Copaifcrii, of which there are ilivers species in Guiana. I have met fre- quently in the Canucu mountains the species which is said to yield that substance in the greatest abundance. The Icica carana produces a sub- stance like gum elemi, the Irim acouchini the balsam of acouchi, the Humi. riiim fioribundum the balsam of umiri, the Amyris ambrotiaca, an immense tree, the fragrant resin of comma. The latter tree, called Haiowa or Scjjuu l Scsoxiuux. 2-i» VEGETABLE TALLOW— OILS— DYEWOODS— BARKS. ' ' by the Indians, is most abundant. The Tonko bean is very fragant, and possesses a volatile oil, which contains a peculiar principle called coumarin. Several species of Anoniaceaz yield likewise a fragrant gum, highly prized by the Indians, and from their flowers essential oils might be extracted. The locust-tree, or Hymeiuva, furnishes the gum anime. It is found in abundance, and might be used as gum lac. Several species of Garcinia as well as clusia possess gamboge. The Dali, a species of Myristica, a largn and majestic tree, is very frequent along the banks of rivers ; its seeds when immersed in boiling water furnish a vegetable tallow, which has been used with effect for the prepara- tion of candles by several colonists. Most prominent among the vegetable oils is that pressed out of the nut of the crab-wood tree (carapa guianensis) ; it is used in the colony for burning, but at present small quantities are only manufactured by Indians, who anoint their hair with it, and the strength and fine gloss which dis- tinguish it is ascribed to the use of that oil. They press likewise a sweet oil from the fruits of certain palm trees, chiefly from the Acuyuru [Astro- caryon aculeatum) , and Cucurit palm (Maxiliana regia). The number of woods which furnish valuable dyes is considerable. I allude to the Brazil wood, the fustic-tree, the black dye of the Laiia (Gen/pa amerlcana) and Scrada, the red dye of the Maparakuni erythroxylum, differ- ent MalpighidiB, and the useful dye Arnatto or Rancor, which is indigenous, and thrives without care*. The bignonia chica affords a dye similar to the arnatto. The plant possesses it in such abundance, that it exudes like resin when the wood is wounded ; it dyes a bri ige. To the same family belongs the manaraballi [Jacaranda-ovali and acuti-folia), which affords an excellent remedy agaiust that dreadful disease, the yaws; a decoc- tion of its leaves is given to the patient inwardly, and he is likewise directed to wash his body in it. Guiana possesses several trees, the bark of which affords the principle of tanning. The Lark of the avicennia torn ntosa, and a species of ma!- pighia, which is abundant on the savannahs in the interior, is much used by the Brazilians for that purpose. The heart of the mora tree is considered as valuable for tanning as oak. The leaves of some of the bromelite which grow ou the arid savannahs, furnish a fibre, of which the natives make thread and ropes : it is uncom- monly strong and durable. The fibres of the agave vivipara have been used for the same purpose, and those of the young leaves of the Ita palm fmauritia flexuosa) are woven into hammocks, ropes, and and baskets, by the Warrau and Arawaak Indians : these ropes do not, present manu- factured, sustain long exposure or damp situations. The cultivation of the Piazaba palm [attalea funifera) might prove of great importance. This palm is indigenous on the Rio Negro and the Cassiquiare ; and of its petioles 2. SCTTOHBUIIGK. * It will scarcely be brlieyed that the arnatto, which is *n extensively us,d for colouring, is at present importer! from France, vid New York, to avoid, like the a ave-growu coffees, the foieign duty. It is an indigenous piant in Guiana ; the banks of the Upper Coruntyn are ovi rjd i-jtfa it, but there are not ""fficient people to render the natural productions of the colony of use, HAI HAIRY BUSH RUPK— WORALI VINE. 243 ' a cordage is manufactured, which is extremely light, and floats upon the water, and is more durable in the navigation of rivers than ropes of hemp. It is extensively used in the Brazilian navy, and large quantities are exported to Para, and to many of the West India Islands.' The Hai Hairy Bush Rope, is used by the Indians forpoisoning fish. (See page 201.) From the Worali Vine The Indians prepare a deadly poison ; its mode of preparation is thus described by Watbrton : — 8 'A day or two before the Macoushi Indian prepares his poison, he 'rocs into the forest in quest of the ingredients. A vine grows in the . which is culled worali. It is from this that the poison takes its name, and it is the principal ingredient, he has procured enough of this, be digs up a root uf a very bitter taste, tics them together, aud '.hen looks about for two kinds of bulbous plants, which contain a green and glutinous juice. He fills a lit* . which he carries on his hack, with the stalks of these ; and lastly, ranges up and down till he finds two species of ants, one of them is very large and black, and so venomous, that its sting pro- duces a fever: it ily to be met with on the ground. The other is .1 Li . which stings like a nettle, and generally has its uest under the leaf of a shrub. After obtaining these, he has no more need to rang! ;t. A quantity of the strongi st Indian pepper is used ; hut this lie has al- ready planted round his hut. The pounded fangs of the Laharri snake, and those ol the Counacouchi, are likewise added. These he commonly has in store ; tor when he kills a snake, he generally extracts the fangs, and keeps them by him. [laving thus found the necessary ingredients, he scrapes the worali vine ami hitter root into thin shavings, and puts them into a kind of colauder made of let is; this he holds over an earthen pot, and pours water on the shavic liquor which comes through has the appearance of coffee. When a sufficient quantity has been procured, the shavings are thrown aside. He then bruises the bulbous stalks, ami squeezes a proportionate quantity of their juice through his hands into the pot. Lastly, the snakes' fangs, ants, and pepper are bruised, and thrown into it. It is then placed on a slow fire, aud as it boils, more of the juice of the worali is added, ac- cording as it may be found necessary, and the scum is takeu off with a leaf; it remains on the fire till reduced to a thick sirup of a deep brown colour. As soon as it has arrived at this state, a few arrows are poisoned with it, io try its strength. If it answer the expectations, it is poured out into a calabash, or little pot of Indian manufacture, which is carefully covered with a tit uple of leaves, and over them a piece of deer's skin, tied round with a cord. They keep it in the most dry part of the hut; and from time to time suspend it over the fire, to counteract the effects of dampness.' The Si/k Grass Shrub, ''called by the Indians curra, bears some resemblance to the aloe, but is much smaller; its leaves rise in clusters immediately from the root, five feet 3, SCBOMBl'RSK. 3 WiTEnTON. 9M. Martin. 244 MAHOE— INDIAN CORN— GUINEA CORN. * ' in length, with indented edges, protracted into prickly points. The inner substance from the leaf consists of a number of small strong white fibres, running longitudinally, which the Indians extract by means of a small loop of cord fastened to a post, through which the leaf is drawn with a jerking motion ; this takes off the outer green substance, and leaves the fibres ready for twisting into cord, which is done after drying in the sun. When the cord is made, which the Indians do with remarkable neatness, it makes excellent bow strings, as it possesses extraordinary elasticity and strength.' The Muhoe, (Thespesia populnea, Corr, or Hibiscus elatus, Lin.?) 8 ' This Shrub, which bears a bright primrose flower, like that of Cotton, grows naturally and abundantly throughout the Colony ; and on the bunks of rivers, or in clamp situations, it rises into a tree. On the banks of the Canje Creek, Berbice, it attains the height of 40 feet. The wood is not much used. Erom the inner bark of the young trees and shoots is obtained by maceration, a valu- able fibre.' Maize, or Indian Corn, (Zea Mays), 4 ' Indian Corn, or Maize, grows very readily in this colony, and might be cultivated to a very great extent, but this is not the case, and the colonists are under the necessity of importing an expensive and often inferior article, ; the cause of this is the universal evil of this country, namely, the want of labour. It is occasionally grown on estates, and may be raised along with the young sugar cane, as it does not appear to injure the latter ; as it grows much faster, the crop of corn could be taken off before the canes had attained to any size. In separate fields, two, and ofteii three crops of corn may be raised in one year. The Indians carry on the cultivation of this useful plant, but in a very imperfect manner, and barely sufficient for their own moderate wants. It is grown by them on the high lands of the river Poraeroon, 110 miles distant from the sea, and in many other places perhaps much further inland. As many as twelve barrels of shelled corn may be easily obtained from an acre of land, with scarcely any culture, the labour of planting, occasional weed- ing, and gathering the corn alone being required, and demanding very little labour. The maize grown here commands a higher price in the colonial market than that imported from the United States of America. The maize raised by the Indians in the interior is considered superior in general to that grown on the coast lands. It appears to be indigenous in many parts of the colony, and no soil is better suited for its cultivation than that met with here. The Guinea Corn, or Indian Millet, (Sorghum, vulgarej, might be cultivated to a much greater extent than at present is the case. Samples of it have beeu sent to the Industrial Exhi- bitions in England and America, and it Lias been suggested as a green forage crop for other countries. There are several varieties of it met with here, known as the two-coloured, the drooping, the panieled yellow-seeded. t K. IUmu. i Cat. Con. from Srltuh Guiana to the London International Exhibition 186S. 4 Dalt»s. CASSAVA— ARROWROOT— YAMS— PAPAW. 