« Neary : ‘ : fk = ‘ 2 : oe - : . i 7 ay - ; 7 : / A * e La ' Se: igs f Se BA Zz bee 2-2 ee SF Kec. PCa “ee sr “ae im ss Oo Pe. Gigi ere NARRATIVE, of w feve YOUN capfediion AYO nat Lhe Revolted Negroes of Surimam, te GUIANA, on the WILD COAST of SOUTH AMERICA; Joe thee year 1772, tO 1777: elucudibing Whe N es Y of Shia Von nti Y; andl” describing its Productions, I. Quad Upped es BU AS LUSVUCE RGAE T7008, SV0UD8, LIU, © ROOTS; with an account of the INDIANS Gf Guiand, G NEGROES ff GUONCT. N . a a EF 5 ‘ ie a By ( IAPT? J.G. STEDMAN. nln yea SO bei loyanl C1 agra ving Vi SN ee "Gd pe (iy lhe be. tt pes 2 VOL. IL ————— es \ yt O quantum terre,gquantium Ccognosecre CAM Lev ysum Sb /PeldgUs JUANTOS QDCITINS Cre ustts / 3 Nunc, forsan grave rerts opusfed lita pocurret Cum ratts,el carum cum pune rh redid Lolcon; Outs pudor heulnostros tbt tine audtye labores ! Quan Ver ari WSUS THE JOY SUSHI GIMES Valor tus LVACCUS. Lordon. Printed for JJohnson,S Paul's Church Yard AJ. Edwards, Pall Mall. 17 96 —-- GOWN obubioN: PS, CONTENTS of the SECOND VOLUME. GH ANP TER, AVI, 4 Page 1. A Reinforcement of frefb Troops arrives from Holland—En- campment on Mount Magdenberg, in Tempatee Creek— Remarkable Infiance of Lunacy in a Negro—Mountains —Beautiful Views—The Sick fent to Europe. CwAaAPTER XVII. Page ag. New Infiances of unprecedented Barbarity—Occurrences on Mount Magdenberg—Priccs of Provifions at Parama- ib0 —Defcription of a new Animal — Great Mortality amongyfi the Troops in Tempatee and Comewina River. CHAPTER XVIII. Page 48. A Tyger taken in the Camp—Fatal Rencounter of a Party with the Rebels, who killed feveral of the Troops, and forced the refi back—De/cription of a Planter of Surinam —Contagious Difiempers — Suicide—Scene of primitive Nature. VoL. Il.» b CHAPTER li CONTENTS 2 OF CHAP. T E R.wiXIX.” (Page 65. The Troops march to Barbacoeba, in the.River Cottica— Frenzy Fever—Gratitude in an Enghifbh Sailor—Defcrip- tion of the Government of Surinam—Some Account of the Emigrant Americans during the late War—Scene af unprecedented Genero/ity. CHAPTER XX. . Page 87. 4 Rebel Negro defcribed—Bufh-fightine—Sentimental Ex- preffions of the African Blacks—The Town of Gado-Saby taken ‘by Colonel Fourgeoud — Superfiition — Wonderful Expedients—Great Generalhip in the Enemy. CHAPTER XXII. Page 218, Spirited Conduct of the Rangers and Rebels—A Skirmifo— Scene of brotherly Affection—The Troops return to Bar- bacoeba—Pian of the Field of Action—A Slave killed by the Oroocookoo Snake. CHAPTER XXII. Page 137. Alarm in the Pirica River—A Detachment marches to its Relief-—Ambufcade—Wonder ful Effect from the Biting of a Bat—Scene in a Quagmire—Sketch of the Inquifition and Return of the Troops to Cormoetibo Creek. CHAPTER THE SECOND FOLUME. CHAPTER XXII. Page 160. Second March to Gado-Saby—Account of a living Skeleton— Beautiful Land/capes—The Commander in Chief falls fick, and leaves the Camp—Some Rebels taken—Di/courfe on the Exifience of Mermaids—Heavy Rains—Dt/easfe—Fa- mine—Mifery. CHAPTER XXIV. -Page 185. Two Volunteer Companies raifed, of free Mulattoes and Negroes—Defcription of the Arrowouka Indian Nation— Colonel Fourgeoud’s Regiment receives Orders to-fail for Europe—Countermanded—Re-enter the Woods—Trade of the Colony—Defcription of a Cacao Efiate—-Sample of Sable Herot/m. CHAPTER XXV. Page 216. Singular Method of detecting a Theft—Rencounter between the Rangers and Rebels—Amazontan Gro0-gree, or 2 Cp Tree Whos) Z ec : London, Published Deelr17 91, by A Sohnson, StPauls purch Fard. 4 EXPEDITION YTO'SURIN A M, This reptile is produced in a tree called the mountain- cabbage-tree, which is one of the palm {pecies. The worm grows to the fize and thicknefs of a man’s thumb, is produced from the {pawn of a black beetle, and 1s ex- tremely fat. However difgufting to appearance, thefe worms are a delicious treat to many people, and they are regularly fold at Paramaribo. The manner of dreffing them, is by frying them in a pan with a very little butter and falt, or {pitting them on a wooden {kewer. In tafte they partake of all the {pices of India, as mace, cinna- mon, cloves, nutmegs, &c. Several fpecies of thefe’ wornis are produced in all the palm-trees when begin- ning to rot, but fome are larger than others. They are all of a pale yellow colour, with black heads. In the plate annexed are reprefented the above-mentioned fine butterfly, and the cabbage-tree-worm, both of the na- tural fize, taken from the life. By the Indians and ne- groes they are called foecoema. On the 13th, a detachment departed for La Rochelle in Patamaca, and the following day a captain was fent with a few men back to the Hope, in Comewina, to protect the eftates in that river. On the fame day, the miferable old negro who had cut his throat on the sth day of March, but had fince re- covered, was feen by fome flaves to enter the wood with a knife, from which he no more returned, being foon after found ftabbed to death. We were after- wards informed by his mafter, that for fome time be- Vou... : D4e« fore p NAVRRATV IVE “OP “ACN fore he had attempted to do the fame almoft regularly from month to month. On the 17th, the detachment returned from La Rochelle, where the troops of the Society were all fick. Colonel Fourgeoud now treated me with the greateft politenefs. And at his earneft requeft I prefented him, on the 20th, with various drawings, reprefenting himfelf and his troops ftrugeling with the hardfhips annexed to the fervice they were fent on; and which drawings he told me were intended to fhew the Prince of Orange and the States a fpecimen of what he and his marines did undergo in the forefts of Guiana. He now gave me leave, for fourteen days, to go to town to wifh Mr. Kennedy a profperous voyage to Eu- rope. Availing myfelf therefore of his good humour, I left Magdenberg within one hour, and made fuch dif- patch that I came to Paramaribo on the 22d, where I found my friends and little family all well, at the houfe of Mr. de Ja Mare, to which they were immediately fent from that of Mr. Lolkens, who had, during my laft ab- fence, entertained them, and treated them with the great~ eft attention and hofpitality. 7 CaP. EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. CB) Ae Ps. XVIL New Infiances of unprecedented Barbarity — Occurrences on Mount Magdenberg — Prices of Provifions at Para- maribo —Defcription of a new Animal—Great Moria- lity among the Troops in Tempatee and Comewina River. | HE firft vifit I now made was to Mr. Kennedy, to bid him farewel; I then paid five hundred florins for the black boy, for which he gave me a receipt, and Quaco was mine. About this time J fell ill with a fever, which however lafted but a few days. Walking out on the 1ft of May, I obferved a croud of people along the water-fide, before the houfe of Mr. S—Ik—r, where ap- peared the dreadful {pectacle of a beautiful young mu- latto girl, floating on her back, with her hands tied be- hind, her throat moft fhockingly cut, and ftabbed in the breaft with a knife in more than eight or ten different places. This was reported to have been the work of that infernal fiend, Mrs. S—lk—r, from a motive of jealoufy, fufpecting that her hufband might fall in love with this poor unfortunate female. This monfter of a woman had before drowned a negro infant merely for crying; as Lhave faid; nay, fhe was accufed of ftill greater bar- barity, were greater barbarity poffible. Arriving one Vou. i day be) un 26 NARRATIVEOCOT! ANT CHAP, day at her eftate to view fome negroes newly purchafed, XVII. Cacescorm semen) her eye chanced to fall on a fine negro girl about fifteen years of age, who could not even {peak the language of the country. Obferving her to be a remarkably fine figure, with a fweet engaging countenance, her diabo- lical jealoufy inftantly prompted her to burn the- girl’s cheeks, mouth, and forehead with a red-hot iron; fhe alfo cut the tendon Achilles of one of her legs, thus ren- dering her a monfter of deformity, and a miferable ob- ject as long as fhe lived: the poor victim not knowing what fhe had done to deferve fo fevere a punifhment. Some of the negroes now reprefenting to this lady the many cruelties fhe daily inflicted, and fupplicating her to be of a milder difpofition; it was reported that fhe inftantly knocked out the brains of a Quaderoon child, and caufed the heads of two young negroes, its re- lations, to be chopped off, for having endeavoured to prevent her; thefe heads, when fhe had left the eftate, were tied in filk handkerchiefs, and carried by the fur- viving relations to Paramaribo, where they were laid at the feet of the governor, with the following fpeech : “¢ This, your Excellency, is the head of my fon, and “¢ ¢bis is the head of my brother, ftruck off by our mif- “© trefs’s command, for endeavouring to prevent her mur- * ders. We know our evidence is nothing in a ftate of “ flavery; but, if thefe bloody heads be a fufficient “¢ proof of what we fay, we only beg that fuch perni- “© cious acts may be prevented in time to come; in ac- “ knowledgment EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. « knowledgment of which we will all chearfully fhed « our blood for the prefervation and profperity of our « matter, our miftrefs, and the colony.” To this humble and pathetic remonftrance the anfwer was, that they were all liars, and fhould, as fuch, be _ flogged round the ftreets of Paramaribo; and this moft ini- quitous fentence was executed with the greateft feverity. Such is the confequence of the law of the colony, that the teftimony of a negro is never to be taken. Had any one white perfon been prefent at the above carnage, the evidence would have been good, but even then this fury would have efcaped by paying a fine of fifty pounds for each murder.—But enough—my foul finks within me while I dwell fo long upon the fubject. On the 2d of May, being again perfectly recovered, I took leave of Joanna and her Johnny, for thus he was named after myfelf, though the ceremony of baptifm could not yet be performed; they now continued at my friend De la Mare’s houfe, whilit I fet out once more for Magdenberg in a tent-boat with fix oars. On the 3d, I called at Egmond, on my French friend Monfieur Cachelieu, and next day ftopt at Oranjebo or Ornamibo, where I was heartily entertained by my old adverfary Captain Meyland, with whom I had fought at the Wana Creek. But now this gentleman declared, that he loved me better than any man in the colony. He was juft returned from a twelve days cruize through the woods. E 2, Among 27 CHAP. XVII. can pommel NARRATIVE OF AN Among his men I recollected one Cordus, a gentle= man’s fon from Hamburgh, in which character I had known him, and who had been trepanned into the Weft India Company’s fervice by the crimps or filver- coopers as a common foldier. This corps, as I have al- ready faid, is compofed of all nations, Chriftians, Gentiles, and even Jews; the latter, I muft obferve, devoured pork and bacon, without fcruple or hefitation, as often as they could find it. ) On this fpot, which had formerly been a plantation, but was now choked with weeds, I met with fome herbs which again I cannot pafs unnoticed, though I have no other names for them than thofe given me by the negroes, one only excepted, which is commonly known by the name of the //iqua-hirfuta, cow-edge, or cow-itch, and called by the black people ¢raf/y-weerce-weeree. I can’ only defcribe this as a kind of pea, or rather flattifh: {mall purple bean, growing in a pod from a flender creep- ing vine; thefe pods are covered with a kind of fine elaftic fpicula, which, when touched, caufe an intolerable itch- ing. This hairy coat fcraped from the pod, and taken in a tea-fpoon with jelly, &c. has been ftrongly re- commended as a vermifuge. A fort of wood was alfo fhewn me here by one of the flaves, which he called: crafy-wood; this had the fame itching effect when touch= ed, but with refpeat to its general qualities I can fay no- thing further. The other fhrubs that we found were what they called con/faca-weeree-weeree; thefe grow, with EXPEDITION, TO SURINAM. 29 with large green leaves, which the negroes ufe for the CHAP. cure of a diforder in the feet called coz/aca, when they , eval. , can procure no limes or lemons, as I have already men- tioned: this plant alfo makes an excellent fallad. The dea-weeree-weerce is a fine wholefome herb, and very - much efteemed; but the cutty-weeree-weerce is amongtt the moft ferious pefts in the colony, being a kind of ftrong edged grafs, which is in fome places very plen- —tiful; and when a man walks through it will cut his legs like a razor. Herbs in general are in this country known by the name of qweeree-weeree by the negroes. On the sth, I arrived at Magdenberg. Here Colonel Seyburg, and what he called his officers, feemed to form a diftin@ corps from thofe of Fourgeoud. They appeared totally deftitute of politenefs, and treated each other with the greateft rudenefs, while their colonel was moft cordially hated by the commander in chief. This ftate of things contributed to render our fituation {till more difagreeable: I however had at this time little reafon to complain, being for the prefent, at leait, in the good graces of Fourgeoud, which, by a trifling accident, I had nearly again forfeited. Colonel Fourgeoud having purchafed of fome Indians a couple of moft beautiful parrots, called here cocatoos, which were in a cage ready to be fhipped off as a prefent to her royal highnefs the princefs of Orange, I perfuaded Monfieur Laurant, his valet-de-chambre, to take one of them out, that I might | the better examine it, but the cage-door was no fooner opened, NARRATIVE OF AN opened, than it gave a fhriek, and difappeared in an ins ftant, flying over the Tempatee Creek. ‘The poor valet {tood perfectly petrified, and could only pronounce “¢ Voyez-vous?” whilft I took to my heels to avoid the approaching ftorm, but ftopped near enough to obferve Fourgeoud’s motions through the underwood. He was no fooner informed of the dreadful accident, than he began to ftorm, fwear, and dance like a man totally deprived of reafon; he next, by kicking it, killed a poor waddling duck belonging to one of our officers; and at laft actually tram- pled his very wig under his feet, while I ftood trembling, and the reft of the {pectators were Jaughing aloud. In about half an hour his paffion began gradually to cool, and then he had recourfe to a ftratagem which actually brought the parrot back into his poffeffion. He placed the remaining captive on the top of its cage, tied by a {mall cord round its claw; this he fet in the open air, putting a ripe banana infide, and leaving the door open, fo that any other bird except the prifoner might come at it; the poor captive at laft becoming very hungry, made fuch a noife and fhrieking as to be heard by his mate, who returning entered the cage in queft of food, and was once more deprived of his freedom. 1 now ventured from my concealment, and was acquitted after a gentle reproof; though poor Laurant, as may well be imagined, did not efcape without a thundering lecture, The cocatoos are lefs than the parrots, and of a green colour, except the head and a few feathers in the tail, which EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. which are of a pale red. This bird is crowned with a pa- nafbe or bunch of feathers, and which generally lie back- ward, but which it erects at pleafure, when it is irritated or afraid. I have alfo feen in Surinam a parrot of a deep flate blue colour, though not like thofe that come from the coaft of Guinea, which are rather of alead-grey. This parrot is faid to be very {carce, and only inhabits the deepeft receffes of the foreft, whence it is brought to Pa- ramaribo by the Indians: this bird is lefs than the com- mon parrot, but appears very ftrong and lively. The moft common parrots in Guiana are thofe which Marc- grave calls ajurticura. ‘Thefe birds are not fo large as thofe that come from Africa; they are green, with the breaft and belly a pale yellow; on the top of the head they have a blue fpot, and the feet are grey, with four toes like the reft of the genus, two before and two be- hind; in the wings they have fome feathers of a bright blue, and fome a deep crimfon; they are more a nuifance than a pleafure in Surinam, where, in prodigious flocks, they perch amongft the coffee, maize, rice, &c.and commit great devaftations; and what makes them a ftill greater nuifance, their fhrieking noife is almoft infupportable. They always fly in pairs, and very f{wift, towards the eaft, as I have obferved, meeting the fun in the morning, and toward the weft they follow it in the evening: they ge- nerally breed in remote places and lay two eggs. I brought down two of thefe parrots at a fhot when I was at 39 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. at Sporkfgift eftate; thefe animals not being quite dead, XVI fcratched me moft terribly with their fharp claws, as they are very ftrong and tenacious of life. We had them dreffed, and they made no bad foup; they may alfo do in a pye as rooks in England, but dreffed in any other way they are tough and difagreeable. Thefe green par- rots may be taught to fpeak, laugh, cry, bark, whittle, or mew, but not near fo well as thofe which come from Africa. It is faid, they are often intoxicated by the feeds of the cotton plant. Thefe parrots are alfo fubject to fits, perhaps from their choleric difpofition, yet longe- vity is peculiarly afcribed to them by the Indians: they have ftrong hooked bills, which affift them in climbing and cracking very hard nuts, and they fometimes bite very feverely; they delight in {winging and balancing, hanging from the branches of trees, and in their wild as well as domettic ftate ufe one of their claws as a hand to take their food. In Surinam there are alfo fome beautiful paroquets, which are a fpecies of parrots, but {maller though not lefs common ; the fineft of thefe is of the fize of a very {mall pigeon; they are of a lively green.on the back and tail, but the head and neck are auburn, the feathers on the laft being edged with a gold colour, which gives thém the appearance of rich fcollops or fcales: the breaft is of:a leaden hue, the belly lilac, the wings tipped with orange and azure, and the bill of a very dark blue; the eyes are the colour of fire, and the feet’ quite black. The other I {pecies Dg ‘ , 4 7, ee She _Pnamoe Oo UCN Lurrots Of Guiana c c London, Published Decl jou, bv S.Sohneon S Pauls Church Yard. 45 ~~ rs mn Whe. weap’ ae EXPEDITION:.TO,SURINAM. 33 {pecies are perfectly green, with a white bill, and a CHAP. crimfon fpot on the head; thefe make an agreeable , ee chattering, but are not fo eafily domeiticated as the former. I was prefented this evening by a foldier with a bird of a quite different kind, which he had actuaily caught with his hands. This was no other than the aznamoe, or Su- rinam partridge, and a finer creature I never faw: it was of the fize of a large duck, extremely fat, and of a dark brown colour on the back and wings, and on the top of the head, the under part of which, the breaft, the belly, and the thighs,-were of a fine cream-colour, intermixed with orange feathers and very fmall tranfverfe black bars. The body was exactly the fhape of an egg, it had no tail, the neck was long, the bill fhort, but very fharp- pointed, and a little curved; the eyes were bright, and as black as jet; the legs fhort, of the colour of vermilion, with three {mall toes on each foot. This bird, it is faid, runs with amazing {wiftnefs, hiding itfelf amongit the gra{fs and weeds, but flies very heavily on account of its plumpnefs, which was the caufe of its being thus over- taken by the marine. We had it roafted, and indeed no- thing could be more delicious. As J took a correct draw- ing of it, I refer the reader to the annexed plate; where he may alfo fee the parrot of South America, as defcribed above, befides a few curious nefts, of which I have given an account in Vol. J]. p. 375, but where I had no Op- portunity of placing them; and which, befides their cu- riofity, may ferve to fhew how much the public are im- VOL. II. EF pofed 34 . NARRATIVE OF, AN CHAP. pofed upon; when, in Goldfmith’s Animated. Nature,. XVII. : ; , Vol. V. p. 253, that author afferts, that they are built on the banana and plantain trees, where he alfo defcribes the monkies,and numbers of large ferpents as affembling. All this I here think it my duty to pronounce erroneous, as I confider it would be unpardonable in me to let fuch abfurdities pafs by unnoticed. On the goth, an accident had nearly befallen me, which muf{t have caufed me much poignant and lafting forrow. My black boy, wafhing my cotton hammock in the Tem- patee Creek, was fuddenly carried to the bottom by the rapidity of the ftream, and entangled in its lafhings, fo: that both the one and the other difappeared; the boy, however, luckily extricated himfelf, though with great dificulty, and to my great joy, though more than half drowned, appeared once more on terra firma; when ‘he | had the prefence of mind inftantly to fink a large fifh- hook, with a lead tied to a ftrong line, fome yards below ‘the fpot, with which he actually brought up the ham-= mock, to our aftonifhment, the ftream running fo fwift that it rolled over the ground, and was liable to fhift its. {tation every moment. The following day, as Captain Hamel was angling, his tackle got faft at the bottom of the creek, when, in div- ing to clear it, I ftruck my ancle with fuch violence againft a rock, that it was feveral months before it was. perfectly recovered. Thefe accidents appeared greatly to entertain Colonel . seyburg, while in return I could not help feeling a de- I gree EXPEDITION YTOsSU:RIN AM. gree of indignation at what I confidered as unhandfome behaviour ; but the moft extraordinary circumftance was, that this difguft between Seyburg and myfelf feemed to gain me the favour of old Fourgeoud, almoft as much as if I had deftroyed half the rebel negroes in the colony.— During all this time ftrong patroles cruized between Magdenberg, La Rochelle, and the Jew Savannah; and on the 17th, the commander in chief marched to Pata- maca with nearly the half of his troops, leaving me the command of thofe that remained on the mountain, for I was not able to accompany him, having by this time a dangerous mortification in my ancle. As I had now the profpect of remaining fome time at Magdenberg, I difpatched Quaco to Paramaribo for pro- vifions, and orders to buy me a live goat. Whatever may be thought of Fourgeoud’s manoeuvres, in not being able to bring the rebels to a pitched battle, it is very certain that he exerted himfelf and his troops to the utmoft; and that by his conftantly traverfing the upper parts of the rivers, and fcouring the {kirts of the colony, he prevented many depredations on the eftates, which was undoubtedly a very effential fervice to the inhabitants, though at a dreadful expence of blood and money. } Being now the commander in chief at this poft, the two negroes I have formerly mentioned hunting and fifhing for me, brought me almoft every day, one or two pingos, which are the wild boars formerly mentioned, befides a VoL. II. F 9 fifth NARRATIVE OF AN fifh called wewmara, fome of which are as large as cod, and which I fhall afterwards defcribe. With thefe dain- ties I regaled all the officers without exception, while I gave to the hofpital all the plantains, bananas, oranges, and lemons, that were occafionally fent me as prefents from the ¥acod and the plantations in Upper Comewina; and never was a deputy-governor more univerfally be- loved. Patroles were alfo daily fent out to every quarter; and the environs of Magdenberg were fo completely fcoured, that no invafion from the rebels could be pradti- cable. Thefe precautions were the more neceflary, as they had former/y furprifed and taken by ftorm different military pofts for the fake of ammunition and fire-arms, which are to them of the utmoft value, and their feizure of the moft pernicious confequence to the colony. Indeed fome pofts had not only been attacked and plundered of their ftores and ammunition, but were actually maffacred to a man. Mortified that it was not in my power to take a more active part at prefent, I availed myfelf of this leifure, by taking drawings of every animal, reptile, or fhrub, that I thought could illuftrate my little collection of natural cu- riofities, which I now began to form fome idea of exhi- biting to the public, if it fhould be my fate ever more to return to Europe. One of my negroes, on the 24th of this month, brought me two curious infects; which, though I had no op- portunity of drawing, I will endeavour to defcribe :— The EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. The one (which feemed to have fome fmall affinity to the grafshopper kind) was what is here generally called /paanfe-juffer, and is without exception the moft fingular animal I faw in the colony. The body of this furprifing creature, though not thicker than a quill, was no lefs than feven inches and a half in length, including the tail; it had no wings, and was mounted like a {pider on fix legs that were near fix inches long; it had four antenne pro- jecting from its head, two being nearly five inches, and two much fhorter; the head was fmall, the eyes large, black, and prominent, and the tail articulated like that of rmooit infects: its colour was a brownish green, and, upon the whole, it feemed a monfter. This creature is found near the marfhy places, where its long legs appear de- fiened to enable it to wade through the water, but not to fwim (according to Mr. Farmine’s opinion) for which its feet are not calculated, as they terminate in two fmall claws like thofe of fome beetles. The other was a large fly, which Madam Merian, who gives a drawing of it, calls the vielleur, but which I have generally heard called the /care-fleep by the Dutch. Thefe worls being extremely applicable, from the noife it makes towards the evening, which nearly refembles the found of a cymbal, or that of a razor-grinder when at his work. This remarkable fly, whofe grinding noife always begins at fun-fet or fix o’clock, is alfo called the porte-/anterne or lantern-bearer, from the light it diffufes after that time, and which is much ftronger than that of any of the fire-fly fpecies, 8 affording 37 CHAP, XVIL. (eens poten) n& a SEA Ps XVII. elt NARRATIVE OF AN affording fufficient light for almoft any purpofe: thefe flies are above three inches long, and very thick, the body green, with four tranfparent wings variegated with little marks of all colours, particularly the under wings, on which are two large roundifh fpots not unlike thofe on the tail feathers of a peacock. Beneath the head of this infect is feen an inverted ftraight trump or tube like a needle, with which it is faid to fuck its food from the flowers. With the fame inftrument it is here fuppofed to produce that difagreeable, loud, and grinding noife, which I have already noticed. But, for my own part, I fhould rather afcribe the noife to the fluttering of its tranfparent wings, as is fuppofed to be the cafe with fome flies in England: a large probofcis or {nout ftriped red and yellow, and fhaped like the firft joint of a man’s finger, projects from the head, and makes one-third of the whole animal; this protuberance is vulgarly called its lantern, and emits that furprifing lisht whence it takes its fecond name. - I fhall only add, that it is a very flow creeper, but flies with amazing velocity. On the 26th, my boy Quaco arrived from Paramaribo with the following lift of provifions, which he had pur- chafed for me. In order to give the curious a juft idea of the prices in Surinam when things are cheapeft, I will here infert fome articles as charged to my account, with the prices in Englifh money, calculating at the rate of eleven florins to one pound fterling. Thefe EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. Thefe articles were as follow: 2 bacon hams, 3rlbs. at 15d. per Ib. rt {mall cag of butter, 1olbs, at 15."10d. per Ib. 1 fmall ditto of flour, roolbs. at 4d. per 1b. 1 Dutch cheefe, r1}bs. at 10d. per Ib. 2 quart bottles of vinegar, at 15. 10d. per quart. 4 lbs. fpermaceti candles, at 3s. 8d. per |b. 2. \bs. dried faufages, at 25. 9d. per Ib. The prices of wine and {pirits I have already mentioned in the twelfth chapter. He alfo brought me a goat with its kid to fupply me with milk, for which I paid twenty florins, or near two pounds fterling : thefe prices are at leaft double, and fome treble, to what they ufed to be in England. Goats are very common in all Guiana; they are not large, but very beautiful creatures, with {mall horns, and very fhort {mooth hair, moftly of a dun-colour; they are as nimble as ftags, and are kept on all the eftates, where they breed faft and give much milk; they are alfo deli- cious eating when killed young. I had now the difagreeable news, that all my letters for Europe were funk on board Captain Viffler, who was. wrecked in the Texel roads among the ice. I was. alfo fincerely grieved to hear that my good friend Mr. Kennedy, with his lady and family, had taken their final farewel of the colony, and failed for Holland. This gentleman, Mr. Gordon, and a Mr. Gourluy, were the only Scotch; a Mr. Buckland, a Mr. Townfend, and Mr. Halfhide, Aa - 40 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. Halfhide, the only Englifh; and Captain Macneal, the \ se , only native of Ireland, refiding in this colony. On the 28th, Colonel Fourgeoud returned with his command from Patamaca, much emaciated himfelf, and his men nearly exhaufted by fatigue. He had left a great number behind him in the hofpital at La Rochelle, but heard no account whatever of the rebels, although he varied his route every time. It was therefore pretty evident that they were routed, if latterly there had been any fettled at all: but where to find them in this un- bounded foreft was the queftion. He however never de- {paired, and feemed as eager to difcover the haunts of the rebels as he had been formerly in fpringing a covey of partridges, or difcovering a neft of black badgers. On the 29th, Mr. Matthew, one of our officers who had been out fhooting, prefented me with the Za7o, an animal that is here called the wood-rat. This creature was the fize of a young hare, and of a reddifh brown coe lour, being remarkably thin, with long hmbs, a roundifh head, and a tail not unlike that of a fucking-pig; the claws were exacily like thofe of a common rat, but larger in proportion, and fo was the head, mouth, teeth, and whifkers; the ears were fhort and naked, the eyes black and prominent, with a white iris; it is faid to run very faft: we had it dreffed, and ate it, having been told that it was very good, and fo we found it, fweet, tender, and even fat, notwithftanding its lank appearance. This ereature, EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. creature, on account of its fize, reminds me of another animal, known in this country by the name of crabvo- dago, or the crabbed dog, for its matchlefs ferocity, as it kills and devours every thing that comes in its way, without exception, whether quadrupeds, fowls, or rep- tiles; and never feeming to be glutted with blood, it mur- ders, even without being hunery, all it can vanquith, which, on account of its courage, activity, and ftrength, are not a few, though it be not larger than a common cat. From what I have faid, I fhould apprehend it much refembles the ichneumon, but ftill more that ani- mal mentioned by Mr. Allemand, in the Count de Buffon; (fee Vol. IV. p. 266.) which he there calls the eri/on or grey -weazel, though this that I mention was rather larger; and he fays, that notwithftanding its being a na- tive of Surinam, none of the people coming from that country could give any account of it. If this be the fame animal, (as I doubt not, and have therefore given it the name of the crabbo-dago or grifon) I am happy to have had ‘it in my power to give the reader fome ac- count of it. I fhall now literally quote the Count’s own words, as extracted from Mr. Allemand, which will afford the beft proof of its being the fame animal, when com- pared with the annexed plate, where both the wood-rat, and the crabjo-dago or grifon, are reprefented; and had I {een this account during the Count’s life, I would have moit affuredly taken the liberty of informing him by a VoL. II. i. G letter, NARRATIVE OF AN letter, of what I now, though in this unconnected method, relate to the public. **T received,” fays Mr. Allemand, “ the {mall animal “reprefented in the plate*. In the catalogue it was “called the grey-weazel, from which circumftance I de- ** rived the name grifon, becaufe I knew not how it is *‘ denominated in the country where it is found. The “ whole upper part of its body is covered with deep ** brown hair, having white points, which gives it a “¢ sreyifh brown colour: under the head and neck is a “ bright grey, becaufe the hairs are very fhort, and the ‘‘ white part is of equal length with the brown. The “ muzzle, the under part of the body, and legs, are black, “* which fingularly contrafts with the grey colour on the <¢ head and neck. “ The head of this animal is very large in proportion ‘¢ to its body, its ears almoft form a femicircle, its eyes “are large, and its mouth is armed with ftrong grinders ‘and iharp tuiks: it has fix cutting teeth in each jaw, ‘¢ four of them hardly rifing above the gums. Both the ‘¢ fore and hind feet have five toes, with yellowifh claws; ‘“‘ the tail is pretty long, and terminates in a point. “ The grifon has a greater refemblance to the weazel,~ “than to any other animal, but it belongs not to the “ weazel tribe; for its body is not long enough, and its. ~ * The Dutch edition, Vol. XV. « legs. “4 Lurvnttine 4 ras ? 2 399 She G rablor LYO; OF Gr BOP! | Cc C (3 London, Published Deets Y4791, b) JS. Sohnwon, Sé(Pauls Church Fard. yo EXPEDITION, POASURIN.AM. “Jegs are too long. It is not mentioned by any author “or traveller. I thewed it to feveral perfons who had ‘lived long in Surinam, but none of them knew it; “hence it either muft be a rare animal, even in its “ native country, or it muft live in deferts and unfre- <‘ quented places: the length of its body is about feven ‘inches; I have not been able to learn any thing of its «6 hiftory.” | To this I fhall only add my furprize.— It is true that this animal is very rare in Surinam, but it probably owes its not being defcribed by naturalifts to its extreme fero- city, which is without example, it being a very uncom- mon circumftance to take a crabbo-dago or grifon alive. Our old commander and I were now infeparable friends, to whofe board being daily invited, he requefted me to paint his portrait at full length in his bufh equipage, which was to be engraved at the expence of the town of Amfterdam, and where he thought himfelf now as great aman as the Duke of Cumberland was in England after the battle of Culloden. Having provided a large fheet of paper, and fome China ink, I began to delineate this wonderful cha- racter in his own hut. While I was now looking full in his face, to examine the features of this firft of def- pots, and laughing aloud, to think how he and I now fat ftaring at one another, the whole mountain was fud- denly fhook by a tremendous clap of thunder, while the lightning adtually fcorched the Colonel’s forehead; and, G 2 _ what NARRIA'TIVEGCOF IAN what is very curious, broke all the eggs under a her that was fitting in a corner of the room where we were engaged. The hero’s features being re-compofed, I proceeded, and the picture was completed in a fhort time after, to his great fatisfaction. About this time the captive rebel, September, who was taken in the year 1773, died of a dropfy. Ever fince his: capture, when his companion was fhot, this poor fellow was obliged to follow Fourgeoud like a dog through all: his expeditions; the colonel always expecting that this negro would, one day or other, conduct him to different: haunts of the rebels—but he was miftaken.. The other negro flaves, fufpeting that he had actually given fome information, attributed his dreadful death to a punifh- ment from God, for his want of fidelity to his country— men, to whom they fuppofed he had fworn to be true. The reader may remember, that I have {tated it in the third Chapter, as an invariable article of belief among the African negroes, that whoever breaks his oath thall die miferably in this world, and be punifhed for ever in that which is to come. By the ad of June, the Hope in Comewina was become fo very unwholefome for want of cleanlinefs, and being. kept free from inundations (as it was much neglected by the newly-arrived troops which were now ftationed there),, that the commanding officer and moft of his men were: rendered unfit for duty by ficknefs, and many of them: already buried. To this place Colonel Fourgeoud or- dered. EXPEDITION TO. SURINAM. dered down Captain Brant to take the command, with a freth fupply of men, and orders to fend, not to town but to Magdenberg, all the invalids he fhould relieve. Thefe orders he gave to the above officer in fuch a brutal man- ner, and difpatched him fo fuddenly, that he had not even time to pack up his cloaths; while Colonel Seyburg de- prived him of his only fervant, whom he took for him- felf. This ufage fo much affected Captain Brant, that he bur{t into tears, and declared he did not wifh longer to furvive fuch galling treatment: he then departed to the Hope, truly with a broken heart. ~ Upon his arrival he was informed that Captain Brough, the late commanding officer, was dead. ‘This poor man had been on hard fervice in the woods, and being very corpulent, could no longer fupport the fatigues and ex- cefflive heat; he melted down very faft, and a putrid fever at laft occafioned his diffolution. Captain Brant was foon followed. by Colonel Seyburg to the Hope, with orders to infpect the fick.—In this interval of inaction, I fhall de- fcribe two fifhes, which, though very different in fize and solour, equally merit particular attention. The firft, and indeed the only one of the kind I ever faw, was caught by an angler. It was about the fize of a large anchovy, and, the dorado excepted, was certainly the moft beautiful coloured fith I ever faw. Its back -and fides were divided in longitudinal bars of fine yellow and a deep blueith black, the belly was filver, the eyes were black and gold, and the fins a glowing tranfparent vermi- 6 LON: 45 CHAP. XVII. Veceaem treed 46 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. lion; its fhape was not unlike that of a trout, and the XVII. whole was covered with fmall fcales; it had one dorfal fin on the middle of its back, with only the veftige of another near the tail, which was forked: under its belly were five fins, two pectoral, two ventral, and one behind the anus; the under jaw projected before the upper jaw, and made its mouth appear reverfed; the gills were fmall. Having enquired concerning this little fifth, the only in- formation I could obtain was from a black man, who called it dago-fi/ee. The other is that fine large fifh called by the Englifh rock-cod, by the Indians daro-ketta, and new-mara by the negroes, which I have feveral times mentioned, but not defcribed; they are taken plentifully in aH the upper “-parts of the rivers. This fith is the fize of a large cod, but covered with fcales, and by fome compared to a falmon; the back is a brown olive colour, the belly is white, the head is ftrong, with {mall eyes, of which the pupil is black and the iris grey; the mouth is very large, and befet with one row of fharp teeth like thofe of 2 pike, and, like it, this creature is extremely voracious ; the tail is obtufe and dark olive; as alfo the fins, fix in number, one dorfal, two pectoral, two ventral, and one abdominal. This fifh is extremely delicious eating, and particularly efteemed by the white inhabitants at Para- maribo, where it is very fcarce, though in the upper parts of the rivers they are taken in great abundance. I painted thefe two fifhes very correctly, the dago-fi/h as x large see oh oe a ee Go oe Oe CIEE Vaedtreste wwoler Pith. cabled Dayo Vifoce / CT". (If ) / oe Noche Cd, 07 Neuwmuarn. London, Published Deelr27 91, by J. Johnson StPads Church Yard. 47 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. large as life, and the zew-mara confiderably lefs. The drawings were honoured in Surinam with the epithets of mafterly performances. Several officers who kept poultry and hogs at this pe- riod loft all the latter in the fpace of two days, being poi- foned probably by eating duncane, or fome other fatal weed that was unknown to us. And yet it has been a general obfervation, as I have faid before, that all ani- mals know by inftinct to diftinguith their food from their _ poifon. Mr. Seyburg now returned from the Hope in triumph, with Lieutenant Deder/in (one of Colonel Fourgeoud’s officers) guarded by a ferjeant and fix marines with fixed bayonets, for having been wanting in refpect, as that gentleman pleafed to call it. On the 7th, the fick officers and foldiers alfo arrived from the Hope in barges; fome of the latter, being too ill to bear removing, died on the paffage without medi- cines, and without affiftance. One of our furgeons died alfo this day in camp, and a number of the privates died daily. This was the confequence of having marched fo much in the wet feafon, which was judged however by our chief to be the only feafon in which he was likely to. root the rebels from the foreft of Guiana. CH A P;. 47 CHAP. XVII. \ceastin somes!” AS NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. XVIII. A Tyger taken in the Camp—Fatal Rencounter of a Party - with the Rebels, who killed feveral of the Troops, and forced the ref back—Defcription of a Planter of Surinam —Contazious Diffempers—Suicide— Scene of primitive Nature. HAVE juft mentioned that feveral officerskept poultry, numbers of which were now taken away every night by fome unknown marauder; when a Captain Bolts (fuf- - pecting the coati-mondi, or crabbo-dago) made a trap of an empty wine-cheft, only by fupporting the lid with a ftick fixed to a long cord, into which (having firft fecured all the other poultry) he put a couple of live fowls, the whole guarded by two negroes at fome diftance. They had not been many hours on their poft, when hearing the fowls fhriek, one negro pulled the rope, and the other ran to fecure the invader by fitting on the lid: when this proved to be actually a young tyger, who would yet have cleared his way by beating againft the box, but that it was immediately fecured by ftrong ropes, and drawn along, with the prifoner in it, to the river; where, being held under water, he was drowned, under the moft vigo- rous efforts, by beating again{t the cheft to effect his ef- cape. Captain Bolts ordered the fkin to be taken off, which he kept in remembrance of fo very ftrange a cir- — cumftance. The Count de Buffon afferts, that there are no tygers in EXPEDITION FO'SURINAM. AQ in America, but animals much refembling them, which se go by thatname. I fhall however defcribe them, from WCwouwu actual obfervation, as I found them, and leave the reader to determine whether they are tygers or not. The firft and largeft is that called the jaguar of Guiana. This animal, which has by fome been reprefented as a de- fpifeable little creature, not larger than a greyhound, is, on the contrary, very fierce, ftrong, and dangerous; fome of them meafuring, from the nofe to the root of the tail, not lefs than fix feet : and let us not forget the print of that enormous tyger’s foot, feen by myfelf in the fand, near Patamaca; though it may be allowed, that creature was of an extraordinary fize, and the fand very loofe.