245 Cassava. 4 ' The Cassava or Cassada, of this country are of two kinds, and ap- pears to he indigenous. The sweet cassava (Jampha loeflingo) is a common plant found in gardens, about plantations and villages, and on nearly every Indian settlement, where it is cultivated as a valued edible product. It is eaten roasted, or mixed with other food, and is called by the natives " Bussuli." The Bitter Cassava (Janipha manihot) is likewise commonly found throughout the colony, Kid although a poisonous plant, is converted by simple means into a pleasant and nutritious article of food. The roots are cleansed, scraped, and grated upon a hoard studded with small sharp frag- ments of stone, somewhat like coarse sand, and fastened to it by a resinous substance. This simple kind of grater is called by the Indians " Simary." The grated pulp is next put into a long tube, made of some kind of reed, generally the " I lirritti," and through this cassava squeezer, or " Matapi" as it is termed, the juice is pressed out by forcibly drawing or lengthening the tube, the sides of which contracting, presses powerfully upon the cas- sava pulp, and effectually squeezes out the bitter and poisonous juice. The meal, or cassava Hour, is then dried in the sun, or over the fire, silted through the "Warrambi" sifter, made of the ita palm, and is subsequently made into large. Hat, circular cakes, which are b iked on iron plates, or by other means. The Arrowroot, (Mara/tta arundmacea) , is a common plant, and furnishes a starch equal to that from any other part ol the world. Specimens, the produce of this colony, have been already sent to Europe, and excited considerable attention. The arrowroot of this colony has been found to yield about 20 per cent, of starch. The sweet and bitter cassava furnish a still larger proportion, the former about 26 per cent., the latter about 21 per cent. Yams. There are several varieties, such as the buck yam, the common yam, the Guinea yam, the Barbadoes yam, and other species, which may also be said to grow wild in the fertile Boil.' The Papaw Tree, 8 ' has a graceful appearance, and presents a striking figure in con- trast with the surrounding bushes and trees. It grows to the height of twenty feet, its stem is hollow, and supports a head, not of branches, but of large leaves, at the end of very long foot-stalks. The fleshy fruit, which is of a dusky orange-yellow colour, and about the size and shape of a small melon, grows suspended upon the naked trunk, just below the leafy head. 'flic leaves and fruit of the tree, till ripe, abound in an acrid milky juice. The fruit, when fully ripe, is eaten with pepper and sugar ; and when the half-grown fruit is properly pickled, it is little inferior to the pieklcd mango of the East Indies. Meat washed or rubbed with the acrid milk of the unripe fruit, is thereby made tender. The writer found the leaves a very attractive bait for catching fish, by throwing a large quantity of them into the pond constructed for that purpose at the river's side. It grows spontaneously, and begins to hear fruit within ten mouths, never ceasing when ouce it has begun. Ripe and green fruit and blossoms are seen at the same time.' 4 Si4Tvy. * BiiHti. 246 OCHRO— SORREL— GINGER— PEPPERS. The Sweet Potatoes (Convolvulus batatas) 4 'are of native growth, and the demand for them is much greater than the supply. The same may he said of the numerous species of eddoes (caladium), and Indian kale, or spinaches, ground nuts (arachis hypogea) and other similar vegetables. The Ochro (Hibiscus esculentus) is a favourite plants, commonly cultivated by the negroes and others for its useful properties. Tho-young capsules make a delicious and nutritious soup; the leaves arc found cleansing and detergent for the hair, and arc believed to add to its growth and beauty. The Sorrel Plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a pretty and useful shrub, the capsules of which are us(d in making a favourite Creole beverage called "sorrel drink/' by fermenting a sweetened infusion.' The Ginger Plant, (Zingiber officinale), thrives exceedingly well in the colony ; it is superior to that produced from the East, and both raw and preserved ginger arc oc- casionally exported in small quantities. The Pepper. The varieties of Capsicums, yielding the well-known Cayenne pepper, are astonishing ; fine specimens, preserved in dilute acetic acid, have repeat- edly been sent to Europe and America, and have been highly appreciated. They are met with in every garden, of various sizes, shapes, and colours, but are all pungent, and are much used and esteemed to flavour soups, meats, and other food. Pickles, composed ot capsicums, sliced papaw, mountain cabbage, shalots French beans, are also prepared, and occasionally exported, or consumed in the colony. The ordinary pepper (Piper longum) is well suited to the soil of many parts of the country. It has already been cultivated in the neighbouring colony of Cayenne, whence it has been exported. The plant, a trailing vine, might be raised along with the nutmeg and spice trees, and yield as abun- dantly and profitably as in the Eastern Archipelago.' 41 Reception of the Governor by the Indians at Warraynuri Mission, Rio Moruca. 42 The Tumulus at Warramuri. EXCAVATION of the TUMULUS at WARRAMURI. 24? C II A P T E R XII. s. — Ad - E the Governor's Vieit t>> the Tumulus:, at W&* ratnu i Mission. Rio M uca, with particulars : an ion — Nam II ilir Commanders and (> ivernor's of I lature— Pi ices and Judicial Establishment R oina- 01 s Institutions — and Waj b :nid Mea i.'-i of I' y, and where Situated — Names and Salai iei of Pul rs. Tin- iti of the Shell Mound or Tumulus, Waramuri, an Indian Mis ion, upon the Rio Moruca, excited much interest during tlie early part of the With the object of obtaining information regarding its origin and the i mnd in the excavation. His Excellency , the Governor, (Fea I ;., C B.,) and a party con- sisting of His Lordship the Bishop, the Hon. .1. Lccie Smith, Attorney- General, the Hon. Christope I troller of Cns - W. 13. Pollard, Juur., Colonial Civil Engineer, the Rev. W. (!. (>. Austin, Inspector C. 1'. Austin, Esq., Private Secretery, Dr. Si W. II. Campbell, I". q., and G. W. Bennett, Esq., who were joined at ihe Mission by the Venerable A. - Tones and the Rev. Mr. Brett; left Georgetown on the morning 26th January, 1866, in the Revenue Schooner Petrel, Captain Walker. The ; account is taken from a little book written and published !>y a gentleman of the party, and entitled, " TheG vernor's Visittothe Shell Mound at Warramuri" : — The Petrel anchored off Morucca before 5, p.m., and was fairly within the waters of the little known Warrow country, a vast tract of swampy land extending to the Oronoque and abounding in Eta palms, from which the chief food of the Indians of that district is derived. Close to the entrauce of the river lay snugly moored the Civil Engineer's boat, which had been sent down in advance with a party ol shovelmen to excavate the mound; and as far th aid reach treaded an intermidable line of forest, silent and sombre in the darkening gloom of twilight. But the next morning presented a more animated spec acle. The boat of the worthy Superintendent of the district, Mr. M'Cliutock, was seen putting off from the shore, with her pennon floating gaily to the bi lowed by a fl> IS tilled with Indians who paddled with all their might in an eager race towards the schooner, which was soon surrounded by these simple denizens of the forest. The necessary preparations were soon made and a hastj breakfa t 1, and then the whole parly, at 8.50., disembarked for the Morucca in a perfect procession of boats. In the first Mr. M'Cliutock escorted the • Tin GuTtront'i v;,u to iht Sbfll Mound. 