—The jaguar is of a tawny orange colour, and the belly white; on the back it is fpotted with longitudinal black bars ; on the fides with irregular rings, light-coloured in the center; and all over the reft of the body, and the tail, the fpots are {maller, and perfeétly black: its fhape is in every | ‘enfe like that of the African tyger, and being all of the : cat kind, they need no particular defcription; but their fize and ftrength being fo much greater than that little domeftic animal, they devour a fheep, or a goat, with the fame facility as a cat would kill a moufe or a rat; nay, cows and horfes are not protected from their at- tacks, for thefe they frequently kill on the plantations ; and though they cannot carry them off into the foreft on account of their weight, they tear and mangle them in a dreadful manner, only for the fake of the blood, with Vou. Il, H which 3°) CHAP. XVIII. ee] NARRATIVE OF AN which this ferocious animal is never glutted. It has even happened that the jaguar has carried off young negro women at work in the field, and too frequently their children. “This contemptible animal, as it is called and mifreprefented by fome authors, will beat down a wild boar with a fingle ftroke of its paw, and even {eize by the throat the ftrongeft ftallion that ever was mounted in Guiana; while its favage nature, and thirft after blood, is fuch that it cannot be tamed: it will, on the con-= trary, bite the very hand that feeds it, and very often. devours its own offspring; ftill this creature is not a match for the aboma- Jnake, which, when it comes. Within its reach, has the power of crufhing it to a jelly in but few moments. The next is the couguar, called in Surinam the red tyger.—This indeed may, with more propriety, be com- pared to a greyhound, for its fhape, though not for its. fize; being much larger than the dog which it refembles in make, but it is not in general fo large and heavy as the jaguar. "The colour of this animal is a reddifh brown; the breaft and-belly are a dirty white, with long hair, and not fpotted; the tail an earthy colour, the extremity black ; the head is fmall, the body thin, the limbs longs. with tremendous whitifh claws; the teeth are alfo very large, the eyes prominent, and f{parkling like ftars.. This. creature is equally ferocious with the former. Another of the fame fpecies is the tyger-cat, which is extremely beautiful. This animal is not much larger than, ———— London, Published Dec’2"1793,0\ TD TSTotnvwson , 38! Pauls Curch Yard . 48 4 2 mieoy ea * My ~ 4) aN } =e x oh iy is ~ , > oe aa es c bibipeie = seabed me paren var hits) (ha gone yt iene PARI ye * Cae ” 3 o p Hy Cony . 4 = . i he +) ; hy a 4 bs ‘ oa _ % : i hi ¥ / : et ye ad nh i 7 av; : x te \ . ; i ' ~ 4 a a4 * : ‘ 7 4 + \ a, | , J f < d ¢ Bh in a EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. than I have feen fome cats in England: it is of a yellow colour, with fmall annulated black fpots, which are white within; the belly is a light colour; the ears are black, with a white fpot on each; the hair is fmooth, and the {kin is very much efteemed: the fhape like that of the tyger. The tyger-cat is a very lively animal, with its eyes emitting flafhes like lightning; but ferocious, mif- chievous, and untameable, like the reft of the kind. In Guiana is ftill another of this fpecies, called the ja- guanetta, of a blackifh colour, with {till blacker {pots ; but of this laft I can fay very little, having never feen one; and, indeed, the others but very feldom. Of the jaguar however, and the zyger-cat, I prefent the reader with a drawing. All thefe animals have long whifkers, like common cats; they fometimes climb trees, but ge- nerally lie in ambufh under the verdure, whence they bound with uncommon agility on their helplefs prey; which having murdered, they drink the blood warm, and never ceafe to tear and devour it till they are gorged 5 but when no longer animated by hunger they are coward- ly, and may be put to flight by a common fpaniel. Of fire alfo they are-exceedingly afraid, which is the beft guard to keep them at a diftance, and as fuch, made ufe of every night by the Indiaris in Guiana. More than once it has been obferved, that tygers had entered our camps for want of thefe precautions, but fortunately without committing any depredations. As I now feemed to be on a friendly intercourfe is a> with 52 CHAP. XVIII. (acoso mare = NARRATIVE COF : AN with Colonel Fourgeoud, I one day prefented the old gentleman with a plan and bird’s-eye view of all the encampment of Magdenberg, which pleafed him fo much that he fent this (as he had done the firft) to the Prince ef Orange and the Duke of Brunfwick, as a fpecimen of his military manoeuvres, &c. This prefent had the defired effect; for I not only became one of his favourites, but, declaring his higheit efteem for the Scots and Englifh, he even promifed to recommend me in- particular at court. Iwas fo fatisfied with this change in his beha- viour, that I now took the blame of all former animofity on myfelf. His attention, however, was fuddenly. at- tracted by affairs of more confequence; fince, on the 14th of June, the news arrived that fome rebel huts were difcovered near the fea-fide; that Captain May- land had marched in queft of the enemy, with one hundred and forty men of the Society troops, and had actually difcovered them; but in wading through a deep marfh, had been firit attacked by the negroes, who had killed feveral of his people (among whom his nephew, a young volunteer), wounded more, and beaten back the whole detachment, after they had already paffed the marfh, and were mounting faft on the oppofite beach to ftorm the village. From this news it was evident, that our fable foes were not to be trifled with; and ‘fince they were thus difcovered, erders were immediately iffued for all the troops that were able to march to keep in readinefs, wz. Four- | geoud’s EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. geoud’s marines, the Society regiment, and my favourite rangers, who wanted no fpur, and now -could hardly be reftrained till the others were prepared. Thefe troops were to be affembled at a certain place of rendezvous, while alfo a detachment marched to La Rochelle to give information. In confequence of thefe orders all was ac- tivity and vigour in the camp, in hopes that this decifive ftroke would end the war, and their mifery together; and this, therefore, was the time to lead them on to a fpirited attack; but, for reafons beft known to himfelf,. our com-. mander delayed his movement till the 20th of Auguft, which was above two months. - In the mean time the difagreeable news arrived, that Captain Brant was almoft dead with a violent illnefs at the Hope, which was at prefent the place where a number of the troops were quartered, though no better than a peft- houie, by the inundations; and for the command at this place (as being one of his favourites) Fourgeoud now fingled me out: declaring, that I might thank my found conititution for beftowing on me this honour. From this conduct,.I plainly difcovered that all his. friendfhip was entirely interefted; and I felt my refentment involuntarily rekindled againft him, for thus, fending me to an in- glorious death, when he had fo fair an opportunity of employing me honourably on actual fervice. On my arrival at the Hope, tay orders were to fend poor Captain Brant not down to Paramaribo, but to Mag- denberg. This young.man, however, fruftrated the ty- rannical 54 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. rannical command; for, juftly fufpecting it, he had fet ae out with a tent-barge to town a few hours before I came, where he was no fooner carried to his lodgings than he expired, from the effets of a burning fever, and a broken heart. No man could be more regretted than Captain Brant; nor did Fourgeoud ever lofe a better officer, or I a fincerer friend. This being the fecond commander dead in fo fhort atime, I quietly took for my motto— Hodie tibi cras mihi. But I was happily miftaken, and continued ftill as well as ever I was in my life, following the-advice of old Caramaca, and bathing twice a day in the river; while I defpifed fhoes and itockings, as ufelefs and unneceflary Jumber. On the 20th of June, a few days after my arrival, I had the honour to receive a vifit from the governor, Mr. Nep- veu, on his return from his eftate Appecappe to Parama- ribo, with whom I condoled on the lofs of his lady, who had died very lately; I alfo received daily vifits*from fe-. veral planters, who complimented me with refrefhments ~ from their plantations: and here I had an excellent op- portunity of acquainting myfelf with the cuftoms and manner of living of thefe Weft-India nabobs. A planter in Surinam, when he lives on his eftate, (which is but feldom, as they moftly prefer the fociety of Paramaribo) gets out of his hammock with the § rifing EXPEDITION TO. SURINAM. rifing fun, viz. about fix o’clock in the morning, when ~ he makes his appearance under the piazza of his houfe; where his coffee is ready waiting for him, which he generally takes with his pipe, inftead of toaft and but- ter; and there he is attended by half a dozen of the fineft young flaves, both male and female, of the plan- tation, to ferve him; at this /ancfum-/anctorum he is next accofted by his overfeer, who regularly every morning attends at his levee, and having made his bows at feveral yards diftance, with the moft profound refpect informs his Greatnefs what work was done the day before; what negroes deferted, died, fell fick, re- covered, were bought or born; and, above all things, which of them neglected their work, affected ficknefs,. or had been drunk or abfent, &c.; the prifoners are generally prefent, being fecured by the negro-driversy, and inftantly tied up to the beams of the piazza, or a tree, without fo much as being heard in their own defence; when the flogging begins, with men, women, or children, without exception. ‘The inftruments of torture on thefe occafions are long hempen whips, that cut round at every lafh, and crack like piftol-fhot; during which they alternately repeat, “ Dance, mafera,” (Thank you, mafter). In the mean time he ftalks up and down with his overfeer, affecting not fo much as. to hear their cries, till they are fufficiently mangled, when they are untied, and. ordered to return to their work, without fo much as a dreffing. This ceremony being over, the drefly negro (a black furgeon) 55 CHAP, XVIII. ee pl! NARRATIVE OF AN furgeon) comes to make his report; who bein g difmiffed with a hearty curfe, for allowing any flaves to be fick, next makes her appearance a fuperannuated matron, with all the young negro children of the eftate, over whom fhe is governefs; thefe, being clean washed in ‘the river, clap their hands, and cheer in chorus, when they are fent away to breakfaft on a large platter of rice and plantains; and the levee ends with.a low bow from the overfcer, as it begun. aut His worfhip now faunters out in his morning drefs, which confifts of a pair of the fineft Holland trowfers, white filk ftockings, and red or yellow Morocco flippers 5 the neck of his fhirt open, and nothing over it, a loofe flowing night-gown of the fineft India chintz excepted. On his head is a cotton night-cap, as thin as a cobweb, and over that an enormous beaver hat, that proteéts his meagre vifage from the fun, which is already the colour of mahogany, while his whole -carcafe feldom weighs above eight or ten ftone, being generally exhaufted by the climate and diffipation. .To- give a more complete idea of this fine gentleman, I in the annexed plate prefent him to the reader with a pipe in his mouth, which almoft every where accompanies him, and re- ceiving a glafs of Madeira wine and water, from a female quaderoon flave, to refrefh him during his walk. : Having loitered about his eftate, or fometimes ridden on horfeback to his fields, to view his increafing ftores, he returns about eight o’clock, when, 'if he goes abroad, he dreffes, but if not, remains juft as he is. Should the 8 / firft Blake Seap* van 4 Le z () . A ri , L.Survniasr ee CP Ji) Morning L fs . London Published Dee l241793bv J. Johnsen, S' Laid Guach Yard 19 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. firft take place, having only exchanged his trowfers for a pair of thin linen or filk breeches, he fits down, and hold- ing out one foot after the other, like a hori going to be fhod, a negro boy puts on his ftockings and fhoes, which he alfo buckles, while another dreffes his hair, his wig, or fhaves his chin, and a third is fanning him to keep off the mufquitoes. Having now fhifted, he puts on a thin coat and waiftcoat, all white; when, under an umbrella, carried by a black boy, he is conducted to his barge, which is in waiting for him with fix or eight oars, well provided with fruit, wine, water, and tobacco, by his overfeer, who no fooner has feen him depart, than he refumes the com- mand with all the ufual infolence of office. But fhould this prince not mean to ftir from his eftate, he goes to breakfaft about ten o’clock, for which a table is fpread in the large hall, provided with a bacon ham, hung-beef, fowls, or pigeons broiled; plantains and fweet caffavas roafted ; bread, butter, cheefe, &c. with which he drinks {trong beer, and a glafs of Madeira, Rhenifh, or Mozell wine, while the cringing overfeer fits at the farther end, keeping his proper diftance, both being ferved by the moft beautiful flaves that can be felected;—and this is called breaking the poor gentleman’s faft. After this he takes a book, plays at chefs or billiards, entertains himfelf with mufic, &c. till the heat of the day forces him to return into his cotton hammock to enj oy his meridian nap, which he could no more difpenfe with than a Spaniard with his /efa@, and in which he rocks to and VoL. II, J fro, 57 CHAP. XVIII. | ee eed 58 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. fro, like a performer on the flack-rope, till he falls afleep, XVIII. ens eomemeed without either bed or covering; and during which time he is fanned by a couple of his black attendants, to keep him cool, &c. About three o’clock he. aware ia natural inftindls when having wafhed and, perfumed himfelf, he fits down. to dinner, attended as at breakfaft by his deputy governor and fable pages, where nothing is wanting that the world can afford in a weftern climate, of meat, fowls, venifon, fifh, vegetables, fruits, 8c. and the moft exquifite wines are often f{quandered in profufion ; after, this a cup of ftrong coffee and a liqueur finifh the repatt.. At fix o’clock he is again. waited on by his overfeer, at-. tended as in the morning by negro-drivers and prifonersy, when the flogging once more having continued for fome: time, and the neceffary orders being given for the nexé. day’s. work, the affembly is difmiffed, and the evening, {pent with weak punchy. fangaree, cards. and tobacco.— His worfhip generally begins to yawn. about ten_or. eleven. o’clock, when he withdraws,, and is. undreffed by. his footy. pages. He then retires to reft, where he pafles the night. in the arms-of one or other of his fable. fultanas (for he always. keeps a feraglio) till. about, fix in the, morning, when he again repairs to his piazza walk, where his pipe and coffee are waiting for him: and where, with the rif- ing fun,, he begins his round of. diff—ipation, like .a petty. monarch, as-capricious as he is defpotic and defpifeable.._ Such abfolute power indeed, cannot fail to be peculiarly 2, delightful EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. delightful to a man, who, in all probability, was in his own country, Europe, a — nothing. But, in this colony, this is too frequently the cafe, where plantations are fold upon credit, and left (by the abfent proprietor) to the appraifers, who, by felling cheap, have generally an underftanding with the buyer. Thefe are the planters who are the peft of the colony; fuch as the fine gentleman juft defcribed, who, while he lives at the above rate, pays nobody, under pretence of bad crops, mortality amongft the flaves, &c. but like an upftart rafcal maffacres the negroes by double labour, ruins and pillages the eftate of all its productions, which he clandeftinely {ells for ready money, makes a purfe, and runs away. Exceptions, however, take place in every circumftance of life; and I have known many planters in Surinam as good men as I ever would defire to be ac- quainted with, which I have already mentioned. As for the ladies, they indulge themfelves juft as much, by giving way to their unbounded paffions, and efpecially to the moft relentlefs barbarity. But while I can bear witnefs to the exalted virtues of fuch a woman as Mrs. Elizabeth Danforth, now Mrs. Godfrey, and a few more whofe characters fhine with treble luftre, I fhall draw a veil over all the impérfeétions,‘too cormmon to their fex in this climate: ’ Beforé I drop this’ fubject, however, I mutt atteft, that hofpitality is in no country practifed with greater cordiality or with lefs ceremony, a ftranger being every where at home, and finding’ ‘his table and ‘his bed i2 af $9 CHAP. XVII. cone eee 60 CHAP. XVIII. aa NARRATIVE OF AN at whatever eftate neceflity or choice may occafion him te vifit. This is the more to be regarded, as_no inns are to ~ be met with in the neighbourhood of any of the Surinam rivers. To vary the fubject a little, I will now defcribe three kinds of fifh, with which I occafionally entertained my friends. The /ux-f/2, the /nake-f/h, and the /potted-cat. The firft frequents both the falt and frefh water, lke the falmon: it is about eighteen or twenty inches long, fhaped not unlike a kite; and being covered over with fcales of a golden colour, when it fwims in clear water darts forth very bright beams, from which it has derived its name of the /un-f/h. The /nake-fifo takes its name from its refemblance to that reptile: this is a black eel with a white belly, it is not large, and is very common in all the rivers. The /potted-cat is called fo from its tabby colour, and long whifkers: this fifh is formed not unlike a pike, with very fharp teeth; it has no fcales, it is extremely fat, weighing fometimes.above feventy pounds, but its flefh is yellow, and not efteemed the moft delicate food: however, here excellent fith is feldom wanting, fuch as the mew-mara, pafeffee, warappa, jackee, and many others already noticed. The Hope, with all this, was now truly a moit fhocking place of refidence: here I much regretted my former cottage, and fweet com- panion, the one in ruins, the other at Paramaribo ; while, at prefent, not a man was to be feen without an ague or fever, or fome other wafting complaint. The dyfentery ” alfo EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 61 alfo began to make its appearance; and to add to our CHAP. diftrefs, we had neither furgeon, medicines, nor fo much ee as alight, and very little bread left. I was moved with the fituation of the troops, and again diftributed all my bifcuits, lemons, oranges, fugar, wine, ducks and fowls, amongft the unhappy fufferers, with a few fpermaceti candles. On the 23d I fent up to the hofpital at Magdenberg two. fick officers, Orleigh and Francen, with all the privates that could bear to be tranf{ported; and, at the fame time, I repeated my humble entreaties to be foon relieved from fo very difagreeable a fituation (for the confine- ment to which there was not the leaft neceffity), and requefted to be one of the party to march againft the rebels, but to no purpofe; while the accounts came from Delow that a frefh neft of negroes were difcovered, even clofe to Paramaribo, and the news came from. above that the troops there were daily dying away ; amongtft others, on the 22d, expired a Captain Seyburg, brother to the Colonel. This was. actually the third captain who died within the fpace of one month. On the 26th two fine young officers arrived, unfit for fervice by ruptures, occafioned by the flippery ftate of the ground in the rainy feafon. This evening one of our marines. named Spanknevel, was miffing, and was not found till the 29th, when he was difcovered fufpended by a nebee to the branch of a tree. Not one of his comrades would cut him down, he having 62 CHAP. XVII, NARRATIVE OF AN having hanged himfelf; alledging, that to touch him, ac- cording to their prejudices, (being Germans) would ren- der them as infamous as himfelf. Wherefore, by my orders, he was taken down, and interred by the negroes. An order at laft came for my relief, and I immediately fet out for Goed-Accoord, in company with Captain Bolts; where the planter, Mr. de Lange, and his lady, received us with great hofpitality. ‘This fugar eftate being the fartheft that is cultivated in Rio Comewina, and confe- quently expofed to the neighbourhood of the rebel ne- groes, makes the flaves liable to their feductions ; they are therefore treated with peculiar kindnefs and indul- gence, to prevent their concurring in any infurrection, or being perfuaded to leave their prefent fituation. Here we faw a great novelty indeed, the young negro women waiting at the table all ftark naked, as they came into the world. I was at firft ftartled at the unufual ap- pearance; and afking the caufe, was modeftly anfwered by the lady of the houfe, that it was ordered fo by their mothers and matrons, to prevent (by fuch means of de- tection, faid they) their too early intercourfe’ with: the males, and child-bearing, which would fpoil their fhapes, weaken their ftrength, and cramp their growth. Indeed finer made figures I never beheld than were both the men’ (witnefs Philander) and the women on this plan- tation, whofe beautiful fhapes, livelinefs, coche: and activity, were inferior tono Europeans. _ Next day we departed for Magdenburg an hour before fun- EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 63 fun-fet, againft the advice of Mr. and Mrs. de Lange, in CHAP.. a.{mall barge, covered only with a loofe awning. Wehad , ee not rowed above two miles when not only night came on, but we were overtaken by fuch a fhower of rain, as had nearly funk us,. the boat’s gunwale not being more than two.inches above the water: however, by the help of our hats and calibafhes, we kept her afloat, while a negro fat upon the bow, holding out a boat-hook ftraight before him.to prevent us from being overfet, by inadver= tently running, in pitch darknefs, againft the roots of mar groves, &c. which. thickly lined both the banks of the: river. all the way. upwards.. In-this ftate of wet and ob{fcurity, at ten o’clock at night, we came to the Jacob,. being juft afloat and no more; for Bolts and I had.no fooner leaped.on the beach, than the boat funk with all that was in her, the flaves luckily fwim- ming afhore. Alas! amongft- the wreck, was my poor box, with my journal; and. all my paintings,. which had coft me above two long years fo much labour,. care; and attention. Iwas truly diftreffed at this lofs, when a fkilful negro dived feveral times to the bottom, and at laft brought up my little treafure, which, though thoroughly foaked, I was. very happy to have again in:my hands. Thus. ended our fhipwreck, when having drank fome warm grog and flung our hammocks, we all fell afleep round a good fire, by which I made fhift to dry myfelf, and, what was of more confequence, my papers. The following morning we again fet. out, and rowed for Magdenberg, 64 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. Magdenberg, but about half-way our voyage was once XVIII. ° : P ~~ more obftructed by an enormous tree which had acciden- tally fallen acro{s the Creek, fo that we could neither drag the boat over nor under it. Thus we were again obliged to return to the Jacob, whence we now proceeded to Mag-= denberg on foot, through thorns, roots, brambles, and briars, and where we finally arrived wet and bloody; and my ancle, which had been nearly well, frefh wounded to the bone, the {kin and flefh being quite torn away by the numbertefs obftructions to our fteps. Here we were acquainted that Mr. Orleigh, one of the two officers that I had fent up to Magdenberg from the Hope on the 23d, wasnomore. Thus died almoft all our gentlemen, who had been during the laft month upon the hopelefs Hope, from which now fcarcely one fingle private returned in health ; and this, I am firmly of opi- nion, was greatly owing to the dry and burning month of June, when the fun fuddenly fcorched them, after marching and even fleeping in cold watery {wamps, and conftant heavy thowers during the rainy feafon. How- ever, I hitherto efcaped by the ftrength of my conftitu- tion and good fpirits, which I determined by every poffible means to keep from depreffion, by laughing, whittling, finging, and (God forgive me!) fometimes fwearing, while all the reft were fighing, bewailing, and dying | around me. CHAFF: EXPEDITION \TO/SURIN AM. CH A,P. . XEX. The Troops march to Barbacoeba, in the River Cottica— Frenzy Fever—Gratitude in an Englifo Sailor—De/crip- tion of the Government of Surinam—Some Account of the Emigrant Americans during the late War——Scene of unprecedented Generofity. HE rainy feafon being again approaching, Colonel Fourgeoud, having felected all the remaining healthy people, who now amounted to but one hundred and eighty in number, on the 3d of July, 1775, pro- ceeded on his march for Barbacoeba, in the river Cottica; which fpot he appointed for the general rendezvous, previous to the grand attack on the rebels. Of this party I had the honour to be one: but on the furgeon’s de- claring that I fhould run the hazard of lofing my foot if I marched in the woods, I was ordered to remain at Magdenberg, with liberty, if I foon recovered, to join Fourgeoud, and make the beft of my way to Barbacoeba. My limb, indeed, was now fo {welled, and my wound fo black with the mortification, that an amputation was dreaded by Mr. Knollaert, Fourgeoud’s furgeon, and I could not even ftand without excruciating pain.—I fhall bear the mark of it as long as I live. | During this confinement I received daily prefents from Philander and the other negroes, as I was always kind to VOL. Il. K them. 65 66 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP, them. Among thefe was a difh of mountain-cabbage. XIX. This is the moft efteemed of all the various forts which grow, as I have mentioned formerly, on the different fpecies of palm-trees; this tree grows fometimes near fifty feet high, the trunk of a brown colour, hard, ligneous, divided into fhort joints, and pithy within, like the elder: it is thick in proportion, ftreight and tapering lke the maft of a fhip; near the top the tree afflumes a fluted form and a green colour, occafionedé by the hufky tegument that forms the branches ; which, near the fummit, diverge in a horizontal di-- rection, like the crown of a pine-apple or ananas.. Thefe: branches: are covered: over on both fides with ftrong pinnated leaves. about three feet long, of a deep green colour,.and fharp pointed, but folded and confufedly in». termixed, not gracefully drooping like thofe of the mani- cole or cocoa-nut trees.. The-feed: is inclofed in a brown- ifh kind of fpatha, that arifes from. the center of the branches, and hanging downwards confifts of fmall' roundifh. nuts, not unlike a bunch of dried grapes, but: much longer in: proportion to their circumference. If the cabbage is wanted, the whole tree muft be cut down,. when it is: divefted firft of its branches, and next of that: fluted green hufky tegument that forms them ;: after this. the heart or cabbage is taken out, white, and about two or> three feet long:: it is.as thick as a man’s arm,. and’ round! like a polifhed ivory cylinder ; it is compofed of a kind of* tender longitudinal white flakes,. like filk ribbands, ready x to ——— — a EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. to form the fucceeding green tegument, but fo clofe that they form a crifp folid body. This, when eaten raw, is in tafte fomething like the kernel of an almond, but is more tender and more delicious; when cut in pieces and boiled, it eats like cauliflower: it may be alfo peeled in the above-mentioned long thin flakes, and then it makes an excellent fallad; but too much of it, whether eaten raw or dreffed, is unwholefome, as it is apt to occafion a diarrhoea. It is in the cavity, after the cabbage is removed from it, that a black beetle depofits its fpawn, from which the palm-tree worms are produced, which feed on the remaining tender fubftance when it begins to rot, till they acquire the fize already mentioned; though thofe in the manicole tree, and other trees of the palm fpecies, grow not fo large, are lefs {weet, and are alfo differently fhaped. The maureecee tree, by the French called /atanie, is certainly the talleft of all the palm-tree fpecies; or, in- deed, of any fpecies in the foreft of Guiana. And I can aver, that I have feen fome of thefe trees whofe lofty fummits appeared to rife no lefs than a hundred feet from the furface of the earth, while the circumference of their trunks was about ten or twelve feet where thickeft; the trunk of this tree is largeft at about one-fourth of itsheight from the root, whence it tapers not only upwards but downwards alfo: this fingularity has perhaps efcaped all other writers, It is of a light brown or grey-colour, and divided in joints all the way upwards to its branches, when (but ata great height, and near the top) it diverges in long K 2 green 67 CHAP. XIX. Ne 68 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. green arched branches, naked till near their extremity, XIX. Ce ened when thefe again diverge or digitate in long broad leaves of a pale green colour, and difpofed in an orbicular man- ner with great regularity, not unlike fun-beams, or-a lady’s fan expanded. As the young branches {pring up from the centre at the fummit, the old ones fade at the bottom and hang downwards, fhrivelled and dangling in the wind. From the heart of the green leaves the In- dians draw out Iong white fibres or threads, as they do from the filk-grafs plant: thefe, being equally ftrong,. ferve as cords when twifted to ftring their bows, to make nets, or to be ufed as threads; from the middle of the branches appears the feed, hanging down alfo in the form of a large rope of onions. I have feen many prints re- prefenting palm-trees, but I muft take the liberty to fay that moft of them are impofitions on the public, having” either been executed from fancy, or from a very bad’ defcription; but I can affure my readers, that all thofe which I reprefent were taken from nature, and on the fpot: I fpeak of the cocoa-nut tree, the manicola, the mountain - cabbage, and the maureecee trees, whofe. branches and leaves are all extremely different fromm. each other; and I have not confounded the fpecies, as they are in too many publications. The two firft the reader has already feen;-and the two others I now offer to. his view, where 4 is the trunk of the mountain-cabbage-. tree; Bone of its branches, feparated from:-the reft, and G the feed or hufky fpatha inclofing it; D is the trunk of the maureecee-tree, and £ one of its branches, dropping down. London, Published Deel84791, by J. Sohnson, S€ Pauls Church Yard. Jo EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. ey ‘down. F is the beetle that produces the maureecee CHAP. worms, G, which are not fo large nor fo delicious as thofe XIX. produced by the mountain-cabbage. Having had no op- | portunity of fhewing in what manner the Indians and Africans afcend trees, by figure H I have reprefented a negro climbing a young maureecee-tree, to which they do not cling with their arms and legs, but taking the trunk between their hands, they place the foles of their - feet againft it, and thus walk up in a moft aftonifhing -manner; by this method they fave their fkin from the bark, but it muft certainly require very great ftrength,. activity, and practice.. Having thus far dwelt on the palm-tree evies: T muft ence more return to domeftic occurrences. I have faid that all the officers and moft of the privates who had lately been {tationed at the Hope, had died, or were fent up dangeroufly ill, while I had efcaped the contagion. But, alas! now it became my turn,. having only had a reprieve, and no more: for on the oth I was feized with the fame burning fever that had carried off the reft; and even my black boy Quaco was very ill. On the 14th, neceflity forced me to give up the com- mand to another officer, and depart from this inhofpitable {pot on my way to Paramaribo: I could however reach no. farther than Goet Accoord, and there, on the 15th, all expected my. death; when an old negro woman found means to make me partake of fome butter-milk. boiled with fome barley and melaffes, which was the. firft food I had 79 NARRATIVE OF AN cHaAp, I had tafted fince I was taken ill. This certainly did XIX. me infinite fervice; and the day following I was again able to be tranfported: the black boy alfo was much ‘better. The evening of the 15th I reached Fauconberg, where {was met by a packet of fix or eight letters from different friends, accompanied with prefents of hung-beef, bul- locks tongues, Madeira, porter, rum, and two gallons of excellent fhrub, befides a fine bacon ham, and a beautiful pointer; both the laft from the identical Charles Mac- donald, the Englifh failor, which he had brought me from Virginia, in return for the little civility I had for- merly fhewn him fo unexpectedly at the Hope. This mark of the poor fellow’s gratitude and generofity, the true characteriftics of a Britifh tar, gave me greater plea- fure than all the things I received put together. But {till I mutt except two letters, the one from Mr. Lude at Amfter- diam, and the other from Mr. de Graav, his adminiftrator at Paramaribo, acquainting me finally, and to my heart- felt fatisfaction, that the amiable Joanna and the little boy were at my difpofal, but at no lefs a price than two thoufand florins, amounting, with other expences, to near two hundred pounds fterling, a fum which I was totally unable to raife. I already owed the fum of fifty pounds, that I had borrowed for the black boy Quaco’s redemption; but Joanna was to me invaluable, and though appraifed at one-~twentieth part of the whole eftate, which had been fold for forty thonfand florins, no price 4 OPW Seniypuale Oreck: La (CAZ Z) Bish Veet of Cala YIS the Opeth: CUMHUIULCM. (4 London, Published Dee. 24791, by A Sohnson, S¢Pauls Churdi Yard. J EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. price could be too dear for a young woman, pofleffing fo much excellence, provided I could pay it. Solomon well obferves, * that as- cold water is to a “ thirfty foul, fo are good tidings from a diftant country ;” and this news,.on its firft arrival, had indeed the moft re- viving effect on me: but when refleCtion taught me how impoffible it was for me to obtain fuch a fum of moneys. and while I was employed in giving all the prefents I had. received (except the ham and the dog) to Joanna’s rela-- tions at Fauconberg, who loaded me with adorations and eareffes, I exclaimed, with a bitter figh, ‘Oh! that I could: “ have but found a fum fufficient to purchafe every one “ of their freedoms !” TPnow found myfelf, though ex- ceedingly weak, however fo much better, that on the next day I went down. fo: far as the eftate Bergfhove, whence the adminiftrator, a Mr. Gourlay,. humanely caufed me to be tranfported to Paramaribo in a decent tent-barge’ with fix. oars; but relapfing, I arrived juft alive on the: evening of the 1oth, having paft the preceding night on: the eftate called the Jalofee, apparently dead.. - T cannot leave the river Comewina without: prefenting- _ the reader with a. view of Magdenberg,. from:the Tem-- patee; and a peep at Calais, from; the Hope, at. the. mouth of the Cofaweenica Creek.. Being now in a comfortable lodging at Mr: dela Mare’s,., and attended by fo good’ a creature as- Joanna,.I reco- vered apace; and on the 25th was fo well, that I was-able: to walk out forthe firft time, when I dined with Mrs. Gode-. froy,. 7i CHAP, XIX. eres yore) 7 CHAP, XIX. NARRATIVE OF AN froy, Mr. de Graav not being in town to concert matters , relative to the emancipation of Joanna, who had now once more literally faved my life. At this table there was never wanting all the wholefome and refrefhing nourifh- ment that I ftood in need of, with the beft of fruits and wines. Among the articles conducive to the reftoration of health, are reckoned in this country all the different. kinds of pepper which it affords, and the no lefs effica- cious acid of limes. Among the firft are the cica pepper, the Jattacaca, and the dago-peepee, as they are called in Surinam; for the negroes name each thing from the re- femblance it bears to another: but thefe are known in Europe by the names of Cayenne, Pimento, and Capfi- cum. The firft.is properly called Cayenne from the French fettlement of thatname in Guiana; but the name cica or chica is derived from its round fhape and fize, re- fembling the infect called chiga or chigoe, already de- {cribed ; the next refembles rats excrements, &c. All the above fpecies, befides fome others, grow on low green fhrubs, they all equally excoriate the mouth, have all the fame fiery qualities, and when ripe are of a {carlet or ra- ther a blood colour. The Europeans feldom eat any) thing without it; but the blacks, and efpecially the In- dians, {wallow it I might fay by handfuls, not only as, a relifh, but as a remedy in almoft every difeafe. The limes grow on beautiful trees like lemons, but the leaf and the fruit are much {maller; they are rather. a brighter yellow than the lemons, have a fine thin fhell, 2 and EX-PEDITLON TO,.SURIN AM. and are extremely full of the richefl acid that I know, which has a particularly fine flavour, and is a great blef- fing to the fick foldiers and failors in this colony, whe have them for the trouble of gathering ; fo that it is not uncommon to fee the tars employing their leifure time in picking and carrying large hampers full to their veffels. In Surinam there are whole hedges of lime-trees, and all round Paramaribo they grow wild. It is much to be la- mented that, among other articles of luxury, this fruit cannot be tranfported to Europe; but whole cafks of this juice are frequently fent over, andthey are alfo pickled and preferved in large jars by the inhabitants. At the deffert, among many other excellent fruits, | obferved one which is here called the mammee apple: it grows on a tree about the fize of an orange-tree, with a grey-coloured bark; the wood is whitifh, and coarfe; the leaf very thick, polifhed, and of atriangular form, without fibres. This fruit is nearly round, and is abeut five or fix inches in diameter, covered with a rufty coarfe fkin: the pulp has the colour and confiftency of a carrot, enclofing two large ftones with bitter kernels, but the fruit is of a de- licious tafte, {weet mixed with acid, and a fmell fuperior in fragrance to almoft any other fruit in the colony. ‘There -were alfo nuts of two fpecies, ufually called piftachios, and by the negroes pinda; one kind of them refembles {mall chefnuts, and thefe growin bunchesonatree. The others are produced by a fhrub, and grow under ground; both have {weet oily kernels: of the laft there are two - Vou? IL D, in NAR ATT V EVOS AN in one pod; they are agreeable eating raw, but ftill better when roafted in hot afhes. To illuftrate the above de- {criptions, I prefent the reader with the plate annexed, where 4 is a fprig of Jimes in full'ripenefs; B, the Cay- enne or cica pepper; C, the pimento pepper or /attacaca;: D, the capficum called dago - peepee; E, the mammee apple when itis fully ripe; F, the leaf above, of a beauti- ful green; G, the leaf below, of a yellowith green; H, the piftachio nut in the hufk; J, the ground piftachio in its dried ftate; Ky one of the kernels belonging to the latters3 te The whole of the above weretaken from nature, though upon a fmall fcale; yet I flatter myfelf they will be found more perfect copies of the originals than fome of Mad. Me- rian’s, with all their boafted reputation.—I cannot difmifs this fubject without a few other remarks on the incorreét- nefs of this lady’s drawings. For inftance, her leaf of the lime-tree is evidently too round; and if by her pat/ade branch, in plate XI. fhe means the manicole-tree, I muft declare 1 never difcovered fuch a leaf among the many thoufands I have helped to cut down. Her cotton twig, and efpecially the pod containing the cotton, are alfo no true reprefentation of thofe which are produced in Su- rinam. | In another place the declares, that grapes are common in Guiana—which | alfo muft contradiét; for it is well known, that no thin-fkinned fruit can ever come to perfection in a tropical climate, fuch as grapes, cherries, currants, 47 | ftraw berries, » i_aee »: eae a Try Y e a | Zz GLE a C/ (Sogee as Cas Of CIUCMU TIO; llammy fl Ke CG London, Published Dec? 2!@ 2793. by.7. Johnson J" Fauls Church Yara. 52 « . EXPEDITOONY TOcSURIN AM. ftrawberries, plums, apricots, and peaches, nor even common apples or pears. ‘From the above obfervations, I take the liberty to fay, that allowing Mad. Merian due praife for her beautiful and valuable performance upon the whole, fhe has {till fallen.into very notable miftakes. To correct them is a duty incumbent on future obfervers; nor does it by any means imply a general cenfure on theelegant work in quef- tion, nor can it appear extraordinary that it fhould contain fome errors, when we confider that it is above an hundred years ago fince fhe prefented her difcoveries to the world. In the courfe of fo many years therefore mankind, by long experience and continued inveftigation, have become more enlightened, and are more accurately informed. Being now once more at Paramaribo, it may not be im- proper to divert our attention for a while from the ani- mal and vegetable productions to the government of this fine colony ; a topic which,.I am perfuaded, fome of my readers have long fince expected ; but not having hada previous opportunity of gratifying their curiofity, I will no longer delay the necefflary: information, though to fome the detail may appear dry and unentertaining. I have already mentioned the nature of the charter, and ftated, that at prefent two-thirds ‘of Surinam belong to the town of Amfterdam, and one-third to the Weft India Company : alfo, that the judicial power is exercifed by feveral different courts of judicature.