248 EXCAVATION of the TUMULUS at YVARRAMURI. * ' Governor, theBishop, and Attorney-General, while the rest of the party fol- lowed in the large Mission boat, and the Indians and baggage brought up the rear. The mouth of the Morucca was entered about 9.15, and as the expe- dition proceeded on its way towards Warramuri, many a canoe dropped quietly into the ranks from some shady nook, where its crew had been waiting to see the Governor pass. About 12, the Mission came suddenly into view, and here the scene was most striking, At the landing place, the hill, which is of pure white sand, slopes gently down to the water's edge, and is approached by a canal from tlie river, at this time crowded with innumerable woodskins and canoes. Drawn up in two ranks five or six deep, with a broad path between them, stood a dense throng of Indians of all the tribes in the Essequebo, considerably more than 1,800 in number. The chiefs were ranged in a semi-circle at the landing with the Archdeacon and the Rev. Mr. Brett (who had preceded the Governor's party by an inland journey through the Tapacooma Lake), accompaned by the excellent catechist of the Mission, Mr. Duncan Campbell, while beside them a number of Indians, armed with fowling pieces, formed a sort of guard of honour. The Governor landed in full uniform, and such of the party as were officers of militia also donned their military habiliments, and as His Excellency stepped upon the sand, he was received with a feu de joie, and the most enthusiastic tokens of welcome. To them the visit of a Governor was an event never to be forgotten, and many had come from great distances to see His Excellency. As far as could be ascertained the numbers of the different tribes present on this interesting occasion were about as follows : — W arrows, 700 ; Caribs, 500 , Arrawaaks, 350 ; Accaways, 250 ; And there were also representatives of an almost unknown tribe, the Mai-Ong-Kong's. It seemed to be considered cle rigueur by these si.nple people, that every man, woman, and child should shake hands with the Governor, and His Excellency good humouredly endeavoured to satisfy them. It was amusing to note the solemnity with which most of them went through the operation, and when it came to the women's turn, the eagerness with which they brought their little ones to shake hands with the great man was quite diverting. Most wouid march up and present their tiny palms with the utmost gravity ; but, occasionally, some hapless little urchin on being ushered into the Vice-Regal presence by his fond parent would give a yell of terror and lie down beneath the legs of the surrounding throng, only, however, to be instantly fished up again and thrust back by a chorus of indignant matrons. After the conclusion of this somewhat fatiguing ceremony, the Guvcrnor and party proceeded to the tumulus, where operations were at once commenced with the full consent of the Indian tribes assembled. The mound is about 25 feet above the level of the sand hill on which the settlement stands, and 500 feet in circumference. It is composed chiefly of small black and white Periwinkle shells, and it is worthy of note, that these as well as the other shells with which they are interspersed, such as clams, conchs, crabs, and various kinds of Bivalves, and even oysters (which last are now almost wholly unknown on the coasts of Guiana,) are all edible, and such as would be likely to be consumed by a race of savages living ou the • Th« Governor's Visit to the Shell Mound. THE TUMULUS *t WARRAMURI. 249 Sir John Lubbock, in his work on Pre- Historic Times, men- tions that " the four species which are the most abundant in the shell mounds (of Denmark) arc — The Oyster, Austrea edulis, L ; the Cockle, Cardium rrfule, L : the Musselj Mytilus edulis, L. and the Fori winkle Littorina littorea, L. All four of which are still used as food for man," p. 179). And with respect to the W.irranmri nionml, the same observation applies that has been made in the case of the Danish mounds, namely, that the shells con- sist of species which do not live together, nor Require the Bame conditions, and would not, therefore, be found together alone in a natural deposit (p. 173). These facts appear to determine the artificial character of the mound, as distinguished from raised beaches, which in the words of the accomplished writer before referred to, necessarily contain a variety of species ; the individuals are ot different ages, am' the shells arc, of course, mixed with a considerable quantity of sand and gravel." \ItidJ On digging down into the mound, quantities of organic remains were discovered, large shells, apparently for the most part clams, crabs, lisii bones and scales, charcoal, and fragments of what appeared to be red pigment in considerable abundance. Many more human remains were also brought to light, an axe or hatchet of a seemingly not very hard kind of stone, but of which nothing similar is now known in the surrounding country, and some substance- resembling arrow heads, whieh, on being subsequently examined by the aid of a microscope, proved to be the teeth ot some large fish, not improbably a shark. The bones and skulls were all crushed and shattered like those previously discovered by Mr. Bkktt, and as there is an Indian tradition that cannibal tribes for- merly lived on the coast, who used to fracture the bones of their victims in order to extract the marrow, the question arises — may not this tumulus mark the site where these extinct man-eaters used to hold their horrible feasts? It is a singular coincidence that in the Danish mounds all the bones of animals found are in like manner fractured. Sir John" Lubbock states that " in every case, the bones which contained marrow arc split open in the manner best adapted for its extraction" (p. 1 S 1 ; ) and again, "It is evident that marrow was considered a great delicacy, for every single bone whieh contained any was split open in the manner best adapted to extract the precious morsel" (p. 189.) Y\ ith respect to the tradition of cannibalism on this coast, it is curi- ous that the locality corresponds pretty closely with that part of the South American Continent, namely, the neighbourhood of the Oronoquc, where the man-eating sn;i^v» are described as being accustomed to cross over to Robinson Crusoe's Island to devour their victims according to He Foe'* tale. In his account Fridaj is portrayed as an Indian His hair was long and black, not curled like wool. * * * The colour of his skin was not quite black, but very tawny, and yet not of an ugly nauseous tawny, as the. Brazilians and Virginians and other natives of America are, but of a bright kiud of a dun olive colour, that had in it something very agreeable, though not very easy to describe." (vol. 1. • Ilie Governor's vj„t to the Shell Mound. 350 THE TUMULUS at WARRAMURI. * ' 256.) ^ he Island itself is stated to be at the mouth " of the mighty river Oronoque," and Crusoe is made to say, " I asked Friday a thousand ques- tions about the country, the inhabitants, the sea, the coast, and what nations were near ; he told me all he knew with the greatest openness imaginable. I asked him the names of the several nations of his sort of people, but could get no other names than Canbs ; from whence I easily understood, that these were the Carribbces (Caribisce ?) which our map place on that part of America which reaches from the mouth of the river Oronoque to Guinea (Guiana ?) and onwards to St. Martha" ^p. 256) . It is true that in his second voyage he says that " the continent which I thought I saw from the island I lived in, was really no continent, but a long island, or rather a ridge of islands reaching from one to the other side of the extended mouth of that great river ; and that the savages who came to my island, were not properly those which we call Caribbees, but Islanders, and other Barbari- ans of the same kind, who inhabited something nearer to our sides than the rest" (Vol. 2. p. 34.) This, however, does not affect the point, and it is surely no strained hypothesis to suppose that De Foe derived his notion of cannibals feasting on their prisoners takeu in war from the accounts given by adventurers who had followed Raleigh's tract to Guiana, and that the tale embodied the popular opinion in the time of Anne of the habits of the Indian tribes living in that distant region of the new world. Indeed, Raleigh himself speaks of a nation of cannibals, "in whose chief town, called Acamacuris, is a continual market of women, who were bought by the Arwacas (Arawaaks ?) for three or four hatchets a piece, and sold by them to the West Indies;" and in the expedition that he fitted out in 1595 under Captain Keymis, that navigator enumerates the rivers " Pawrooma (Pome- roon), Moruga (Morucca), Waini, and Barima." The subject is one of great interest, and since attention has been attracted to it, there is no doubt that other similar tumuli exist in the Colony. From researches made by order of Mr. Brett, a shell mound is reported up the Waini river, another near the Accawini creek, a tributary of the Pomeroon, and a third on the Siriki creek, also a tributary of the same river. This last is said to be oblong in shape, and larger than the tumulus of Warramuri, and all are believed to be composed of the same description of shells. Another mound has been discovered at Pin. Skeleton, in Berbice, which, it is to be hoped, will be carefully examined, and near it a stone axe head was found some time ago, while there is said to be a considerable tumulus at the entrance of the Abari creek, in the middle ot a savannah. It would be of great importance to the cause of science if these tumuli could be opened by competent persons, with the view of throwing some light upon the habits of the primeval mound-building nations, of whom traces are to be found in so many parts of the world. The skulls brought to light at War- ramuri are small but of extraordinary thickness, and the most perfect one was remarkable for the absence of forehead, and for what appeared to be projecting rims round the eye holes. It is interesting to note that the ikeletons discovered in the Danish shell mounds are those of a race of small • Ibe Gotwok's v i*i' to the SMI Mwpi1» THE TUMULUS at WARRAMURI. 851 * ' men, aud as described by Lubbock, " the skulls are very round, and in many respects resemble those of the Lapps, but hare a more projecting ridge over the the eye," (p. 188). Still more remarkable in its coincidence is the description of the skulls very recently found in a mound near Tor- pichen, in Liulithgowshire, which are said to be in the possession of Pro- fessor Duns of New College, Edinburgh, and with respect to which it is stated that " the character of the crania gives the chief interest to the dis- covery : they have evidently belonged to full-grown individuals, yet both are comparatively small ; the bones of the eye brows are largclydeveloped, and those of the forehead sharply recede." (Illustrated London Newt, 24th February, 1866.) This account closely tallies with the appearance of the skulls found at Warramuri, and the fact is worthy of attentive consi- deration by Ethnologists. The shades of evening brought the labours of the excavators to a close, and the moon rose upon a scene of singular beauty. Perched high upon a hill, with the liver Morucca at its base, and the forest stretching away to the sea, all around the Settlement the watch fires of the Indian gaily twinkled ; while on the broad plain of sand, in front of the Mission House, little red-skinned children gambolled in flocks, making the air resound with their merry laughter. One of the party had brought with him a box of Pharoah's serpents, and strolled down to the Indian quarter to exhibit them. It is impossible to describe the astonishment which greeted their appearance, as coil after coil unwound itself; first a shrill cry of surprise, and then it gradually swelled into a roar from the surrounding crowd as the serpent lay complete. Perhaps the next greatest wonder to them was ice, of which some had been brought up. A piece would be broken off aud handed round the circle, which each would solemnly lick and pass on to his next neighbour, uutil the lump disappeared in a manner to them wholly inexplicable. But in a short time all was hushed, the tired travellers sought their hammocks, aud silence reigned supreme. In every direction hundreds of watch fires blazed surrounded by dusky forms, and above the moon rods in unclouded majesty, in the midst of the starry Firmament, recalling for- cibly to mind those familiar but immortal lines, which have been so tersely rendered bv the Laureate,' — " Many a fire before them bla*»d. As wlien in Heaven the Stint about the Moon Look beautiful, when all the windi are laid. And c-vorv height comes out and jutting Peak And Valley, and the immeasurable Heavens Break open to their highest, and all the Stars Shiue, and the Shepherd gladdens in his heart, So, many a fire between the ships aud stream Of Xmithus blazed before the Towers of Troy, A thousand on the Plain ; and close by ea«h fr'at fifty in the bl.ize of burning fire." Very early the next morning the excavation of the tumulus was re- sumed, and the works were continued until 4> in the afternoon. The sec- tion opened was cut down to its base upon the sand, and quantities of hu- man remains were found, reaching to the very bottom of the mound. * Ibo GoTtruor'i Viist to th« Shell Mound, 25fl THE TUMULUS at WARRAMURI. * ' Their being discovered at this distance from the surface, upwards of twenty feet below the top of the mound, would seem to negative the idea that these skeletons could have been interred iu the ordinary course of sepulture. It was remarkable that iu many instances, the thigh bones and those of the leg, and also the bones of the foie arm and arm were doubled up on each other ; and in no single ease did a hand or portion of a hand remain attached to the fore-arm, although finger bones were found scattered about in all direction*. The same shells, red substance in lumps, and fragments of charcoal, continued throughout the section, and a selection of specimens was made for transmission to England, in order that they may undergo full scientific examination. The works were personally superintended throughout by His Excellency the Governor, who together with the Bishop, the Arch- deacon, Dr. Shier, and others, evinced the greatest interest in the proceed- ings. Before daybreak that same morning, a detachment of the party started for the Monte Rosa, the Romau Catholic Mission up the Morucca, in the ucighbourhood of which a number of Spanish Indians are settled. At about 8, they reached captain Calitro's settlement, which is much more comfortable thau the generality of Indian places, and is well stored with coffee, chocolate, and fruit trees. Here they met a party of Indians on their way down to visit the Governor iu their war paint, their bodies a bright red, aud their faces striped in alternate lays of black and red. Shortly after they came upon an affecting sight. Close to the water side, under a venerable Palm, a poor Indian was tenderly finishing a little coffin for his infant grandchild, and the mother sat, besides it looking the very picture of woe. The man was evidently intent on his task, and was making his lov^d one's narrow home with smoothed crabwood plank ; and the whole scene, the towering forest trees, the rapid river, and the little coffin on the ground, was one not easily to be forgotten. About ^ past 9 Santa Rosa was reached, and from its summit fine views of the surrounding country rewarded the travellers for their journey, but the settlement itself has a forlorn and de- serted aspect. On their return the.party stopped at Raphael the Indian's place, and a little mound in the very centre of his house shewed that his melancholy task was done. He was remonstrated with for hurrying the body in such a place, but the probability is that the whole family intended forthwith to desert the spot and to move elsewhere. The mourning mother was lying in her hammock close to the grave, silent and utterly unmindful of all that passed around her. " Her heart is grieving for the child," said poor Raphael simply. On their return to Warramuri the Santa Rosa party found that pre- sents were being distributed to the Indians, who were drawn up in ranks, four deep, and each received according to his degree. To the men were given knives, fish hooks, shot, gunpowder, salempores, and shirts. To the women scissors, looking glasses, beds perfumery, (of which they are very fond) cloth, &e., while due care was taken of the boys and girls, who all appeared immensely pleased. Then commenced the Indian games upon the plain in front, which formed a complete campus martins. About one * Ite Governor's VUit to the SbeU Uound. THE TUMULUS at WARRAMURI. 253 *' hundred contested in archery, and the flights of white-tipped arrows were like snow-flakes in the clear blue sky, when they launched their bolts simul- taneously, as appeared to be the favourite mode, each man knowing his own arrow. Foot races were also run with spirit ; but the game that excited the most interest was the Ha Ha fight, called in Warrow, Isahi, being a friendly combat with large shields made of Eta Palm. The object in this encounter is by sheer strength to thrust down the opponent, and some of the champions exhibited remarkable suppleness and dexterity. Amused spectators of the sports, Indian boys sauntered about in couples after the manner <>i' bosom chums in the playing fields of Eton ; while slim graceful maidens, with sweet-scented flowers wreathed in their glossy hair, moved in groups with anus entwined round each other's waist, for all the world like English school-girls — so true it is, that "one touch of nature makes the whole world kin." In the evening merry strains were heard from one part of the camp — Jack had brought his fiddle from the sch inner, and light-hearted youths and maidens were tripping it in innocent mirth upon the moon-lit sands. In another, the sound of singing rose in solemn accents from the Accaway quarters, and on silently proceeding thither, an interesting sceue presented itself. The lion d with Accawaya and a number of young Indians of both sexes, who had been taught at the Mission, were singing, "Angels from the Realms of Glory," a most intelligent young Accaway, named Philip, giving out each verse of of the hymn. Then he took up his Bible, and began to read from the 7th chapter of Matthew, interpreting as he went along to his countrymen in their own language. With much fervour he read to them — " What mau shall there be