—I fhall now proceed to defcribe them in their proper order, as deli- 1 Gis} vered NARRATIVE OOFTAN vered tome by the governor Mr. Nepveu. The court of policy and criminal juftice claims the firft rank in the order of precedence—this confifts of thirteen members, . chofen by the votes of the inhabitants, and each member continues for life. Of this court the governor is prefident, and the commandant or deputy governor firft counfellor, The acting officers are therefore The governor. The commandant. The filcal. The town clerk; and Nine counfellors.. To this court belongs the decifion of all criminal matters, the governor exercifing- the power of reprieve from death, and even pardoning any convict by his own au- thority. | ; The court of civil juftice confiftsalfo of thirteen mem- bers, but thefe are chofen by the above court only, and are renewed every four years. The governor is alfo pre- fident here, and the officers of this court are ‘The governor. The fifcal. The town-elerk; and Ten counfellors. By this court are decided not only the moft important law-fuits, but alfo petty offences. The next is the fubaltern college, confifting of eleven members, chofen alfo by the governor and court of policy 5 and, EXPEDITION TO’ SURINAM. and, like the other, renewed every four years, the town- clerk excepted, who fits for life. The members are felect- . ed from the late counfellors of juftice, and-are The deputy prefident. The town-clerk; and. Nine- counfellors. The above court fuperintends the public buildings, ftreets, orange-trees, canals, &c. and decides all pecuniary dif- putes that are under twenty-five guineas; any fum above which mutt be referred to the court of juftice. Befides thefe, there is an orphan and infolvent debtors college, confifting of | The commiffaries. The town-clerk. The book-keeper. The treafurer; and A {worn fecretary. sete public revenue offices are ; The office of importation and exportation duties. The office of excife and {mall impofts. The office for head-money, or poll-tax. The office for public fales and vendues.. The office for re-taking negro deferters, &c. But thefe I fhall more amply explain when I {peak of the general revenue of this colony, and for the prefent fhall only confider its government. I have formerly men- tioned that the governor is at the head not only of the civil 78 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. civil but military departments; the other public employ- XIX. eoeera eed ments are chiefly The fecretary to his excellency the governor. The commiffaries of the victualling-offices. Four infpectors of the exportation of fugars. One infpector of the melaffes hogfheads. One fupervifor of all the North American veffels, Two public autioneers. Two ferjeants or meffengers of the court. Two {worn land-furveyors. Three meafurers of the fquared timber. One infpector of the black cattle, &c. One {worn overfeer of weights and meafures. Three Low-Dutch clergymen. One French clergyman. One Lutheran clergyman. Three public fchoolmafters, &c. The militia confifts of eleven companies, with one captain, one lieutenant, one fecond lieutenant, one en- _ fign, one fecretary, and one cafhier each. The captains are generally the fworn appraifers of the eftates for fale on the different rivers, where they chance to have their department. | Thefe are the principal functionaries in the govern- ment.of Surinam; which is not originally upon a bad eftablifhment, were it not depraved by fordid avarice, to the great detriment of this beautiful fettlement in gene- gal, and to that of its inhabitants in particular. The colony; EXPEDITTON “FO SURINAM. colony, by proper management, might be made a garden ef Eden; not only for the European fettlers, but alfo for their African domettics. It would not indeed be diffi- ‘eult to fuggeft improvements, nor even to carry them into effe@. What has occurred to me upon the fubject, I will candidly ftate on another occafion; and I have no doubt but a little attention even to one fingle point would be productive of the happieft confequences. Thus, if I cannot on the {pot, like the good Samaritan, pour the balm into the wound of any one futferer, at leaft | can leave the prefcription, which, if properly applied, would, I am per- fuaded, afford relief to the complaints of thoufands. I have undertaken the unpleafing tafk of fhewing how, by the defperate means of blood, the colony was frequently faved from total annihilation. How much more glorious: ‘would it be for thofe who have it in their power not only to fave the colony of Surinam, but many other valuable Weft India fettlements, by the help of a WELL-PLANNED INSTITUTION OF GENERAL AND IMPARTIAL JUSTICE. and the laudable example of humanity and. benevolence! Thus much for the political government of Surinam. which I will not leave without tranfcribing its motto, fo very contrary to what they profefs, being “ Yu/titra— “ pietas—fides.” The arms are tripartite, which I appre- hend to be fome of thofe of the houfe of Somelfdyke, the Weit India company, and the town of Amiterdam, crowned and fupported by two lions rampant, and with thefe © NABRBA TIYV Eo OF Pan thefe are ftamped all their card money, &c. —— But to proceed with my journal. : On the 30th I met the poor failor, Charles Macdonald, and having juft bought thirty gallons of Grenada rum, I gave him a handfome return for his bacon ham and his dog, befides a fine cork-fcrew (mother-of-pearl fet in filver) as a keep-fake, he being to fail the day following for Virginia, On board the Peggy, Captain Lewis, who, at my recommendation, promifed to make him his mate. As I am fpeaking of dogs, I muft make two general re- marks on thefe animals in Guiana, v/zg. that in this quarter of the world they lofe the faculty, or at leaft the habit, of barking ; and it is a known fact, that the native dogs never bark at all. In this country, it is obferved alfo, that dogs are never feized with the hydrophobia, at leaft Inever remember to have feen or heard of a mad dog” in Surinam: and this is the more fingular, as that dreadful diftemper is generally attributed in other countries to the intenfe heat of the Camiculares or dog-days, as that appel- lation fufficiently indicates. The Indians or natives of Gui- ana all keep dogs, which they ufein hunting; they are of a dirty white colour, meagre, and {fmall, with fhort hair, a fharp muzzle, and erect ears: all thefe are very dexte-. rous in finding game; but they poffefs all the mif- chievous qualities of the terrier. I ought not to forget that if the American dogs do not bark, their howl is very Joud; on this account my Virginian dog was fo trouble- 4 . fome, EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. fome, that he got his brains knocked out by the neigh- bours within a fortnight after he was in my poffcfiion. About this period feveral American families arrived at Paramaribo, on account of the war which broke out be- tween the mother country and her coloniés. For many of thefe I felt very much; and muft ever declare, that no people could have a better heart or greater friendfhip for a Britifh individual than they had for me, which they fhewed on many different occafions. On. the 3d of Augulft, Mr. de Graav being arrived in town, having finally fettled affairs with Mr. Lolkens, the Yate adminiftrator of Fauconberg, I now thought proper to take the firft opportunity of fettling matters with him, by propofing him to give me credit till I fhould have it in my power to pay the money for which Joanna and my Johnny had been fold to me, and which I was deter- mined to fave out of my pay, if I fhould exift on bread, falt, and water: though even then this debt could not be difcharged in lefs time than two or three years. Provi- dence however interfered, and at this moment fent that excellent woman, Mrs. Godefroy, to my affiftance: for no fooner was fhe acquainted with my difficult and anxious fituation, than fhe fent for me to dine with her, when fhe addreffed me in the following terms: “ IT know, good Stedman, the prefent feelings of your *¢ heart, and the incapacity of an officer, from his income ‘“‘ only, to accomplifh fuch a purpofe as the comple- * tion of your wifhes. But know, that even in Surinam WiOL. II, M “oVviTtue + NAB RA TH Vide0 FP AN ‘¢ virtue will meet with friends. Your manly fenfibility ‘¢ for that deferving young woman and her child muft <‘ claim the efteem of all rational perfons, in fpite of ma- “ lice and folly: and fo much has this action recom- ‘¢ mended you to my attention in particular, that I fhould ‘¢ think myfelf culpable in not patronizing your lauda- «‘ ble intentions. Permit me then to participate in your ‘© happinefs, and in the future profpect of the virtuous * Joanna and her little boy, by requefting your accept- ‘¢ ance of the fum of two thou/and florins, or any fum ‘ you ftand in need of; with which money go imme- «¢ diately, Stedman, go and redeem innocence, good “ fenfe, and beauty from the jaws of tyranny, oppref- s fion, and infult.” Seeing me thunder-ftruck, and gazing upon her in a ftate of ftupefaction, without the power of {peaking, fhe continued, with a divine benignity : “ Let not your delicacy, my friend, take the alarm, ‘and interfere in this bufinefs: foldiers and failors. ‘¢ ought ever to be the men of feweft compliments; «and all I expeét from you is, that you fay not one ‘¢‘ word more on the fubject."— As foon as I recovered “Treplied, “ that I was at a lofs how to exprefs my ad- ‘6 miration of fuch benevolence.” I faid, * that Joanna, “ who had fo frequently preferved my life, had cer- “tainly merited my eternal affection; but that my gra- “¢ titude could not be lefs to one who had fo generoufly ‘¢ put me in the way of redeeming that invaluable wo- 8 «¢ man EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 83 “man from flavery;” and concluded with obferving, CHAP. « that I could not now touch a fhilling of ze money, but Ha “ fhould have the honour to call upon her the next day ; “and immediately retired.” ; I was no fooner returned home, than I acquainted Joanna with all that had happened; who, burftine imto tears, called out, “ Gado fa bree da womal”— “ God will blefs this woman!” and infifted that fhe herfelf fhould be mortgaged to Mrs. Godefroy till every farthing fhould be paid: fhe indeed was very anxious to fee the emancipation of her boy, but till that was dome, fhe abfolutely refufed to accept of her own freedom. I fhall not here endeavour to paint the conteft which I fuftained between affection and duty, but bluntly fay that I yielded to the wifh of this fo charm- ing creature, and whofe fentiments endeared her to me fill more. Thus I inftantly drew up a paper, declaring my Joanna, according to her defire, from this day to be the property of Mrs. Godefroy, till the laft farthing of the money {fhe lent me fhould be repaid; and, on the follow- ing day, with the confent of her relations *, I conduéted her to Mrs. Godefroy’s houfe, where, throwing herfelf at the feet of that incomparable woman, Joanna herfelf put the paper into her hands; but this lady having raifed her up, no fooner had read the contents, than fhe ex- claimed, * Muft it be fo? Then come here, my Joanna, * Without the confent of parents, brothers, and fifters, no refpectable flaves are individually fold in Surinam. M 2 é¢T have NARRATIVE OF AN ** | havea {pirit to accept of you not as my flave, but more: ‘as my companion: you fhall have a houfe built in my ‘“‘ orange-garden, with my own flaves to attend you, till “* Providence fhall call me away, when you thall be per- « fetly free, as indeed you now are the moment you ‘¢ with to poflefs your manumiffion; and this you claim “both by your extraction and your condudct*.” On thefe terms, and on no other, I accepted of the money on the 5th, and carrying it in my hat to Mr. de Graav’s, I laid it on his table, demanding a receipt in full; and Joanna was transferred from the wretched eftate Fau- conberg, to the protection of the firft woman perhaps in all the Dutch Weft-Indies, if not in the world; and for which fhe thanked me with a look that could only be ex- prefied by the COUNTENANCE OF AN ANGEL. Mr. de Graav, on counting the money, addreffed me in the following terms :—* Stedman, two hundred florins of “this fum belong to me as adminiftrator. Permit me ‘¢ alfo to have a {mall fhare in this happy event, by not ‘¢ accepting this dividend, as I fhall find myfelf amply. “paid by the pleafure of having been inftrumental in ‘‘ bringing about what feems fo much to contribute to “the enjoyment of two deferving people.” Having thanked my difinterefted friend with an affec- tionate fhake by the hand, I immediately returned the * Ihave already mentioned that Joanna oft diftinguifhed people on the coaft of ° was by bath a gentleman’s daughter from Africa. Holland ; and her mother’s family were two EX PHDPERFON?: FO,SURIN AM. two hundred florins to Mrs. Godefroy, and all were happy. I muft not omit, as a farther proof of Mrs. Gode- froy’s humane character, that on hearing of the dejected fituation of the fick at Magdenberg, fhe at this time fent them a prefent of a whole barge-load of fruit, vegeta- bles, and refrefhments of every kind that the colony could afford, for their relief. On the 7th of April, matters being thus far fettled, I wrote a letter to Mr. Lude, at Amiterdam, to give him in- telligence, and to thank him for having parted with the mof valuable property of his eftate; and my ancle being now pretty well: recovered, I alfo wrote to Colonel Four- geoud, that I’ fhould have the honour to join him in a few days. This letter I directed to Barbacoeba, for there he ftill continued, while the intrepid and active militia - captain, Stoeleman, was beating up the woods with a few rangers at another quarter, and who this day fent i four captive rebel negroes to Paramaribo *. On the roth, finding myfelf fufficiently recovered, and ready once more to enter the foreft, I bade farewell to my {weet family and friends, leaving the firft {till at Mr. de la Mare’s, at their requeft; and cheerfully fet off with a tent- boat on my ff7/ campaign, in the hopes of accompany- ing Fourgeoud; who, having affembled all his remaining forces, and made the neceflary arrangements to attack * It is a maxim with the rangers to they fend in alive fifty florins; alfo for chop off the right hand of every rebel ‘finding a town or village one thoufand negro they kill, for which they receive florins Hollands. twenty-five florins ; and for every one the NARRATIVE OF AN the enemy, was now determined to march in a very few days. On the r4th I arrived with a boat at Barbacoeba, in the upper part of the river Cottica, where formerly I was when I killed the aboma inake. I found here the old gentleman (who civilly welcomed me) ready to ftart the following day. Inever faw the troops in fuch fine fpi- rits, or fo eager for fervice; which proceeded from differ- ent motives, as I had faid before, fome in the hopes of plunder, fome from revenge on the rebels, and fome from a wifh to fee’ the war at an end; while I believe in my foul, that others were tired of exiftence by con- tinual illnefs and hard fervice; and heartily wifhed for a glorious end of all their miferies—as nothing can be more wretched than a foldier’s or a failor’s life, perpe- tually foaking in the wet or fcorching in the fun, fur- rounded by an unbounded foreft, and in a tropical climate. | CHAP. EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. ‘GORA. 1 XX, A Rebel Negro defcribed — Bufh- fgbting — Sentimental Exprefions of the African Blacks —The Town of Gado-Saby taken by Colonel Fourgeoud — Superfiition— Wonderful Expedients — Great Generalbip in the Enériy. N the rsth of Auguft 17755 the rebels, flufhed with their late victory over Captain Meyland and his party, whether with a defign to brave Fourgeoud, or to intimidate his troops, being well apprifed by their fpies that he was at Barbacoeba, had the affurance to fet fire to all the huts in two different camps which had been left ftanding by his patroles, while they continued fhouting and hallooing the whole night within our hearing; but this only proved an incentive to action, and enraged our veteran commander fo much, that he now declared he would have ample revenge at all hazards. During this night a large tiger alfo alarmed the camp, but did no da- mage of any kind. An hour before day - break next morning, Colonel Fourgeoud, with his troops, were ready to march, and. immediately entered the woods. They now amounted exactly to two hundred Europeans fit for fervice, the reft being e7 CHAP, NARRATIVE OF AN being ill and unfit for fervice; but no rangers were as yet arrived, though theyshad. been expected. The fa&t was, they were fo much difgufted with Fourgeoud’s command, that they did not appear at all, which afforded this gentleman for once an opportunity of ftigmatizing them as a band of pufillanimous rafcals; and -I confefs 1 was myfelf extremely aftonifhed at this wilful abfence of my black favourites, who were at other times fo eager to rufh upon the enemy, and had declared their fatisfaction at the hopes of a decifive engagement with their fable -countrymen. This whole day our courfe was due E.; and after pro- ceeding about eight miles (which is a great diftance in this country, where the. pioneers, with bill-hooks muft cons ftantly.open a path), we-erected huts, and encamped, Having frequently menitionéd the rébe/'- negroes with whom we were now certain: to have arencontre, I pre= fent the reader with the figure of one of thefe people, upon his guard, as alarmed by a ruftlng amongit the bufhes. At/a diftance are fuppofed a couple of our rangers, waiting the moment to take him by furprize. This rebel negro is armed with a firelock and a hatchet; his hair, thouch woolly, may be obferved to be plaited clofe to his head, by way of diftinétion from:) the tangers, or any other ftraggling negroes, who-are not yet accepted amongtt them; his beard is grown to a point, like that of all the Africans, when they have no op- portunity of fhaving. The principal drefs of this man 6 confifts e ys pei cd ; Laken ae pee sins. 5 SSS ORME IN SEAN HE Nba eants Arrant ig eet Soe eee yet Seales ave ars ref EDIT wane . Bartolozzi Soult London, Published Deel11794, hy AJohnson, § Pads Church Farad . 33 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. confifts of a cotton fheet, negligently tied acrofs his fhoulders, which protects him from the weather, and ferves him alfo to reft on; while he always fleeps under cover in the moft ob{cure places he can find, when de- tached from his companions. The reft of his drefs is a ° camifa, tied around his loins like a handkerchief; his pouch, which is made of fome animal’s fkin; a few cotton ftrings for ornament around his ancles and wrifts ; and a fuperftitious 0d7a or amulet tied about his neck, in which he places all his confidence. The fkull and ribs are fuppofed to be the bones of his enemies, fcattered upon the fandy favannah. | The two rangers who make their appearance at a dif- tance may be diftinguifhed by their red caps; and here I muft obferve, that the rebels have many times availed themfelves of feizing one of thefe fcarlet diftindtions, which by clapping on their own heads in an engagement, has not only faved their lives, but given them an oppor- -tunity of fhooting their enemies. Another ftratagem of theirs has fometimes been dif- - covered, vz. that fire-arms being fcarce amongft them, numbers have intermixed in the crowd, with a crookcd Sick fhaped fomething like a mufket; and this appear- ance has more than once had the effect of preventing a proper defence by the plantation flaves, when the rebels came to ranfack the eftates; while with this fhow of armed numbers they have often ftruck fuch a panic, and fo damped the courage of the former, that they have You. Il. - N been NARRATIVE OF AN been calmly permitted, after burning their houfes, even to carry away their wives and daughters. Cn the 16th we continued our march due E. upon a ridge or elevated ground. Thefe ridges, if I miftake not, run generally in this country E. and W. as do alfo moft of the marfhes and fwamps. Having advanced rather ‘a lefs diftance than we did the day before, we were ordered early to fling our hammocks, and to fleep without any covering, to prevent the enemy from hearing the found of cutting the trees; nor were any fires allowed to be lighted, nor a word to be fpoken, while a ftrict watch was. kept round the camp. Thefe, in fact, were all very nes. ceffary precautions; but if we were not difcovered by the enemy, we were almoft devoured by the clouds of evats or mufquitoes, which arofe from a neighbouring marfh : for my own part I fuffered more here than I had even done on board the fatal barges in the upper Cottica, as we could make no fmoke to drive them away. In this firuation I faw the poor men dig holes with their bayonets: in the earth, into which they thruft their heads, {topping the entry and covering their necks with their hammocks, while they lay with their bellies onthe ground. To fleep in any other pofition was abfolutely impoffible. By the advice of a negro flave, I however enjoyed my reft.—** Climb,” faid he, ** maffera, with your hammock. s¢ to the top of the higheft tree that is in the camp, and “ there go fleep; not a fingle mufquito will difturb yous. “* the {warm will be fufficiently attracted by the fmell of x the EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. % the {weating multitude below.”—This I immediately tried, and flept exalted near one hundred feet above my companions, whom I could not fee for the myriads of mufquitoes below me, nor even hear them, from the in- ceflant buzzing of thefe troublefome infects. This was the principal diftrefs of the night; while; during the day, we had frequently been attacked by whole armies of fmall emmets, called here /re-aunts, from their painful biting. Thefe infects are black, and very diminutive, but live in fuch amazing multitudes together, that their hillocks have fometimes obftructed our paffage by their fize, over which, if one chances to pafs, the feet and legs are inftantly covered with innu- merable of thefe creatures, which feize the fkin with fuch violence in their pincers, that they will fooner fuffer the head to be parted from their body, than let go their hold. The burning pain which they occafion cannot, in my opinion, proceed from the fharpnefs of their pincers only, but muft be owing to fome venomous fluid which they infufe, or which the wound imbibes from them. I can aver that I have feen them make a whole company hop about, as if they had been {calded with boiling water. On the 17th we continued our march itill due E. till nine o'clock, when we altered our courfe to the N. and had to fcramble through great quantities of thofe mataky roots, or trumpeters already defcribed, which proved that we were defcending into the low grounds, and indeed the {oil foon became very marfhy; fortunately, however, though it was now the wet feafon, we had as yet very little rain. Na This Or CHAP. XxX. \eaceresy pone Q2 CHAP, XX. Cyne NARRATIVE OF AN This evening we encamped about four o’clock, Colonel Fourgeoud being feized with a cold fit of the ague. As I was flinging my hammock between two large branches, but not fo high as the preceding night, my eye chanced to fall upon what Iconceivedtobe the leaf of atree,. but which appeared to move and crawl up the trunk. I called feveral officers to fee it: when a gentleman of the Society exclaimed, “ C’ef la feuille ambulante,” That is- the walking leaf. Upon clofer examination it proved to be an infect, whofe wings fo perfectly reprefent a leaf, that by many it has been miftaken for a vegetable produétion. This feemed to be a fpecies of grafshopper, but covered over with four wings of an oval form, and about. three inches in length, the two uppermoft fo folded together as to appear exactly like a brown leaf, with all the: fibres, &c. ) I now returned to my hammock; where, reflecting on all the wonders of nature, while the filver-moon glittering through the verdure added beauty to the fcene, I fell into a profound fleep, which I enjoyed till near midnight, when we were all awaked in pitch darknefs and a heavy fhower of rain, by the hallooing and fhouting of the rebel negroes, who difcharged feveral mufkets; but as. the fhot did not reach our camp, we were extremely aftonifhed, the darknefs rendering it impoffible to form any juft idea of their meaning. . This difturbance con- tinuing till near day-break, made us expect every mo- ment to be furrounded, and keep a very {harp look-out. In the morning early we unlathed our hammocks, and roarched EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. marched due N. towards the place whence we con- jeGtured the hallooing noife to have proceeded, being all much fatigued for want of reft, efpecially Colonel Four- geoud, who could hardly fupport himfelf, fo much was he weakened by the ague. We had not marched above two miles, I-having the van-guard, when a revel negro {fprang up at my feet from under a fhrub, where he had been afleep; but as we had crders not to fire upon ftragelers, he efcaped, running with almoft the fwiftnefs of a ftag amongit the brambles. I no fooner made re- port to the old hero, than, {wearing he was a {py, which I believe was true, he fhook off his illnefs, and quickened his pace with redoubled vigour: but our purfuit was to no purpofe, at leaft this day ; for about one o’clock we got into a bog, from which we could hardly extricate ourfelves, and were forced to return to our laft night’s encampment, miffing two privates of the Society troops, whom we fuppofed to have perifhed in the marfh. This day. we faw great quantities of arnotta - trees, with which this part of the foreft abounds. In the even« ing a flave prefented me with a du/b-/pider of fuch magnitude, that putting him into a cafe-bottle above eight inches high, he actually reached the furface with fome of his hideous claws, whilft the others were reft- ing upon the bottom. No creature can be more dreads fully ugly than this enormous fpider, which the people of Surinam erroneoufly call the tarantula. The body is divided in two, the pofterior part oval, and the fize of an Orlean-plum ; the. fore-part fquare, with a figure fome- what. 54 NARRATIVE OF AN c a e P, what refembling a ftar upon it. This monfter has five tema Pair of thick legs, with four joints in each; is entirely black or dark brown, and covered over, legs and all, with thick and long black hair, like fome caterpillars, while each leg is armed with a crooked yellow nail, and from the head project two long teeth with inverted pin- cers, refembling the claw of a crab, with which it feizes its prey; while its bite, if not fatal by the venomous Li- quid infufed into the wound, always occafions a fever. It has eight eyes like moft f{piders, and feeds on infects of every fpecies; nay, it is even afferted, that young _ birds do not efcape it, out of which this fpider fucks the blood: its web is {mall but very ftrong. Upon the whole, it is fuch a hideous creature, that the very fight of it is fufficient to occafion a tremor of abhorrence, even in perfons moft accuftomed to infpect the deformities of nature. Innumerable indeed are the pefts and dangers to which one is hourly expofed in the woods of this tropical climate; and though it is my prefent bufinefs only to make mention of fuch as I met with in this march, and which mutt appear new to the reader, yet a recapitulation of the names only of our numerous plagues may not be improper to refrefh the memory of thofe who have a heart to fympathize with our fuffer- , ings.” I have already mentioned the su/quitoes, mon- | pieras, patat and ferapat lice, chigoes, cock - roaches, common ants, fire-ants, horfe-flies, wild bees, and /pi- ders; befides the prickly beat, ring-worm, dry-gripes, putrid fevers, boils, confaca, bloody-flux, thorns, briars, alligators, EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 93 alligators, fuakes, tigers, &c.; but 1 have not yet fpoken C g $ P, of the bu/b-worms, large ants, locufis, centipedes, [Cor= —mpem pions, bats, and flying-lice, the craffy-craf), yaws, Le- tbargy, leprofy, and drop/y, with a thoufand other griev- ances that continually annoyed our unhappy troops ;—a particular defcription of which I muff delay till a more fuitable opportunity occurs for introducing them into this narrative. Such were the pefts that we had to ftruggle with in this baneful climate, whilft our poor men were dying in multitudes, without proper affiftance, unpitied, and fre- quently without a friend to clofe their eye-lids, neither coffin nor fhell to receive their bones, but thrown pro- mifcuoufly into one pit, like heaps of loathfome carrion. On the igth, we again left our encampment, and after keeping a little $. marched E, till ten o’clock, when we were overtaken and joined by a party of one hundred rangers, with their conductor, Mr. Vin/ack, to my great fatisfaction. At this period we muftered three hundred men; and however little Colonel Fourgeoud affected, at other times, to value thefe black foldiers, he was now not at all difpleafed with their company, upon our near ape proach to an enemy with whom the rangers were well acquainted, and knew how to engage much better than the marines: while it will ever be my opinion, that one of thefe free negroes is preferable to half a dozen white men in the foreft of Guiana; it indeed feems their na< tural clement, whilff it is the bane of the Europeans. Colonel: 96 CHAP. XX NARRATIVE OF AN Colonel Fourgeoud now iffued orders for our little , _ army to march in three lines or columns, his own re- giment in the centre, the Society troops on the right, the rangers or black foldiers on the left, all within hearing of each other, with a few /lankers or riflemen outfide the whole: thus formed we advanced till about noon, when we changed our courfe from E. to N. E. and continued our march over a Jiree-biree {wamp, or quagmire: thefe are very common and dangerous in this country, being a deep foft miry bog, covered over with a thin cruft of verdure, fufficient in moft places to- ‘bear the weight of a man, and quaking when walked over; but fhould this cruft give way, whoever breaks it is f{wallowed up in the chafm, where he muft inevi- tably perifh if not immediately extricated; thus it has frequently happened that men have been feen to fink, and have never more been heard of. Quickfands are quite different, as they overwhelm by a gradual fuction, whereas the effects of a quagmire are inftantaneous. To avoid accidents, we opened our files as much as poflible, which occafioned a very long rear; but even with this precaution feveral men funk through it, as if the ice had broken under their feet, and fome in my prefence up to the arm-pits, but were fortunately, though with much difficulty, extricated. In the afternoon we paffed through two old cafava fields, which indicated our near approach to the rebel fettlement ; we afterwards fell in with Captain Meyland’s path, 4 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 97 path, which we knew by the marks cut upon the trees, CHAP. as before explained. The evening being too far ad- uae vanced to attack the enemy, we once more encamped a few miles from the fwamp in which Captain Meyland and his party had been defeated. Having had a long march, and the men being much fatigued, Colonel Fourgeoud allowed, during this night, both huts and fires; which furprized me greatly, being fo near the rebels, though he had forbidden thefe comforts when we were at a very confiderable diftance from them. I however availed myfelf of his bounty, and having got fome pigeon-peas from my ferjeant, which he had picked up in the old caffava grounds, and laid hold of one of the kettles, I invited him, and a captain of the black corps called Hannibal, to a fhare; who having thrown their falt-beef and rufk-bifcuit into the mefs with mine, and ftirred it round with a bayonet, we made a very excellent {upper, though in a fad dreary night and heavy rain. The pigeon or Angola peas grow on a fhrub about eight or ten feet high; five or fix of thefe peas are con- tained in a pod; they are flat like lentils, and of a reddifh-brown colour: the negroes are extremely fond of them, and cultivate them in their gardens without any expence or much trouble. Hannibal now obferving that we fhould certainly fee the enemy to-morrow, afked me if I knew in what man- ner negro engaged againft negro? Having anfwered in the negative, he gave me the following relation, while VoL. Il. OQ {moking NARRATIVE:]0F AWN fmoking his pipe under my hammock. —* Maffera,” {aid he, “* both parties are divided in fmall companies of “ eight or ten men, commanded by a captain, with a horn, ‘‘ fuch as this (fhewing me his) by which they do every “ thing, and fight or run away. When they fight they “‘ feparate immediately, lie down on the ground, and fire “at the flafh of each other’s pans through the trees; “‘ while each warrior is fupported by two negroes un- «¢ armed, the one to take his place if he is killed, and “¢ the other to carry away the dead body, to prevent its “¢ falling into the hands of their adverfaries *.” From this difcourfe I perfectly underftood his mean- ing, which I have fince feen put in practice; and for the clearer conception of the reader, I have illuftrated it with the following plan, where the whole engagement is ex- hibited at one view. | | The two columns E and F are fuppofed to be firft en- gaged, where N°r in the column E commences the at- tack by firing at random in the oppofite bufhes; and inftantly retires, by fhifting his place to N* 1 in the co- lumn C, where he re-loads ; while N° 2 in the column F, having fired at the flafh of his pan, advances in the fame manner, fhifting his {tation to re-load at N° 2 in the column D+; and at the flafh of whofe pan N° 3 fires in FE, and receives the fire of N’4 in Ff, &c. &c. Thus continuing through both lines, till N° 8 has fired in FP, * The negroes have a favage cuftom part of them with their teeth, like the Ca=. of mangling and tearing the dead bodies _ribbee Indians. of their enemies; fome eyen devouring when: Pat, 2, - 2 ne > ‘ Manner of Piso fighting Ze VIC Yruun i) CYLOC!. White | H ARE Ha > a | Whale Mulatto Black SS ee Be ; j deroon Samboe Mongroo ? . oy O Lp. Gradatin Va a Virrtles beliveen C UP Of te Xe Wirten C C London, Published Dee 791, by J Sohnwon S¢Pauls Church Yard. o4 A i My | = + . Poy 5 ~ vit Pe if \ ¥ = “5s ae = cha at a F . : Paras, = 9 < = EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. when the whole have fhifted their ftations; and the fame manceuvre is continued with the columns C and D, beginning again with the identical numbers 1, 2, 3, &c. at the top; while thefe lines, having fhifted their places, {till the firing is repeated by the lines 4 and B, and thus ad infinitum, until by founding the horn one of the parties gives way in flight, and the battle is over. I fhall only add, that when the foreft is thick, inftead of lying on their bellies, or kneeling, each negro fkulks behind a thick tree, which ferves him as a bulwark, and from which he fires at his adverfary with more certainty and lefs danger, ufually refting his piece againft the trunk, or in the forked branches, like the Shawane/e and De/a- ware Indians. Captain Hannibal alfo informed me, that the famous chief Bonny was fuppofed to be in perfon amoneft the neighbouring rebels; and that he was born in the foreft amoneft them, notwithftanding his being a mulatto, which was accounted for by his mother efcaping to the woods from the ill treatment of her mafter, by whom fhe was then pregnant. Having frequently mentioned the different fhades be- tween a d/ack and a white, the fame plate reprefents them to the reader at one view. From the above two colours the mu/atio is produced; from the mulatto and black, the /amboo; from the mulatto and white, the quaderoon, &c. &c.—This fable warrior made me alfo acquainted with the names of feveral other rebel com- O23 manders, 1OO CHAP. XX. NARRATIVE OF AN manders, againft whom he had frequently fought for the Europeans. Such as Qvammy, who was the chief of a feparate gang, and had no connection with the others; Coromantyn, Cojo, Arico, and Foli-Ceur; the two laft being celebrated captains, whofe revenge was infatiable againft the whites, particularly Yo/-Ceur’s, who had I confefs _ great reafon, as has been already ftated. ‘The noted rebel negro Baron, he believed, was now ferving alfo under the great chief Bonny. He next proceeded to tell me the names of the prin- cipal rebel fettlements, fome of which were already de- ftroyed, fome now in view, and fome of thefe were only known to us by name. Thefe appellations were all very expreffive indeed; and as they may ferve in fome meafure to elucidate our enquiries concerning the negro nations, I have thought proper to give them a place in this narrative, with their meaning in an Englifh tranflation ; Vi. Boucoo - - - I fhall moulder before I fhall be taken. Gado Saby - - God only knows me, and none elfe. Cofaay - - - Cometry me, if you be men. Tefee See - - Takea taftin g, if you like it. Mele me - - - Dodifturb me, if you dare. Boo/y Cray - - The woods lament for me. Me Salafy - - I fhall be taken. Kebree me - - Hide me, O thou furrounding ver- dure. The EXPEDITION Tor § GR ENA M. The others were : Suammi Condre- From Quammi, the name of the chief. Pinenburgh - - From the pines or manicole - trees which formerly furrounded it. Caro Condre = - From the quantity of maize it afforded. Reifee Condre - From the quantity of rice it produced. Such were the names of the negro warriors, and their fettlements. : I now fhook hands with Captain Hannibal, while my mind being occupied with the hopes of victory unftained by cruelty, and being very much fatigued, I foon fell profoundly afleep. On the 20th in the morning, no one could awake in a more beautiful day and better fpirits than I did, until they were damped by obferving that at fo critical a time, and even in the moment before the conflict, inftead of that kind treatment which it would have been prudent to have fhewn to thofe from whofe exertions we were to expect a happy period to our fufferings, there was even then fuch difcouragement of the fubaltern officers and private men as involuntarily drew from me the reflec- tion—That (if poffible to avoid it) princes and muniffers fhould never inveft any one izdividual with unlimited authority, e{pecially in a foreign country, without being perfeatly well acquainted with the rectitude of their moral principles and difpatition ; no men being fit to command but thofe who are poffeffed of manly feel- ings, and whofe valour is tempered with humanity ; 2 fince NARRATIVE OF ‘AN fince ’tis a truth that fterling bravery is incompatible with a cruel heart. At fix o’clock we advanced N. E. by N. towards the marfh, my melancholy evaporating with the rifing fun. About eight o’clock we entered this formidable fwamp, and foon found ourfelves above our middle in water, well prepared neverthelefs for the warm reception we ex~- pected from the oppofite fhore, as the former party had fo fatally experienced. After wading above half a mile, our grenadiers rapidly mounted the beach with cocked firelocks and bayonets fixed; the main body inftantly followed, and alfo mounting the beach, the whole formed without the fmallett oppofition. We now beheld a {pec- tacle fufficient to fhock the moft intrepid, the ground ftrewed with fkulls, bones, and ribs ftill covered with human flefh, and befmeared with the blood of thofe unfortunate men who were killed with Captain Meyland. —That officer had indeed found means to bury them, but the rebels had dug them up for the fake of their cloaths, and to mangle the bodies, which, like ferocious animals, they had torn limb from limb. Amongft thefe, the fate of Meyland’s nephew, a promifing young man, was peculiarly affecting. He came from the mountains of Switzerland in queft of military preferment, and met his fate in a marfh of Surinam juft after his landing. His bravery was equal to that of his uncle, his intrepidity, voluntarily expofing himfelf to danger, knew no bounds. —Such is the enthufiafm of military ambition. “© And EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. “ And tis moft true, while Time’s relentlefs hand «© With fickly grafp drags others to the tomb ; z~ an The /oldier {corns to wait the dull command, « But fprings impatient to a nobler doom. 6 a Tho’ on the plain he lies, outftretch’d and pale, “* Without one friend his ftedfaft eyes to clofe, ~€ a Yet on his honour’d corp/e thall many a gale “© Waft the moift fragrance of the weeping rofe. “ O’er the dread fpot the melancholy moon ‘“« Shall paufe a while —a fadder beam to fhed ; And ftarry night amidft her awful noon Cal n “¢ Sprinkle light dews upon his hallowed head. 6 An There too the folitary bird fhall fwell «© With long-drawn melody her plaintive throat ; 6 “a While diftant echo from refponfive cell “¢ Shall oft with fading force return the note. « Such recompence be valour’s due alone.” This being the fecond or third heap of human bones we had met with in our march, 1 frankly acknowledge did not operate upon me as a ftimulative to engage with. negroes; yet thefe awful relics {purred on the common foldiers to take revenge for the lofs of their maffacred. companions. Having fo frequently had occafion to fpeak of march- ing through a fwamp, it may not be improper to illuftrate the CHAP. CHAP. NIAIRRATIVELOF “AN the defcription by the aunexed drawing. The firft figure reprefents Colonel Fourgeoud (preceded by a negro flave, as a guide, to give notice’ by ‘his '‘fwimming when the water deepens) followed by myfelf, ‘fome other offi- cers and marines, wading through the marfh above our middle, and carrying our.arms, ammunition, and accou- trements above our heads, to prevent their being da- 'maged by the wet. In the back-ground may be feen the manner in which the flaves carry all burdens whatever on the head, and the mode of the rebel negroes firing upon the troops from the tops of high palm-trees, &c. A-march of this nature, though occafionally neceffary in Surinam, muft be always very dangerous, being expofed to an attack from under cover of the furrounding bufhes, without having the power of returning the fire more than once; for in fuch a depth of water no foldier can re-load his mufket with- out wetting both the lock and the priming. We now followed a kind of foot-path made by the enemy, which after a little turning led us in a wefterly direction. Serjeant Fow/er, who preceded the van-guard, at this time came to me pale, declaring, that the fight of the mangled bodies had made him extremely fick; and that he felt himfelf completely difarmed, being that Moment, as it were, rivetted to the ground, without the power of advancing one fingle ftep, or knowing how to conceal his tremor: ——I d—n’d him for a pitiful fcoundrel, and had only time to order him to the rear. 6é No = — oS NY \ \ \ A WX SS Zara) CK LES. = = Lif Ye 2514: Uf “W a, i AX AK Nd Ss Z WN SSSA SANASY Lt SE NN i il CONG a Vie VE LHL PSU lt’ OF Wipes LLM?PL SEIT FC FRICD London, Published Deel1"y 704. by TJohnson, 8¢Pauls Church JS Yard. ae oo EXPEDITION.TO SURINAM. “ No force, no firmnefs, the pale coward fhews: « He thifts his place, his colour comes and goes ; “© A dropping fweat creeps cold on every part, A ‘ Againft his bofom beats his quivering heart : “© Terror and death in his wild eye-balls ftare;...... « With chattering teeth he ftands, and ftiff’ning hair, « And looks a bloodlefs image of defpair.”