of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone ? Or if he ask a fish, will he give 1dm a serpent ? If ye then being evil, know how to give g< 0(1 gifts unto your children, how much n/r/rr shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him?" The affection of the Indians for their children is extreme, and this appeal seemed to come home to their hearts with extraordinary force. Earnest murmurs of assent showed how deep an i ion this passage had made upon them, and that it had sunk into their minds with all the freshness and power of a new idea, and PHILIP enlarged upon the theme with a sincerity which evi- dently bad a great effect upon In- audience, What a wonderful contrast did such a scene present to that which must have marked the time when the builders of the mound inhabited this region ! Then the vast tract of swampy alluvial forest strc ching away beneath the cliff must have been all submerged, and the Bounding billow-; of the Atlantic must have rolled to the very base of Warramuri, which we may presume was then an Ulaud, looking t i 'be configuration of the neighbouring country. Then a stunted squalid horde of savages nee, have g id alot shore, living chiefly on marine mollusca, but probably cannibals, and after a victory over some neighbouring tribe, gorging themselves in unnatural orgies with the flesh of their prisoners, and crunching like wild beatts the marrow from their boues. • XU 9o»enwr'» Viiit to tno Shell MoupO. S54 THE TUMULUS u WAERAMURI. * ' And now from this same spot arose the Hymn of Praise, and the simple, gentle race who now peopled the forest, were learning with child-like docility of the wondrous love of the Great Father of All for his children of the whole human race. Early the next morning, while the moon was still shining bright and clear, all the party were on the alert, ready for a start. The Indians mus- tered again in force to attend His Excellency's departure, being chiefly men and lads ; for the water was dotted with the clunky forms of mothers bathing their children; and while the baggage was being stowed away, many canoes put off on their return to the Waini and Baraima and other remote streams whence they had come. It was amusing to watch the gravity with which little mites of boys and girls would step into the frail buckshells and take their places, without disturbing the balance of the boat the slightest degree ; then the wife would tuck up the inevitable dog under her arm, a gaunt, long- eared animal, but with a keen nose for a Labba or Accouri, and he, too, would quietly take his post at the prow with his front paws on the edge of the gunwale, there to stand immoveable until the next landiug place; and last of all, pater-fa milias in a lap and a necklace of Peccary's teeth, would shoulder his paddle, stem into the stern, and noiselessly push off on his return to his distant forest home. All being in readiness, His Excellency the Governor and party re-em- barked before 7, under a general salute from all the Indians who had guns, and many cordial farewells, and after a rapid run down the river, reached the schooner, which got underway as soon as the tide suit( d, and after a delightful passage returned to Georgetown about 2 the next morning.' Letteb teom the Rev. W. H. Breti to Aechdeacon Jokes. Account of the first opening of the Tumulus at Warramuri Indian Mission, River Morucca. Trinity finish, Essiquebo, 4th January, 1666. Ml Deib Abchdeacox, — H v'n? 1 rig entertained the opinion that the slv 1! mound standing O'j the precipitous edge of Waramnri sand ie-f was of artificial formation, (being enter a tumulus of similar nature to .h- kitchen middens ut Denmark and the shell heap* r. ccntly examined, I believe, in Caithness, or an ancien' sepu dual banow,) and finding few | ersous inclined to agree with me in either sii|>positi in, 1 resolved to settle the question by opening it. The tumulus, as you know, is nnt tar from the bank of the Mnruca, at the commencement of the immense swampy district inhaoited by the Waraws and other Indian tribes, which extends northwestward to, and beyond the de ta of the Orinoco. The mourd isrdher more than 20 feet in its present height, gracefully rounded, and with a base of probably 100 feet in d ameter. The reef ou which it stands is (like many others found a few miles inland) composed of white sand, mixed with peat or decayed vegetable matter, but, unlike the mound, i- destitute of ■ rganic n main<. as fa' as our reseaches have extended. The wlede, both reel and tumu us, were covered with forest treeB until the estabishment ef the Mission in 1815. iVir. Campbell th-; resid nt Cateehist and lay-reader, cmraenced oprat'ons, nt my request, in the beginning of November, hy .> cutting from east to west of twenty feet in w'dtu at the top to all w o gradual n rr wing in the desc. nt. The whole mass of the mound, as fa a; we have been anle to dig, con-ists chiefly of black and whiie striped periwinkle shells, similar to those fou d on he su face, with those of c ahs, mussels, dim-, whelks, &■. &c, in i> finite number and v riety ; the fi st named (i. e. < lie peri- winkl ) greatly exceed ng 11 the re t in qua t ty ; minale I with ihj e ire the remains of ve te- brate fishes an I la d animals the wh il presen iug th ■ appearanc ■ of b iu< the re u-e of innume- rab e m als of some n c- in fur eer day , when hose sh dl fish (man.' kind of which aie now sc icely known en our mil dy shores) must have, ab 'unded, and \V i amuriridg', now separated by Iv o Iz mde^ of alluvial deposit i om th> 8ea, was proba' ly a peoin >u nry or an island. The shells imbedded in the light mould are seen everywhere on each side of the cutting in • lae Governor's Visit to the Shell Mound. LETTER from REV. BRETT to ARCHDEACON JONES. 255 thin 1aycr°, which resemble in their clo cness the oonfe of an onioi. and indicate, by alight streak* or varieties i.f colour, where cacn successive deposit was «|i ead forth. We wore unable to go below 7 or 8 fee' in depth. The Indi ns refused to dig deeper, being unwilling to disturb t • but greater extent the human remains which began to be met with about 4 Or 5 feet from the surface. Those bones wer found in 5 or 6 places ; not sf ■ etel el i nt i her in h rieontal or perpcndU cular positions, but the veiuaiuso' e eh per ■■ n i i I d huddled togetherin a manner impossible to describe. A Iragment "f 'ii elbow bone, for instance, is found tightly fixed be ween the spinal vertebra?, and many different parts are welded log th ir as il were in the stran aion. I have brought away a small box f the mosl ng human r- mains ; also, two or i liree specimens of (apparently) the h nes "f Ii Iwo lumps I 1 I red paint, of what the InniaiiB call c-ereh ; four or five heftds of si ne li ft I tomahawks, wliich must have been ina rted in I andles of heav^ wood ; a I ,rp< dge, wl ich may have been used as a knife, and a stri i ; rifacti n, ol oe heavier than the bones, which was nniortun ,tcl\ b i Bout pii in b tor has puttied all who have seen it. I think il may, perhaps, be the fos ii the tail of a gigantic ray, but leave it, toothers to decii n its na No beads nor any kind of ornament were lound, neither gold, sliver, copper, iron, noranv kind of metal. Sm 1 fragments ol granite and otb children at play might throw about, were met with here and tb I may add here, that since the ab6' e specimens wi re dug op which I have forwarded to you Mr. Campbell has sunk .i small pit several feet dee] er. Hi m il the same kinds of sliells, Bah hones, ie . as were found above, n othei shattered skull and other human bones, ami among other little matl ra, five more lumpi of the "red paint," which hehassenl me The feeling among ihe Indian-, of which I wrof , b istompi lied him to cense from further excavation. The finning of these las( human regains so far I wed the others, and the irregular posi- tions and Unequal depths at which al were lound, Seem to show that they must have leiu placed there at different p. ri ds while he mound »ns i . I irmation. Having thus dct iled the main facts of the discovery, I ought, perhaps, to make no further remark on the subject Hut there is one question which nat ui ally sugges s itself, ami which has been asked by all who have he ird of i he al>< ve f cts or seen the. relics—', Mow Damn those human bones to be there buried in the he p of si ells?" Juduing men ly Irom what we have at present discovered, it appears to mo that two conjec- tures might be advanced in re, 1st, Thoy may have been interred many "res after the tumulus had been formed ; either im- mediately at er death, oral e long presen ti • ' ieli touj above ground, according to the anciini oust' in known to have been practised b\ the Indian tribes now existing. The latter supposi ion is strengl en 'I hj the Lumps i f c d ci louring matf r found near them, (for the Indians, when preserving skeletons of their rel'i ives, of tn painted them red,) and il would ace unt lor the d sj lined 00 alition, and perhaps tor the intermii g ing. of the vaiions paitt of o.ieh skeleton, but it would I ai ly ace mil for their ir i .ml depth in the mound nor for their broken and shail red 0on ition when found, The ohild'n