....... At ten o’clock we met a fmall party of the rebels, with each a green hamper upon his back; they fired at us, dropped their bundles, and taking to their heels ran back towards their village. ‘Thefe we fince learned were tranfporting vice to another fettlement for their fubfitt- ence, when they fhould be expelled from Gado-Sadby (the name of this fettlement) which they daily expected, fince they had been difcovered by the gallant Captain Meyland. The green hampers, which they call warimbos, were very curioufly plaited with the manicole leaves, And when our men cut them open with their fabres, there burft forth the moft beautiful clean rice that I ever faw, which was fcattered and trampled under foot, as we had no opportunity of carrying it along. A little after this we perceived an empty fhed, where a picquet had been ftationed to give notice of any danger, but they had precipitately deferted their poft. We now vigoroufly redoubled our pace till about noon; when two more muf- ket fhot were fired at us by another advanced guard of the enemy, as a fignal to the chief, Bouny, of our ap- proach. Major Medler and myfelf, with a few of the Vou. Il. P veos 106 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. van-guard, and a fmall party of the rangers, at this time XX, rufhing forward, foon came to a fine field of rice and Indian corn: we here made a halt for the other troops, particularly to give time for our rear to clofe up, fome of whom were at leaft two miles behind us; and dur- ing which period we might have been cut to pieces, the enemy, unknown to us, having furrounded the field . in which we were, as we were afterwards informed. In about half an hour the whole body joined us, when we initantly proceeded by cutting through a fmall de- file of the wood, into which we had no fooner entered, than a heavy fire commenced from every fide, the re- bels retiring, and we advancing, until we arrived in the moft beautiful field of ripe rice, in the form of an ob- long {quare, from which the rebel town appeared at a diftance, in the form of an amphitheatre, fheltered from the fun by the foliage of a few lofty trees, the whole prefenting a coup-d’wil romantic and enchanting be- yond conception. In this field the firing was kept up, like one continued peal of thunder, for above forty mi- nutes, during which time our black warriors behaved with wonderful intrepidity and fkillk The white fol- diers. were too eager, and fired over one another at ran- dom, yet I could perceive a few of them act with the utmoft coolnefs, and imitate the rangers with great effect; amongft thefe was zow the once-daunted Fowler, who being roufed from his tremor by the firing at the beginning of the onfet, had rufhed to the front, and fully re-eftablifhed EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. re-eftablifhed his character; by fighting like a brave fellow, by my fide, until the muzzle of his mufket was fplit by a fhot from the enemy, which rendered it ufe- lefs ; a ball paffed through my fhirt, and grazed the fkin of my fhoulder; Mr. Decabanes, my lieutenant, had the fling of his fufee fhot away: feveral others were wound- ed, fome mortally, but I did not, to my furprize, obferve one inftance of tmmediate death—for which feeming mi- racle, however, I fhall prefently account. This whole field of rice was furrounded and inter- {perfed by the enemy with the large trunks and roots of heavy trees, in order to make our approach both diffi- cult and dangerous; behind thefe temporary fortifications the rebels lay lurking, and firing upon us with delibe- rate aim, whilft their du/warks certainly protected them in fome meafure from the efiects of our fire, we hav- ing vaft numbers of thefe fallen trees to {cramble over before we could reach the town: but we ftill advanced, in defiance of every obftacle, and while I admired the maf- terly manoeuvres of their general, I could not help pity- ing them for their fuperftition. One poor fellow, in particular, trufting to his amulet or charm, fancied him- felf invulnerable; he mounted frequently upon one of the trees that lay near us, difcharged his. piece, defcended to re-load, and then with equal confidence and the greatef{t deliberation returned to the charge in my full view ; till at laft a fhot from one of my marines, named Valet, broke the bone of his thigh, and he fell crawling ee for CHAP. i 0)s) CHAP. XX. arse rr NARRATIVE OF AN for fhelter under the very fame tree which had fupported. him juft before; but the foldier inftantly advancing, and putting the muzzle of his mufket to the rebel’s ear, blew out his brains, while feveral of his countrymen, in {pite of their f{pells and charms, fhared the fame fate. ‘Being now about to enter the town, a rebel captain, wearing a tarnifhed gold-laced hat, and bearing in his hand a torch of flaming ftraw, feeing their ruin inevita- ble, had the refolution to ftay and fet the town on fire in our prefence, which, by the drynefs of the houfes, in- ftantly produced a general conflagration, when the firing from the woods began gradually to ceafe. This bold and maiterly manoeuvre not only prevented, that carnage to which the common foldiers in the heat of victory are but too prone, but alfo afforded the enemy an opportunity of retreating with their wives and children, and carrying off their moft ufeful effeéts ; whilft our purfuit, and feizing the fpoil, were at once fruftrated both by the afcending flames, and the unfathomable marfh, which we foon dif- covered on all fides to furround us, as in the Maccabees : «© Behold the Jatile is before us, and behind us, and the water «© of Fordan on this fide, and that fide, and the mar/b, and fore/, ** fo that there is no place for us to turn afide.” I muft indeed confefs that within this laft hour the continued noife of the firing, fhouting, fwearing, and hallooing of black and white men mixed .together; the groans of the wounded and the dying, all weltering 2 in EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. in blood and in duft; the fhrill found of the negro horns from every quarter, and the crackling of the burning village; to which if we add the clouds of fmoke that every where furrounded us, the afcending flames, - Sc. &c. formed, on the whole, fuch an uncommon {cene as I cannot defcribe, and would perhaps not have been unworthy of the pencil of Hogarth: this fcene I have, however, faintly endeavoured to reprefent in the /fron- ti/piece — where I may be feen, after the heat of the ac- tion, fatigued, and dejectedly looking on the body of an unfortunate rebel negro, who, with his mufket in his hand, lies proftrate at my feet. In fhort, having wafhed off the duft, {weat, and blood, and having refrefhed ourfelves with a dram and a bit of bread till the flames fubfided, we next went to infpec& the fmoking ruins; and found the above town to have confifted of about one hundred houfes or huts, fome of which were two ftories high. Among the glowing athes we picked up feveral trifles that had efcaped the flames, fuch as filver fpoons and forks, which we fuppofed, by the marks BW. to have been pillaged from the Bruy/qwick eftate in Rio Cottica. We found alfo fome knives, broken china and earthen pcts; amongit the latter one filled with rice and palm-tree worms fell to my fhare: as this wanted no fire to drefs the contents, and as my appetite was very keen, I emptied it in a few minutes, and made a very hearty meal. Some were afraid this mefs had been left behind with a view to. poifon us; but this fufpi- clon, 110 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. cion, proved however, fortunately for me, to be without eee foundation. The filver plate I alfo purchafed from the men.that picked it up, determined to carry it off as a trophy, and I have ufed it ever fince. Here we likewife found three fkulls fixed upon ftakes, the mournful relics of fome of our own brave people, who had been formerly killed ; but what furprized us moft, were the heads of two young negroes, which feemed as if frefh cut off, thefe we fince learned had been executed during the night of the 17th, when we heard the hallooin 1B and the firing, for {peaking in our favour. Having buried all thefe remains promifcuoufly in one © pit, we returned to fling our hammocks, under thofe beautiful and lofty trees which I have already mention- ed; but here Iam forry to add, we found the rangers fhockingly employed, in playing at bowls with thofe very heads they had juft chopped off from their enemies; who, deaf to all remonftrance, “ Refiftlefs drove the batter’d /kulls before, « And dafh’d and raangled all the brains with gore.” They related that upon reconnoitring the fkirts of the furrounding foreft, they had found quantities of human blood in different places, which had flowed from the dead and wounded bodies the rebels had carried away - during the action. To reprimand them for this inhuman diverfion would have EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. have been ufelefs, as they affured us it was “ Condre “< faffee,” the cuftom of their country; and con- cluded the horrid fport by kicking and mangling the heads, cutting off the lips, cheeks, ears, and nofes ; they even took out the jaw-bones, which they fmoke- dried, together with the right hands, to carry home, as trophies of their victory, to their wives and re- Jations. That this barbarous cuftom prevails amongft favages is a well-known fact, which originates from a motive of infatiable revenge. And though Colonel Fourgeoud might have prevented their inhumanity by his authority, in my opinion he wifely declined it; ob- ferving, that as he could not do it by perfuafion, to do it by power, might break their native fpirit, and pro- duce no other effect than alienating them from the fer- ‘vice, fo neceflary were they to us, though fo favagely revengefu!, and fo bloody. About three o’clock, whilft we were refting from our fatigue, we were once more furprifed by an attack from a party of the enemy; but after exchanging a few fhots they were repulfed. This unexpected vifit, however, put us more upon our guard during the night, fothat no fires were allowed to be lighted, and double fentinels were placed around the camp. ‘Thus fituated, being overcome by exceffive toil and heat, I after fun -fet leaped into my hammock, and foon feil faft afleep; but in, lefs' than two hours my faithful black boy Quaco roufed me, in the midft of pitch darknefs, crying, “ Malferds CHAP. TizZ CHAP: XX; a) NARRATIVE OF AWN Maféra, moffera! boofee negro, boofee negro |!” — Maf- “ter, mafter! the enemy, the enemy !” Hearing, at the fame moment, a brifk firing, with the balls whiftling through the branches, i fully concluded that the re- bels were in the very midft of our camp. Surprifed, and not perfectly awake, I fuddenly ftarted up with my fufee cocked; and (without knowing where I ran) firftt threw down Quaco, and next fell down myfelf, over two or three bodies that lay upon the ground, and which I imagined to be killed. When one of them, “ d—ning *«¢ me for a fon of a b—ch, told me, if I moved I wasa *¢ dead man; Colonel Fourgeoud having iffued orders <¢ for the troops to lie flat on their bellies all the night, and “‘ not to fire, as moft of their ammunition had been ex- «« pended the preceding day.” I took his advice, and foon difcovered him by his voice to be one of our own grena- diers, named Zhom/on. In this fituation we lay proftrate on our arms until fun-rife, during which time a moft abu- five dialogue was carried on indeed between the rede/s and the rangers, each party curfing and menacing the other at a very terrible rate; the former “ reproaching the «* ranvers as poltroons and traitors to their countrymen, “ and challenging them next day to fingle combat; {wear- “¢ ing they only wiihed to lave their hands in the blood of “* fuch fcoundrels, who had been the principal agents in “ deftroying their flourifhing fettlement.”. The rangers “.q—n’d the rebels for a parcel of pitiful fkulking raf- “ cals, whom they would fight one to two in the open “¢ field, Cay a By, Ry EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 113 “ field, if they dared but to fhew their ugly faces ;” {wear- CHAP. sé ing they had only deferted their mafters. becaufe they “were tomlazy towork.” ~ After this they infulted each other by a kind of .war-whoop, fung victorious fongs on both fides, and founded their-horns as fignals of defi- ance; when the firing commenced once more from the rebel negroes; and. continued during the night, accom- panied: by their. martial voices, at intermiffions refound- ing through the ‘woods, which echo feemed to anfwer with redoubled force. | \ Atleneth poor Fourgeoud took a part in the converfa- tion; myfelf and Serjeant Fowler acting as his interpreters, by hallooing, which created more, mirth than I had been witnefs to |for fome time she promifed them life, liberty, victuals, drink, and ‘allthey wanted. They replied, with a loud laugh, that they wanted nothing from him; charac- terifed him as a half-ftarved Frenchman, who had run away from his own country ; and affured him that if he would venture to pay them avifit, he fhould return un- hurt, and not with an empty belly. They told us, that we were to be pitied more than they; that we were white faves, hired to be fhot at-and ftarved for four-pence a day; that they fcorned to expend much more of their powder upon fuch {carecrows; but, fhould the planters or overfeers dare to enter the woods, not a foul of them fhould ever return, any more than the perfidious rangers, fome of whom might depend upon being maffacred that aV-O.L, II, Q day, NARRADUVE OF A'N day, or the next; and concluded by declaring that Bonny fhould foon be the gavernor of the colony. After this they tinkled their bill-hooks, fired a volley, and gave three cheers; which being anfwered by the rangers, the clamour ended, and the rebels difperfed with the rifing fun. | Our fatigue was great; yet, notwithftanding the length of the conteft, our lofs by the enemies fire was very in- confiderable, for which I promifed to account; and this myitery was now explained, when the furgeons, dreffing the wounded, extracted very few leaden bullets, but many pebbles, coat-buttons, and pieces of filver coin,which could do us little mifchief, by penetrating {carcely more than fkin deep. We alfo obferved, that feveral of the poor rebel negroes who were fhot, had only the fhards of Spa-water cans, inftead of flints, which could feldom do execution ; and it was certainly owing to thefe circumftances that we came off fo well, as I have mentioned before; yet we were neverthelefs not without a number of very dan- gerous fears and contufions. Inconceivable are the many expedients which thefe people employ in the woods, where in a ftate of tranquil- lity they feemed, as they boafted, to want for nothing, being plump and fat, at leaft fuch as we had an oppor- tunity of obferving. It fhould be noticed, that game and Jyo they catch in great abundance, by artificial traps and f{fprings, and preferve them by barbacuing; while their 6 fields. EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. fields are even overftocked with rice, caffava, yams, plan- tains, &c. They make /a/¢ from the palm-tree afhes, as the Gentoos do in the Eaft Indies, or frequermly fupply the want of it with red pepper. We here fornd concealed near the trunk of an old tree a cafe-bottle filled with excellent butter, which the rangers told me they made by melting and clarifying the fat of the palm-tree worms: this fully anfwers all the purpofes of European butter, and I found it in fact even more deli- cious to my tafte. The pifachio or pinda nuts they alfo convert into butter, by their oily fubftance, and frequently ufe them in their broths. The palm-tree wine they have always in plenty; they procure it by making deep incifions of a foot fquare in the fallen trunk, where the juice being collected, it foon ferments by the heat of the fun; it is not only a cool and agreeable beverage, but fufficiently ftrong to intoxicate. The manicole or pine-tree affords them materials for building; they fabricate pots from clay found near their dwellings; the gourd or callebaffe tree procures them cups; the filk grafs plant and maurecee- tree fupplies materials for their hammocks, and even a kind of cap grows naturally upon the palm-trees, as well as brooms; the various kinds of nebee fupply the want of ropes; fuel they have for cutting; and a wood called bee-bee ferves for tinder, by rubbing two pieces on each other; it is alfo elaftic, and makes excellent corks; candles they can make, having plenty of fat and oil; andthe wild bees afford them wax, as well as excellent honey. Q2 Cloaths 115 CHAP. XX. (cease ate 136 CHAP, XX, NAR R Ac TEVIED OF; AiN Cloaths they {corn to wear, preferring to go naked tr a climate where the warmth of the weather renders every Kind of covering an ufelefs incumbrance.. They might breed hogs and poultry, and keep dogs for hunting and watching them, but this they decline, from the apprehenfion of being difcovered by their noife, as even the crowing of a cock may be heard in the foreft at a con- fiderable diftance.————I fhall now once more proceed... The rebels of this fettlement being apparently fubdued and difperfed, Colonel Fourgeoud made it his next bufi- nefs to deftroy the furrounding harveit; and I received orders.to begin the devaftation, with eighty marines and twenty rangers. Thus I cut down all the rice that was growing plentifully in the two above-mentioned fields this being done, I difcovered a third field. fouth of the: firft, which I alfo demolifhed, and made my report to: Fourgeoud, with which he appeared highly fatisfied.. Im the afternoon Captain Hame/ was. detached,. with fifty marines and-thirty rangers, to reconnoitre behind the vil-: lage, and to difcover, if pofflible, how. the rebels could: -pafs to and fro through.an unfathomable marfh, whilft we were unable to: purfue them. This officer at length perceived a kind of floating bridge amongft the reeds,, made of maurecee-trees, but fo conftructed, that only one man abreaft could pafs it.. On this.were feated aftride a few rebels to:defend the communication, who inftantly fired upon the party, but were foon repulfed by the rangers, who fhot one of them dead, but he was: carried away by his companions. On EX Pep heO NY TOnsiGR INA M. £17 On the morning of the 22d, our commander ordered a CHAP. detachment to crofs the bridge and go on difcovery, at all | **- | hazards.. Of this party I led the van. We now took the pafs without oppofition; and having all marched, or rather {crambled over this defile of floating trees, we found ourfelves in a large oblong field of caffava and yams, in which were about thirty houfes, ow deferted, being the remains of the old fettlement called Cofaay. In this field we feparated into three divifions, the better to reconnoitre, ene marching north, one north-weft, and the third weft. And here, to our aftonifhment, we dif- covered that the reafon of the rebels fhouting, finging, and firing, on the night of the zoth, was not only to cover the retreat of their friends, by cutting off the pafs, but by their unremitting noife to prevent us from difcover- ing that they were employed, men, women, and children, in preparing warimboes or hampers filled with the fineft rice, yams, and caffava,, for fubfiftence during their ef- cape,. of which they had only left the chaff and refufe for our contemplation.. This was certainly fuch a mafterly trait of generalthip In a favage people, whom we affected to defpife, as would. have done honour to any European commander, and hass perhaps been. feldom equalled by. more civilized nations.. HA: P3 118 Ci A P. : AXL, Qcmeesom, comes) NARRATIVE OF AN Carta Po ROK, Spirited Conduct of the Rangers and Rebeli—2A Skirmifob— Scene of Brotherly Affection—The Troops return to Bar- bacoeba—Plan of the Field of Action—A Slave killed by the Oroocookoo Snake. OLONEL Fourgeoud, on finding himfelf thus foiled by a naked negro, was unable any longer to reftrain his refentment, and {wore aloud he would purfue Bonny to the world’s end. His ammunition and provifions were however expended, and if they had not, it would have been in vain now to think of overtaking the enemy.