skull and jaw, you will see, has been smashed in bv a violent blow, npparent'y on one side, and all the other skulls were in rragmants, of which the few 1 have ■ lected wi ra the Ingest, lie man's -kull is about i of an inch thick, yet it had been shivered like the test, I the b mes were broken in the process of digging, but the edges thus Ermed are light in colour, while the original fractures which are f.,r u ore numerous, have their edges dark, and are distinguished at a glance 2nd. The ichthyophagous race who f rmod thai men id may have had a cannibal feast occa- sionally, and placed the bones and I' a.meiifs with their il The Indian's tradition is, thai the man-eating tribes always broke their victims* bones to ext act the ma.r w an i they are inclined to believe that these bones were fractured for that pur- pose ; but none of them know anything of the history ol the mound in question, or can throw any light on the subject. It was probably the WOTS of no exist ing Hike, but of a rsoel ng since extinct. I iner, l\ throw out the abovi SttOna, without presuming to decide. We must search deeper. The examination of the remaining portion of i he i tiniulu- hy His Excellency the Governor will, I am persuaded, do much to rend i intelligible this, which reema the earliest, c apterof the history of the human race in this patt of Gu ana. 1 venture to predii I I hat, similar remains will be found, il sought lor, in similar portions, vis., s me distance inland, where the alluvial deposits, our p'eseni swamps, jo.n the rising land-, the original shores of the Atlantic. I Bemain, my Hear archdeacon, Faithfully yours. >V. H. BRETT, Superintendent of Indian Missions. Letter from Professor Owen to Siu Fbidebic ItoaERS, Bakt., with reference to MB, HliEl is l.t-.TTEK. D Lodge, Richmond Park, 12th February, 1866. Sir Frf.deric, — 1 have the honor to ack oowledg ipt of \ our letter of the 10th Fib- man- i itch sing a copy of a Despatch, ^'y. 17, 8ib January, lbbi >) from the Governor oj'tfi'iiiirh. 256 LETTER from PROFESSOR OWEN to SIR F. ROGERS. Guiana, transmtttp:! in me by direction of Mr. Secretary Cardwell. I have read with much in- ter st Mr. B'ct's concise and clear ac taunt of the opening of th i Tamului at Waramnri, B i ish Guiana. It gives valuable additional t< stimony to the -imilari y of ho habits ami procedures of the earliesi known races of mankin in different and remote parts of the world. At the present phase of research into that obscore period ot human history, sueh explorations as that which have been begun in the Bhell-mound at \V. r.imn i, are o£ peculiar value, should be carried out, and merit encouragement and aid in their prosecution. For the full fruitim by science of such explorations, it is requisite that the exact nature of things found and deemed worthy of n te shou d bo made out ; 'or that purpose spicimens of the different kinds of shells shou d he tan-mitt d to the British Museum !• r oetermination. The knowledge so acquired m ght throw light on the kind r.ntl degree of cha ge of coast line, or other evidence of geological actio i to wh.ch the locality of the mound may have been subject. Still more requisiie is the transmission of the more problematical ho ies, sueh a- the '• petrified rod." or the purpose of such tests and comparisons as a National Museum all' ids f.r the discovery of their precise nature. It would be desirab'e, also, to ascertain the species of mineral which ha 1 aft' rdeel the mound makers the material of then- stone implements, and to compare the sh pe, size, and u,h r character of their " hatches" w'nh those of the mound-making and th r p imitive people of Europe. I am unwilling to press for the transmission of the human remains discovered and recognised as such by the native diggers, deeming the gain to science, the-ebv unlikely to comp nsa'e for the harm that might ensue font endangering in the minds of the Indians a sense of injury, through indifference ot the mission to their feelings, which do betoken a kind of religious veneration for the rcBtitig places of ancestors and some dun sense of t he sanctity ni sepuiclire. The f rmal re-interment of sueh remains, in the presence ot the Indian congregation might, rather, be advisable. The foregoing observations d} not apply to human crania t.iat m >y be discovered by the mission under other circumstances in tumuli or mounds. The remarks on the slate of the hutnm bones are instructive, and nil such are desirable. From the analogy of Mr. Bret's, with previous observations on this point, 1 incline to his seeo id hypothesis as the probable explanation of such dislocated and fractured states of the skeletons. I 1 ; would be desirable to know whether any of the " long hones" o the limbs had been fnund entire, or whether others, like the " elbuw bone," had been lound fractured. The medical officer of the mission (if there be one) might be offere 1 the opp i. tun ty of examining the human remains, and be requested to report on them. To any of the evidences of tbe nature and history of the artificial mounds or tumuli oi Biti li Guiana which may he transmitted to the British .Uu-eum, prompt ami due attention will be given. With the facts so ascertained, I am ot opinion that tl e information transmitted in the Despatch if tl e Governor of British (in ana (No. 17. 8i b January, 1866) would be highly acceptable to men of science ; I venture to ask permis-ion o! Mr. Secretary Carowell to communicate tbe same, or such put as be may deem proper, to the " li< yal Society," and I beg to return respectful acknowledge i n.s of the favour of the copy ot this very interesting information. I have, Ac, (Signed) RICHARD OWEN. Sie Frederick Eogers, Bart. The Rev. W. H. Bbeit to Me. Bennett. Trinity Parsonaje, Essequel o, June 16, 1866. My Deae Sie, — I beg to thank you for the interesting sketches of the great assembly of Indians who met the Governor at Warrnmiri Miss on io February last ; and to furnish you (aa you request) with a brief outline of further discoveries in that quarter. The number of shell mounds discovered and examined in the Mission District of the Pome« roon and Morucca up to the present date is four. I. That at Wanamuri has become well known and nei d not he n ticod here. Some explorers wh»m I sent out for tl.e purpose, after one or two unsuccessful journeys, discovered two other mounds in February last. II. One of these is at a i lace calh d Akawini, and is very difficult of access by 'eason of the swamps. It stands in a low marshy position, is natter and broader than that at Waramnri, and very different in its external appearance, though its contents arc the same. III. The other discovered by thai party is a very large oblong mound. Roughly measured it was found to be about 24U feet by 90, and probably in feet high. This also, like the other, stands on the edge of a swamp, adjoining higher land. It is at ennui, a small tributaiyof tbe 1'omeroon. IV. Soon after, a fouith was found at tha other Indian Mission under my superintendence, which is also on the Ponieroou river, and named Cabacaburi. Tnis mound lias been formed against the side of (not upon) tbe Mission hill ; and being covered with thick coftee bushes, had escaped observation; though I had myself resided for several years almost upon its edge, and erected the Mission house and chapels within a stone's throw of it. This last, though of-consi- derable size is smaller than the other shell heaps farther inland. These mounds are all similar to that at Waramnri, and contain the same sad evidence of barbarous habits. The human relics in them are abundant, and in the aaina condition as those formerly described; the skeletons being dislocated and huddled together ; the crauia in f ragnieuts } f 40 Portraits of Governors of the Colony. COMMANDERS and GOVERNORS of the COLONY. nnd llie long bones all cracked open. No doubt exists in the minds of those who bai so unceremoniously mingled with the shells other broken Nun-?, that Dun have been i (hem, tho relics of mealg, nnd cast into the common heap of refuse. It is probable that the people who formed those mounds were settled all along; our shores. If bo, otl same kind will be brought to light. The four I have mentioned abo all that have been examined at the present date ; but others are reported to exist in various places and will, doubtless, be examined in due time. Our existing Tribes know nothing of the race thai formed those Bhell and bone heaps. They were certainly inferior in civilisation to anj of our Indians at the present day. I Ri in, my Dear Sir, Yours \ 11 - G. W. Bennett. Esq. W. II. BRETT. List of the Commanders nml (.'ovcrnors of (lie Colony. COMMANDEERS 01 ESSEQ1 F.DO. J. V. ilc G oss Hendriok Koll ; appointed by the Ivamcr Zealand Hendriok Boll ; confirmed in office by the new General West liu] b Company Jacob Sara Abraham Beckman J. P. Do Jong Samuel Beckman Peter vau der Heyden Rcsen Laurens de Heere Herman Gelskerke Laurens Storm van S'Gravesande 1834. 1670. 1674. 1G7G. March 81. 1G78. July 25. 1680. 1690. Nov. 2. 17(17. Dee. 10. L719. July 21. 172'.). Oct. 12. 1742. April. 1751. 1772. Nov. 2. 1781. Oct. 17. 1782. Fob. 10. — July 15. — Sept. 15. 17S3. Jan. 20. 1 7s |.. March 6. 1786. Feb. 16G6. 1669. L674. 1 68 ! . 1788. April 22. 1 7 19. April 8. — May 7. 1755. Dec 5. 1760. April 4. 1 7(i. r ,. Sept. 6. 1768. April 7. 1781. 1784. May. 1793. DIRECTORS-GENERAL Of TJ1 f. TWO RIVERS. Laurens Storm van S'Gravesande George Sendrick Trotz Lieutenant -Colonel Robert Kingston ( '.Mint de Hersaint Marquis da Lusignan Count de Kersaint General de la Perriere J. Bourda, Provisional Governor Jau L'Espauesse. GOVERNORS Of liP.ltliH'E. Matthys Bergenaar, Commandeur of Berbioe M. Crynsee, ditto. JTeer Lueas Condrio, ditto Bernhard Waterham John A ndries Lossner John Frederic Colier Handrick Jan van Eyawick Wolfort Simon van Hogenheim. Johannes Seyligar, Jun. Stephen Hendriok de laSabloniere AVMiile in the hands of the English and French, Berbieo bad the same Governors as Dcmerary and Essequebo Peter H. Koppiers Abraham van iiateiiburg 258 COMMANDERS and GOVERNORS of the COLONY. 1602. Dec. 1803. Oct. 1. 180-1. Aug. 1806. Dec. 1807. Sept. 1809. March 1810. Jan. — Dec. 1812. June. 1813. Feb. — Dec. 13. 1814. June. 1820. Nov. 1821. Jan. — March. 1825. March. 1826. July. OOYEBNOR5 1765. 1789. Aug. 18. 1793. March 31 1795. May 5, — June 29: 1802. Dec. 3. 1803. Oct. 1. 1804. Aug. 1805. Oct. 19. 1806. 1807. May 9. — Sept. 19. 1808. June 25. 1809. April 8. — May 20. 1812. 1813. May 12. — May 17. — Aug. 24: — Dec. 9. 1815. July 26. — Oct. 3. 1821. April 26. 1831. July 1838. May — May — June 1836. Dec. 1835. May — June 1838. March — March — June 1810. Deo. — Jan. Provisional Government, composed of two Members of the Council, appointed by the Bitavian Republio Lieut.-Col. Robert Nicholson, Actiag Governor Abraham van Batenburg, re- appointed Lieut. Col. Nicholson, Acting Governor General James Montgomery, Governor William Woodly, ditto Major-General Dalrymple, Acting Governor Robert Gordon, Lieut. -Governor Brigadier-General John Murray, Acting Governor Robert Gordon, resumed Major Grant, Acting Governor H. W. Bentinck, Lieutenant Governor Major Thistlewayte, Acting Governor Colonel Sir John Cameron, ditto Henry Beard, Lieutenant Governor Sir B. D'Urban, Acting Governor Henry Beard, resumed, OF THE UNITED COLONY OF DEMERARY AND ESSEQUEBO. Jan Cornelis van der Heuvel, Commandeur of the R. Demerary A. Backer . W: A. Baron van Grovestins Provisional Government, consisting of two Members of tho Court of Policy, in rotation. Anthony Beaujon, continued in office by the English on the capture of the colony Anthony Meerteens, appointed by the Batavian Republic Lieut.-Col. Robert Nicholson Anthony Beaujon Brigadier'Gen. James Montgomery H. W. Bentinck Brigadier-Gen. James Montgomery Colonel Nicholson Lieut.-Col. Ross Major-Gen. Dalrymple H. W. Bentinck Major-Gen. Hugh L. Carmichael Lieut.-Col. Edward Codd Brigadier«Gen, John Murray Colonel Cod, acting vice Murray, appointed to Berbice Major-Gen. John Murray, resumed Colonel Codd, acting vice Murray, gone to Islands Major-Gen. John Murray, resumed Major-Gen. Sir Benjamin D'Urban, Lieutenant Governor OOVEENOBB OF BRITISH GUIANA. Majoi»Gen. Sir Benjamin D'Urban, Governor Lieut.sCol. Courteuay Chambers, Acting Governor Colonel Sir Charles Felix Smith, ditto Major-Gen. Sir James Carmichael Smyth, Lieut.- Governor MajorsGcn. Sir James Carmichael Smyth, Governor Sir Lionel Smith, ditto Sir James Carmichael Smyth, ditto Major W. N. Orange, Acting Governor Colonel Thomas Bunbury, ditto Henry Light, Esquire, Governor Sir Henry M'Leod, ditto Henry Light, Esquire, resumed TllE LEGISLATURE— PUBLIC OFFICES. 250 Wm. Walker, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor Henry Barkly, Esquire, Governor William Walker, Esquire, Resumed Philip Edmund Wodelmuse, Esquire, Governor William Walker, Esquire, Resumed Philip Edmund Wodehouse, Esquire, Resumed William Walker, Esquire, Resumed Francis Hincks, Esquire, C.B., Governor Robert Miller Mundy, Esquire, Lieutenant-Governor LEGISLATURE. Tho Legislature consists of the Court of Policy, Financial Representatives, and College of Electors. 1848. May 1849. Feb. 1853. IWav 1854. March 1857. July 1858. May 1801. May 1862. January 1SGG. May COURT OF ToLICY. The Governor as President, with Five Elective, and five Official Members, form the Court of Policy. The Official Members are — The Government Secretary Tho Receiver-General The Attorney-Genoral The Auditor-General The Comptroller of Customs FINANCIAL REPRESENTATIVES. Pemorarn Returns two Members — (one for the County, one lor the City of Georgetown) Bssequebo ,, two Members Borbice „ two Members— (one for the County, one for the Town of New- Amsterdam) The Members of tho Court of Policy and Financial Representatives form the COMBINED CODBT. THE COLLEGE OF ELECTORS. County of Dcmerarn returns one. and City of Georgetown two members, ,, Essequebo ., two Members „ Berbice „ one, Town of New-Amsterdam, one member COURTS OF JUSTICE, &C. The Supreme Civil and Criminal Courts, presided over by a Chief Justice snd two Puisne Judges The Inferior Civil Court, presided over by one Judge Criminal Court, presided over by one Judge and three Justices of the Peace Petty ]">ebt Courts, presided over by the Police Magistrate in Georgetown, and in the Kural districts by a Stipendiary Magistrate The Stipendiary Magistrate's Courts are held in twelve Rural Districts TUBLIC OFFICES. The principal Public Offices are, the Government Secretary's Receiver-General's Registrar's Administrator-General's Provost Marshal's Custom House Post Office Immigration Office Colonial Civil Engineer's Auditor-General's Colonial Book-keeper a Church of England Church of Scotland Roman Catholic Church Presbyterian Missionary Society Wosleyau Church Loudon Missionaries RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Independent Congregational Dissen- ters Methodist Fire Church Methodist Episcopal Society Plymouth Brethren. 260 CORPORATE BODIES and PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. CORPORATE BODIES, PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, &C, &C, Town Council Board of Superintendence New-Am- sterdam Colonial Bank British Guiana Bank British Guiana Savings' Bank Dernerara Railway Company Hoyal Agricultural and Commercial Society of British Guiana Natural History Society Georgetown Athena?nm Berbice Beading Society Bishop's College Queen's College Grammar School Hand-in-Hand Mutual Guarantee Fire Insurance Company Board of Education Central Board Villages Central Board of Health Board of Prisons Pilot Establishment Colonial Hospitals Alms' House, and Leper Asylum, Orphan Asylum, and School of In- dustry Board of Guardian of the Poor Commissioners of the Lamaha Canal Estimated Expenditure for the Year 18GG, Combined Court. as Sanctioned by the Annuities, Gratuities, and Superannuation Allowances Expenses of Justice Eerries and Steamer Navigation Harbours Hospitals Militia... Miscellaneous Police ... Poor Post Office Public Printing Prisons... Public Accounts ... Public Roads and Bridges ReveDue Establishments Schools.,. Immigration — (one third whole cost) Public Buildings and Works .., C Civil List \ Ministers of Religion (Public Debt Total WATS AND MEANS. Balance Available from 1SG5 General Imports ... Less ... % 28,266 93 39,440 67 50,000 5,340 97,530 8,324 39,666 54 . 145,890 91 75,310 14,560 4,240 (1 72,115 5(» 16,530 5,000 91,934 67,895 . 171,543 64 . 120,029 O . 119,418 56 89,200 . 169,856 $ 1,432,140 75 G90.000 40,000 41,795 06 650,000 NAMES or ESTATES and WHERE SITUATED. 2G1 Wine and Spirits Bom... Beacon and Tonnage liYtail Spirit Licences Oilier Licences ... Establishments under Government Fees ... Fines and Seizures Interest Taxes Superannuation ... Stamps Miscellaneous 190.000 260,000 it 20,000 100 000 15,000 iu.oOO 25,000 20,000 10,000 . 15,000 , . 12,000 5.000 5,000 Total $1,438,795 6 Yame-. or Plantations nn«1 where Militated. ESSEQTJEBO. 1 Better Success 2 Devonabjj i I 8 Hampton Court l Win ."> Sparta 6 Pear Not (abao.) 7 Coti'ee Grove 8 Lima (abandoned) It La Hello Alliance 10 Richmond 32 Huff Van Holland 35 Good Success 86 Sana Souci 37 Belle riaino no \ 3 , ( > Friendship &. Sarah 40 Hank HaU 11 Henrietta 12 Anna Regina 1:1 Reliance 1 I Mainstay I 5 Land of Plenty 16 Aberdeen 17 Columbia 18 Affiance lit Tpvieontli Manor 80 [/Union 31 .Spring Garden Tiijrr Island. 33 Hamburg Waktnaam Island. 41 Zeelandis 12 Moor Farm 18 Caledonia I I Maria's Pleasure 46 Amersforl (aban.) 46 New Bendorff (aban.) 21 HoffVan Aorich 22 Cullen 23 Perseverance 2 1 Golden Fleece 25 7.. 26 Johanna Cecilia 27 Ondernei 28 lluis t'D 29 \ ilvoorden 30 Aurora 31 Sophienburg 17 Marionrille (aban.) 48 Domburg I rthnrville oil Maria Johanna 51 Palmyra 52 Endeavour Bog Island. I 53 Johanna 51 Canefteld & Amsterdam 66 Richmond Hill 66 < llairmonl (abandoned) 67 Retrieve fT> Bt. Christopher 66 Philadelphia i ~ V& C8 Tuschen do Vriendi d 69 Ze 70 Met-en-Meereorg 70l.De Kin.loren 71 He Willem 87 Vreed-en-Hoop 87bB ill of Pouderoyen 88 Malgre Tout 80 Versailles and. 68 Blenheim .ntorprise 60 I til Maryville Wi »( Coast Dcmerara. 72 Zeeburg 7.: l ,i i 71 Stewartvillo 75 Leonora 7ii Groenvi 77 Edinbu 7S Anna Catherina 7:i i lornelia Ida ti , i Bank Demtrara Rivtr. 90 Scboon Ord :i 1 La Grange 92 Nismes 98 Belle Vuo (12 Waterloo 63 Success, Now Osterbcck and Wes-Avalighcid G4 Henrietta 80 Hague 81 Ulankenbiirg 82 La Jalousie 88 Windsor Forest 84 Wall r"s Ii. light 86 Haarlem atf Nouvelle Flanders 91 Walea 95 Vriealand 96 Vive la Force 97 Glasgow 2G2 NAMES of ESTATES and WHERE SITUATED. 140 Profit 141 Foulis 148 Mara 149 MaRetraite 156 New Forest (aban) 157 Goldstone Hall 164 Albion East Bank Demerara River. 98 Garden of Eden (aban) 101 Herstelling 104 Rome and Houston 99 Great Diamond 102 Providence 105 Ruimveldt 100 Farm 1C3 Peter's Hall and Eccles Hast Coast Demerara. 106 La Penitence 107 Tbomas 115 Vryheid's Lust 124 Nonpareil 107iKitty 116 Montrose and Felicity 125 Enterprise 108 Bel Air 117 Le Resouvcnir 126 Enrnore 109 Turkeyen 118 Success ^APwadiso 110 Cuming's Lodge 119 Cha'eau Margot 127 Cove and John 111 Industry 120 La Bonne Intention 128 Hope, including Lowlands 112 Ogle 121 Mon Repoa and Dochfour 113 Goedverwagting 122 Lusignan 129 Clonbrook 114 Better Hope 123 Annandale 131 Greenfield West Bank Mahaica Creek. 130 Bee Hive 1S2 Spring Hall 133 Good Hope 134 Helena 136 La Bonne Mere 135 Belmont and Supply 137 Melville 138 Cane Grove Mahaieony Creek. 139 Farm West Coast Berbice. 142 Bath 143 Hope and Experiment 146 Balthyock West Bank Berbice River. 147 Standvastigheid (aban.) East Bank Berbice River. 150 Highbury 151 The Friends 14-1 Cotton Tree 145 Blairmout 152 Everton and Belle Vu« 153 Providence Left Bank Canje Creek. 164 Smythfield | 155 Locbaber Right Bank Canje Creek. I 158 Adelphi I 159 Reliance East Coast. 162 Prospect | Corentyne Coast. 160 Rose Hall | 161 Cancfield 163 Smithson's Place | 165 Port Mourant 167 Skeldon | 166 Eliza and Mary PUBLIC OFFICERS AND SALARIES. His Excellency Francis Hincks, Esq., C.B., Governor ... ~> His Excellency Robert Miller Mundy, Esq., Lieut. -Governor j Austin, The Right Rev. W. P., I). D., Bishop of Guiana. Beaumont, Jos., His Honor, Chief Justice Ahrens, C, Bandmaster Allison, Rev. J. J., Rector St. Swithin's Parish ... Allison, Dr. A., Assistant Surgeon to Colonial Hospital Altham, Dr. J., Health Officer, Berbice, paid by fees Austin, Rev. F. W., Curate St. George's Parish ... Austin, Rev. Wm. Rector St. John's Parish Austin, Rev. W, G. G., Inspector of Schools Austin, Charles, P., Clerk Government Secretary's Office Bagot, Christopher, Comptroller of Customs Baird, J. F., Stipendiary Magistrate Beete, R. C, His Honor. First Puisne Judge Bell, Rev. Thomas, Minister St. Caterine's Parish Bennett, G. W., 1st Clerk Colonial Bookkeeper ... Betbune, Alex. M., District Commissary Taxation Bhose, Rev. E. B., Missionary to Indian Immigrans Black, Henry, Clerk in Post Office Bolton, Inspector Police Salary. > 24,000 9,600 12,000 960 2,400 1,500 1,440 2,400 3,000 1,080 4,800 3,360 7,200 2,400 2,0f0 1,500 1,440 720 1,400 NAMES and SALARIES of PUBLIC OFFICERS. 2G3 Bourne, Thos., Registrar, Berbice. paid by fees ... Bowden, Wm. James, Training Master Bishop's College .. 1,000 pralhwaite, N. L., Aidwaiter ... ... 1,000 Brett, Rev. W. H., Rector Trinity Parish 2,400 Brislow, W„ Aidwaiter 1,000 Bronkhurst, Rev. H. V. P., Coo'ie Minister 960 Brumell, John, l'olice Magistrate, Georgetown ... 4,800 Burr .wes, A. A., Inspector ot Poor, Secretary Poor Law Board ... ... 3,320 Burrnwes, A. A , jr., Clerk in Reoeiver-Genical's Office 1,000 Burrowes, \V. ll. a., Aidwaiter 800 Bury.F. M., Revenue officer 1,500 Butt, Rev. G. H., Curate, St. Luke's 1,440 Broadhead, D., Stipendiary Magistrate 3,860 Blake, J. H., CJerk to Stipendiaiy Magistrate 720 Bean .1. S., Clerk to Stipendiary Magistrate 720 Cameron, E. H., Government Secretary ... ... ... ... Cameron, Dr. A G. II., County Gaol, Essequebo 730 Chalineie, Cathcart, Crown Surveyor ... ... ... ... ... ... 480 Christian, Rev. M., Curate St. Patrick's, Berbioe 1,440 Christiani, J. L,, Aidwaiter.,. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,170 Colebeck, J. R., Clerk in Colonial Bookkeeper's Office 1,500 Cornelius Cornelius, Clerk in Immigration Office... ... ... ... ... 960 Corstorphan, C, Aidwaiter ... ... ... I,0u0 Cox, Nicholas, [nspeotoi Seneral of Police 4,200 Cramer, Dr. s., Surgeon to Berl J 1 Poli is ... ... ... ... 730 Cuckow, J. P., Clerk to Stipendiary Magistrate .. ... ... ... ... 720 Cronin J.. Sworn Clerk Registrar's office. Berbioe, paid by fees ... . . Crocker, E. W. K., Gut-door Snp. of Aidwaitexs 2,400 Crosby, James, Immigration Agent-Qene., Keeper County Gaol, Demerara ... Lathbury, Rev. C. E., Curate Laurie, R. S., Wharfinger Colonial Bonded Warehouse... Leieock, Joseph, Sub-Cnmmissary of Taxation ... Le Gall, Wm., Clerk in Govt. Secretary's office ... Lillie, Rev. Gordon, Presbytcian Minister St. Mary's Maitland, Rev. D., Officiating Minister St. Mark's Manget, Dr. E. A„ Surgeon General Manning, Rev- S., Curate, Trinity ... M'Aulay, A., Clerk in Bookkeeper's Office M'Clintock, W. C. H., Supt. Rivers and Creeks, Pomeroon M'Sweney, John, Stipendiary Magistrate... . . M'Clclhin, Rev. A., Presbyterian Minister St. James' M'Guffie, i ev. S., Presbyterian Minister St. Saviour's Massiah, P., Clerk Colonial Bonded Warehouse ... May, Rev. H. J., Rector St. Peter's Me-rteens A., Clerk Custom House Milne, L. F., Clerk to Stioendiarv Magistrate Milner, Rev. T. B., Curate St. Paul's Morgan, Rev. Chas., Curate St. John's Murray, F., Inspector Police Force.. Norton, Bernard Gustavus, Second Puisne Judge Obcrmuller A. F., Clerk in Col. Book-keeper's Office Olton Henry, Clerk in Cust>m House ... ... Olton Chas.' M., Assistant Sworn Clerk Registrar's Office Ottcrbein J. H., Marshal Oudkerk Gerard, Colonial Book-keeper Oudlterk, G., 5tli Clerk Col. Bookkeeper's Office Oudkerk Geo. O., Clerk in Civil Engineer's Office Oudkerk E. L., Accountant, Marshal's Office Olton, O. C, Usher to the Court of Policy O-Tye-Kim, Chinese Missionary Pkritz Rev. J. A., Rector St. Patrick's Pile F. A., Keeper of Kew-Amsterdam Jail Pitcairn R. N., Superintendent of the Alms' House Pluminer II. P., Stipendiary Magistrate Pollard W. B., Auditor-General Pollard W. B., Colonial Civil Engineer 2.400 1,200 1, iiihi 1,600 soo 480 700 1.140 1.440 1,750 4,000 1,200 1,000 3,3fi0 3,360 2.4' 2,000 GOO 600 1,410 720 4,800 2,000 960 4,800 720 4.320 360 3,000 1.320 1,000 2,400 9R0 2,000 1,440 600 1,500 1,440 2,400 2,000 3,500 1,440 1,200 2,400 3,360 2,400 2,400 300 2,400 1,200 720 1,440 1,440 1,200 7,200 1,800 1,640 840 1,800 2,880 600 600 900 80O 1,440 2,400 900 600 3,360 4,800 3,360 NAMES and SALARIES or PUBLIC OFFICERS. 265 Pollard. J. H. Surgeon Poor 9R0 Preeg G. A., Armourer 7- 1 ' Roberts W. E., Dispenser Colonial Hospital 1,000 Rodgers, J. H. Clerk at Her Majesty's Gaol ... ... 700 Scott Dr. S., Health Officer 1,500 Salmon J., inspector of Police 1,400 Seon Wm., Clerk Police Magistrate's Office 2,500 Sheffield R., Immigration Agent at Madeira, paid by fees Shier Dr. David, Inspector of Estates' Hospital 4,800 Smith lion. J. 1/.. Attorney-General B.^f Smith, W. F. H., Solicitor-General 1,440 Smith Rev. David, Rector St Matthew's 8,400 Smith Wm. M'Keniie, Disp. & Steward, Berbice Hospital 1,800 Smith W. T., First Clerk in R iver-General's Office 8,400 ele Thomas. Clerk in Police Establishment .. 1,800 Straker Rev. O. J , Rector St. Michael's .. ... 8,400 Straker, J., Commissary of Taxation l Sweetnsm A. .'.. Ai.lu 1,400 Shand, JameB C, Clerk to Stipendiary Magistrate ygfj Schmidt, J. > Clerk Immigration Office ... 600 'i ner Rev, A. S„ Caiate St Sidwell's 1,440 t, i aenl B. H., Aidwaiter ... mm Thomas Dr. Lynch 2.4'Ki Townsend Q i '.. I' a i P -; onster, Berbice ... 1,800 Tucker I. G., ftsst Receiver'Genersl, Berbioe ... ... ... .. ... 2.nnu Ann H.il-t If. ,\,. Aidwaiter, Berbice son A an E d chot W., ... ... S,0"0 l , t i . I . T., Superintendent BiverB and Creeks, Berbice ... ... ... 8600 Mast t Queen's College 1 440 Veness Rev. W. T.. Curate St Saviour's Beibiee ... ... ... 1440 j N. T.i Harbour Master ... .. .. , . ... 8,400 Walker G. R. II.. \id\vaiter in rhnrge ot Rev. Schr. Curlew Walker J. N.. Aidwaiter in charge of Revenue Schooner ... j n Ware W. fit., Stipendiary Magistrate ... ... ... ,,, 8 360 Warren Lewis, District Commissary of Taxation ... ... i>t 1*500 Warren S. B., lsl Clerk and Chit f Warden Penal Settlement ... I 000 nil. Ldm. General British Guiana ... ... ... it L800 Watson V.. H.. District Commissary of Taxation Webber Rev. R. L., Iniumbenl St. Philip's ... ... 2000 Webber Rev. W, .1. B., Recto' St Paul's 2U0O Wells Geo P., B e i Clerk in Receiver-General's Office ... 1800 Wickham Rev. II. E., Curate oi St. Paul's I440 Williams, James, Clerk to Stipendiary Magistrate ... ... 1*800 Wrong Isaac, Aidwaiter ... ... ... ... .., loot) Wyatl Rev. P. J., Rector of All Saints 2 '4oo Wight E. D., Clerk in Post Office jgjj, Wight T, <■'<., Assistant Crown Surveyor, eiclusive of fees .. I BOO Winter Alex., Harbour-Master, Berbice, Patent Office fees Williams G. T., 8nd Clerk Penal Settlement '" - l¥1 Watkine, Dr., Surgeon Lunatic Asylum, New-Amsterdam, Berbice '.'.'. 8,400 Yewcns, E. O., Clerk to Stipendiary Magistrate .. .. I4t9 lltf BSD. •ai'iTi' ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF BR'TISH G ANA L W. BENNETT DBMERARA l T C>IA1DSOMCo. 1 '■ M$-