— To the furprize of moft perfons, our hero however per- fevered in this impracticable project, and difpatched Cap- tain Bo/is, with one hundred men and thirty rangers, befides a number of flaves, to tranfport a quantity of fhot, and a week’s provifions from Barbacoeba, and at the fame time iffued orders for the troops to fubfift upon half allowance, defiring the men to fupply the deficiency by picking rice, peas, and caffava, and prepare them in the beft way they could for their fubfiftence, and this was alfo my lot, as well as moft of the officers; while it was no bad fcene to fee ten or twenty of us with heavy wooden pef- tles, hke fo many apothecaries, beating the rice in a {pe- cies of mortars, cut all along in the hard trunk of a le- velled EXPEDITION TO’ SURINAM. velled purper-heart-tree by the rebel negroes (being the only contrivance ufed by them to feparate the rice from the huifk) this was however for us a moft laborious bufi- nefs, the fweat running down our bodies as if we had been bathing, while water was at this time the only be- verage in the camp. Among other vegetables we had the good fortune to find here great quantities of wi/d purflane, which only differs from the common, by growing nearer the ground, the leaves being lefs, and more of a blackifh green; this vegetable grows wild in the woods of Guiana, and may be either eaten as a fallad, or ftewed, without referve, being not only a cooling and agreeable food, but reck- oned an excellent antidote againit the fcurvy. Here were alfo great quantities of gourd or calebafe trees, which are very ufeful to the natives of the country. ‘This tree grows to the height of a common apple-tree,. with large thick pointed leaves: the gourds it produces are of different forms and dimenfions, fome being oval, fome conical, and fome round, growing often to the fize of ten or twelve inches in diameter; the fhell is hard and very {mooth, covered over with a fhining {kin or epidermis, which becomes brown when the gourd is dry and fit for ufe: the heart or pulp is a pithy fubftance,, which is eafily extricated by the help of a crooked knife. The ufes are various to which thefe gourds are applied, they furnifh bottles, powder-flafks, cups, bafons, and difhes ; I feldom travelled without one, which ferved me as: NARRATIVE. OF AWN “ as a bafon, plate, &c. in the foreft. The negroes gee nerally adorn them by carving on the outer fkin many fantaftical figures, and filling up the vacancies with ‘chalk-duft, which fometimes has.a very pretty effect. ‘The rangers having been out to reconnoitre, returned on the afternoon of the 23d, and reported that they had difcovered and deftroyed another field of riceto the N.E. This pleafed Colonel Fourgeoud very well; but when in the dufk of the evening I obferved to him, that I faw feveral armed negroes advancing at a diftance, he turned pale, exclaiming, ** Nows fommes perdus !” and. ordered the whole camp immediately under arms. In a few feconds thefe negroes were near enough to be difcerned, . and we now faw that feveral of them were -carried upon ‘poles, in hammocks. Fourgeoud then daid, “ We ftill are’ “¢ ruined, though not the enemy: ’tis Captain Bolts, beaten “back, with all his party ;” and this proved literally to ‘be the fact, when that unfortunate officer (having deli- vered the wounded to the furgeons) made his report, that having entered the fatal {wamp where Captain Mey- land had been defeated, he was attacked by the enemy from the oppofite fhore, who, without hurting a fingle European, -had made a dreadful havock amonett. his rangers; that Captain Valentine, a brave young fellow, belonging to that corps, whilft founding his horn to-ani- mate his countrymen, had it fhot away, with his pouch alfo,.and was himfelf moft defperately wounded in frve different parts of the body. In this fituation he was met Py EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. by his brother, named Captain Avantage, who, upon feeing his mortal condition, a fcene of fuch real fra- ternal affection enfued as is feldom to be obferved ina civilized country :—kneeling at his fide, and bending over the mangled Valentine, he fucked the blood and gore from his fhattered breaft and fides; then cherifh- ed him with the manly promife to revenge his death upon his foes, and the hopes that when he him- felf was killed he fhould meet him again in @ betier place. Colonel Fourgeoud now found that the rebels had kept their promife of maffacring the rangers; while Captain Bolts reported that fome had fired upon his party from the tops of the palm-trees, and then fliding down with furprifing agility, difappeared, whilft the rangers were foaming for revenge on their active adverfaries, and could hardly be reftrained from an immediate purfuit through the verdure. Our mighty leader now found his abfurd fcheme of purfuing the enemy compleatly fruftrated, and himfelf in danger of total deftruction ; being cut off from every fupply, and having neither ammunition nor provifions left in his camp, with very few men, except the fick and wounded, to defend it. Thus he at laft began moft ferioufly to confider how to fecure a fafe retreat; to which he was urged likewife by the general and inceflant murmurings of the troops, who were not only almoit VoL. II, R ftarved, T2r CHAP. XXI. 2 a NARRATIVE OF AN ftarved, but indeed dreadfully haraffed by aia fatigues and nightly watchings : « They wandered in the wildernefs in a folitary way, they found * no city to dwell in. : Elungry and thirfty, their foul fainted within them.” - On the 24th, a detachment of one hundred and forty men, commanded by two field officers, were {till ordered to deftroy the fields, and the old fettlement called Cofaay; of this party I had the honour again to be one. We foon performed the fervice we were fent upon, and alfo picked up, out of the marfh, feveral utenfils, fuch as tea-kettles, iron pots and pans, &c. that the rebels had formerly pillaged from the eftates, and had thrown into the water to conceal them from us, with an ine tention, no doubt, of returning to fith them up, as foon as we were gone from Gado-Saby. Upon the return of the detachment in the afternoon, we immediately decamped, and began to’ retreat for Bar- bacoeba. Here I muft remark in Colonel Fourgeoud an inftance of Jad policy, at leaft, though many have not hefitated to beftow upon it a harfher epithet. This evening, upon our return, when we entered the ominous {wamp, he fuddenly caught up one of the empty bread- boxes, and having ftuffed a hammock into it, he carried it before him as a fhield, crying aloud to his men, “ Sauve qui peut!” At this moment a Walloon named Mattow ftepped up to him, and faid, * Mon Colone/, but © Tew EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. s¢ few can, and I hope fewer ftill will, follow your ex- «ample. Drop your fhield, and do not intimidate your ‘6 foldiers: one brave man creates others, then follow 6‘ thy Mattow, and fear for nothing.” Upon which he inftantly threw open his bofom, and charging his bay- onet was the firft that mounted the oppofite beach: this intrepidity infpired the reft, and they paffed the marfhy fwamp without oppofition; for which act of heroifm this private marine was fince made a ferjeant. I fhould think myfelf deficient if I did not obferve, that the Wal- loons in general behaved with great fpirit, and were in every refpect excellent foldiers. This evening we en- camped upon the fame ground where we had paffed the night before the engagement, with exceflive bad weather and very heavy rain. Early on the morning of the 25th, we again marched, and proceeded on our return, having now a beaten path before us. It will fuffice to fay, that we reached our place of general rendezvous, Barbacoeba, on the after- noon of the following day, but in a moft fhocking con- dition; the whole of the detachment being moftly fpent and wore out with fatigue, fome nearly ftarved, others mortally wounded; whilft all the flaves were em- ployed in carrying the fick and lame in their hammocks, on long poles, though thefe poor wretches were {carcely able to fupport themfelves.—Such was the concluding fcene of the taking of Gado-Saby. However, if during ‘this expedition we neither captured any of the rebels, R 2 nor 124 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. nor gained booty, we neverthelefs rendered the colony 2X a very effential fervice, by rooting out this concealed nett -of enemies, who being thus difcovered and driven away from their capital fettlements, never think (as I have already obferved) of returning to live near the fame fpot. I might, indeed, pronounce our victory almof de- cifive; I fay almoft, for if we except the demolifhing a- few plantations for immediate fubfiftence, and from a fpirit of revenge, the rebels were, by being driven from this fettlement, fo difconcerted and panic-ftruck, that from the prefent period their depredations were cer- tainly lefs, as they foon afterwards retired to an inaccef- fible depth in the foreft, where they neither could do any material injury, nor be joined by negro deferters. To fhew the mafterly manoeuvres of our fable foes to more advantage, I here prefent the reader with a plan of this extraordinary fettlement, together with our different ftages, after leaving our encampment on the borders of the Cottica River, vz. N” 1, 2, and 3, are fuppofed to be the general ren- dezvous at Barbacoeba, and the two fucceeding nights encampment. N° 4. The fpot where we heard the firing and fhout- ing of the rebels, on the night of the 17th. N°’ 5. The latitude where the troops were joined by the black corps or rangers. N* 6. The night’s encampment previous to the en- gagement, N° 7. EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. N° 7. The beach on the oppofite fide of the marfh, where Captain Meyland with his troops had been de- feated. N’ 8. The advanced poft of the rebels, whence the firft fhot was fired at the troops. N* g. The field with rice and Indian corn, entered with- out oppofition. N° 10. The pafs or defile in which the firing com- menced. N° 11. The beautiful rice-field in which the action continued above forty minutes. N° 12. The town of Gapo-Sasy in flames at a dif- tance. : N° 13. The {pot whence the rebels fired on the camp, and held the converfation, on the night of the 2oth. N° 14. The ground of the old fettlement Cofaay, with the floating bridge that covered the retreat of the rebels. N°’ 15. The fields with caffava, yams, and plantains, that were at different times deftroyed. N° 16. The field of rice difcovered and demolifhed by Captain Stedman on the arft. N° 17. A field demolifhed by the rangers on the 23d. 125 CHAP. XXI. (eeepc N° 18 The fwamp or marfh which furrounded the fettlement. N°’ sg. The quag-mire, or biree-biree, adjoining it. Ne 20... The foreit. Having formerly defcribed the manner in which we erected our huts, I fhall here alfo add a fmall plan of the 120 Tor NWARRA PTV OOF ANT * 7 CHAP. the mode of arranging them during our encampment r - , inthe woods of Guiana, which camps were generally of a triangular form, as being moft fecure in cafe of a furprize, and the eafieft to defend our provifions and ammunition; but the fituation of the ground would not always permit this, and then we encamped in any form, {quare, oblong, or circular, &c.—In the annexed plan,, 3 N° 1. Is the hut or fhed of Colonel Fourgeoud, or the commanding officer, in the centre, with a fentinel. N° 2. The huts of all the other officers, in a fmall triangle, furrounding that of the commander in chief. _ N° 3. The angles of the outer triangle formed by the huts of the privates in three divifions, viz. the main body, the van, and the rear guards, with fentinels at proper diftances, to cover the front of each. N° 4. Powder-chefts, provifions, and medicines, with a fentinel. N° 5. The fires in the rear of each divifion to drefs the victuals, and round which the negro flaves are lodged upon the ground. N’ 6. A coppice of manicole-trees to erect the huts or fheds. N° 7. A rivulet or creek to provide the troops with frefh water. And, N° 8. The furrounding foretft. I muft now return once more to my narrative, and obferve, that Barbacoeba, inftead of being in a ftate of fending provifions to Gado-Saby, as our chief had ex- I 7 pected, "Ce, Ve P Sra) Cn c Cacoeblt é Pa) 2 The Post Devi ds Harwar hey ~ Pasiitin pg Qadh Meh ge ie. Lhe Bost be 3d, > oy ge. 2.9 » Scale of English Miles.» Bo at HO? ty SU VN TT Ser "tee a 7 2. 2 3 » ) 4. ; 4 Ys * 6 , +323 fi Be tg Lionder Sculp £ LY of “ee Principal FIELD of ACTION (cAween fhe’ Let L | Vreedenburgh ® Ty Pre La Ra: 2 Boosy* me ay ay, leek. hae © 3 es “ba Ee The. In Ne v1776— by Capt. Stedman wy & In August 1775 —\by Col Kourgeoud 4 LZ Rite RS Bes a 25 es tte a CASS TP OC Se The Post Deve 7s Harwar ey we: : ae 5 23), 5 »., The Post Jerusalem 4 Zp "Scale of English Miles 2 geo 4. ze LGinidler Scalp © ZY o,f) etsy» Aa Ne: : 5 : 2 lin of He Principal FIELD of ActioN Cefvron Ihe Rivers Corrica and Marwina; with a Sheol of lhe purnen of Encamping 77 /7e WOODS of SURINAM. . London, Publiched Dees 792, by PJohneon. Smits Church Tard. EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. L295 pected, it could fearcely afford daily fubfiftence to his ema- CHAP. XXII. ciated troops on their arrival; who having for many days , p, lived on rice, yams, peas, and Indian corn, were now moft violently attacked by the flux; for although that kind of nourifhment will keep the Indians and negroes {trong as horfes, the Europeans cannot long fubfift without animal food; which was at this time fo very fcarce, that even the Jew foldiers of the Socicty troops devoured falt pork as faft as they could catch it. I neverthelefs continued among the few that {till were healthy ; which was almoft a miracle, as I had fared very hard indeed for want of my private ftores, and which, as was mentioned, I had left at the neig':bouring eftate Mocha: however, expecting leave now to bring them in perfon from that plantation, I was in good fpi- rits alfo. But here I was difappointed, by Colonel Four-. geoud’s declaring he could not fpare me one moment, while I was able to ftand upon my feet. I therefore waited patiently for an opportunity of fending for them; in the mean time fharing with my black boy the fcanty allow- ‘ance of a private foldier, with the cafual addition of fome mountain-cabbage, or palm-tree worms, and perhaps a few warrappa fifh. As for the miferable flaves, they were fo ftarved, that having killed a Coata monkey, they broiled it, with fkin, hair, inteftines and all, then tore it to pieces with their teeth, and devoured it like fo many cannibals, before it was even half drefled. Of this animal they. offered me a limb; 128 CHAP. XXI. 5 NARRATIWE:? OF SAN alimb; but, hungry as I was, my ftomach could not re- © lifh this kind of venifon. A good conftitution, fterling health and fpirits, now fupported me, or I muft have funk under the load of mi- fery and hard{hips, which were at this time become fo intolerable, that the rangers again forfook the camp; and Mr. Vinfack, their conductor, as brave and active a man as ever entered the wood, threw up his commiffion, as Mr. Mongol had done before, during Colonel Four- geoud’s firft campaign at the Wana. In the beginning of September, the bloody flux raged in the camp to fuch a degree, that the colonel faw him- felf obliged to fend off all the fick officers and privates, without exception, not to Paramaribo for recovery in the grand hofpital that is there, but to linger and die on the ‘banks of the rivers, where they relieved others to be en- camped, and undergo a fimilar wretchednefs; the fick of his own regiment being difpatched to Magdenburg in the Tempatee Creek, and thofe of the Society troops to Vreedenberg in Cottica. Colonel Fourgeoud’s inhumanity to the officers was now actually become fuch, that he would not even permit thofe who were paft recovery a marine to attend them, what- ever price they offered; fome of whom I have feen ex- panded between two trees, while the very filth, for want of affiftance, was dropping through their hammocks. Of this number was Enfign Strows, who, in this dreadful fituation, was ordered to be tranfported in an open boat 2 to EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. to Devil’s Harwar, where he died. At length Colonel Fourgeoud himfelf was feized with this dreadful malady, and his beloved pti/an proved to be of no more avail; yet he foon recovered, by the plentiful ufe of claret and {pices, which de feldom wanted, and which his colleague Seyburg alfo employed as a prefervative of his health, though by {wallowing too copious dofes he frequently loft the ufe of his reafon. In fucha fituation, and in fuch a defpicable encampment, our commander in chief had the vanity to expect a deputation from the court at Para- maribo, with congratulations on his victory: in confe- quence of which he had built an elegant fhed, and fent for fheep and hogs to entertain them—but the expected deputies never yet arrived. On the sth, therefore, the hogs and fheep were flaugh- tered, and, for the 77/7 time in his life, he ordered one pound per man, bones and all, to be diftributed among the poor emaciated foldiers : inde¢d the number able to partake of this bounty was at prefent very fmall. On the following day a reinforcement of one hundred men arrived from Magdenburg, in Comewina; and from the Society poft Vreedenburg, in Cottica, nearly as many. Thefe confirmed the death of Enfign Strows, befides of a great number of privates, who had affifted at the tak- ing of Gado-Saby, aud who had expired in the boats dur- ing their removal from Barbacoeba. Intelligence arrived at the fame time that the defeated rebels had actually croffed the river Cottica below Patta- VOL. II. S) miaca, 130 € H A P. XXI. ed aA NARRATIVE OF -AN -maca, intent on immediate mifchief, and that they were marching to the weftward. In confequence of thisin- | formation, a captain and fifty men. were immediately detached, by water, to reconnoitre the banks near the Pinenburg Creek. This party returned upon the 8th, and confirmed the intelligence. Our indefatigable chief now again determined to purfue them; but the flaves who were to carry the ammunition and provifions; had been fent home to their mafters, nothing but fkin and bones, to be exchanged for others, not yet arrived, and to be ftarved in their turn. I fhall therefore relate what happened the two following days, until the arrival of thefe unfortunate deafs of burden; for fo bee might with propriety be called. ‘On the oth were fold upon credit, and to the higheft bidder, the effects of the deceafed Enfign Strows, when the poor foldiers, regardlefs of price, and only withing to ob- tain fome cloaths and refrefhments to keep (in the vulgar | phrafe) foul and body together, actually paid at. the rate of 700 per cent. and this infamous debt was accordingly ftated in their accounts. Ihave feen, for inftance, a pri4 vate marine pay five fhillings for a pound of mouldered tobacco, that might be worth fix-pence, and double the prime value for a pair of old ftockings ‘or thoes’ A fick man paid oné guinea ‘for a couple of meagre chickens; and for a broken bettle-cafe to hold his lumber, another paid a fimilar fum. ‘Thus were thefe poor dying half-ftarved wretches deprived of the little property they ‘had EXPEDITION. TO SURINAM. had earned at the expence of their blood and {weat, while this miferable neceflity might have been eafily prevented by only fupplying them with what was their due. A private marine, of the name of Sez, at this time, fwore, in the heat of his refentment, that he would certainly fhoot Fourgeoud, whenever he had an opportunity; which being overheard, upon condition of repentance, I bribed the evidence not to inform againft him, and fo literally faved this poor rafh fellow from dying on the gallows. Fortunately, all the world did not poffefs this chief- tain’s infenfibility, for this day the good Mrs. Godefroy once more fent up a flat-bottomed barge, with a fat ox, oranges, and plantains for the private foldiers, which was accordingly diftributed among{t them. The fame evening a {mall fupply of provifions alfo arrived for me, from Joanna, with a few bottles of port wine; and though part was ftolen, and part was damaged by the way, it made me very happy; and I gave nothing to Fourgeoud. “When we fpeak of provifions in the woods, we only: mean fugar, tea, coffee, Bofton bifcuit, cheefe, rum, ham, or a keg of faufages, fince little elfe can be carried through the foreft by a fingle flave, and we were zow allowed no more. Shirts, fhoes, and itockings were alfo ufually accounted among the neceffaries, but the laft two articles I did not ufe, being accuftomed to walk bare- footed, which I had now practifed for more than two leg and with great advantage to my limbs, when I 5 2 compared Ean CHAP. XXII. ee amen 132 CHAP. "NARRA TIVE COR AN compared them with the difeafed and ulcerated fhanks XXI. yey Of my ghaftly-looking companions. On the 12th, the frefh fupply of flaves being arrived, the neceffary preparations were made to purfue the rebels the next day, directing our firft courfe towards the {pot formerly called Jerufalem, mentioned in 1773, when I commanded the fatal expedition in Upper Cottica; and on the 13th, the baggage and provifions being fent before us by water to Jerufalem, efcorted by the fick officers and privates, we at laft decamped to follow them, and bidding a final farewell to Barbacoeba, re-entered the woods, marching S. and S.E. the whole day, then paffed the night on the oppofite bank of the Caffliporee Creek, where we encamped. Nothing could be more diabolically cruel, than the perfecution of the new flaves during this march; not only overloaded and {ftarved, but beat like mules or affes by every ill-tempered individual—for inftance, I faw Fourgeoud’s black favourite, Goufary, knock down a poor negro flave for zo¢ taking up his load—and the chief himfelf knock him down for taking it up #00 foon; when the wretch, not knowing what to do, exclaimed, in hopes of pity, “*O mafera fefus Chrifus!” and was actually knocked down athird time by an enthufiaft, for daring to utter a name with which he was fo little acquainted. , During the laft day’s march, a large drove of Warre. hogs or wild boars broke through our line; feveral of them were cut down by our fabres, and ftabbed with the EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. the bayonets, the men having orders from the com- mander in chief not to fire at any game whatever. The animals that were killed were cut in pieces, and dif- tributed among the troops, which proved, though fmall, avery feafonable-dainty. It is certainly very remarkable, that if the firft wild boar or leader paffes through any danger, all the others ftupidly follow, in hopes of a fimilar efcape, which on the contrary, as I have {aid, fre- quently proves the caufe of their deftruction. On the 14th we marched S.W. till about noon, and arrived at Jerufalem, which the van had reached about an hour before us, all thoroughly foaked with mud and heavy rains, and feveral men unhappily with ruptures in the groin, by falling over the roots of trees, large ftones, &c. Here juft arrived, we found again, to my aftonifhment, the identical Mr. Vin/ack, with one hun- dred frefh rangers: he had heard, it feems, of the rebels paffing Upper Cottica, and had been prevailed upon to refume his command by the governor; thus he now once more offered his fervice to Colonel Four- geoud, who was very happy indeed to accept it. Here, ourcamp being moftly overgrown with long coarfe grafs, one of the flaves was unfortunately bitten in the foot by a fmall ferpent, called in Surinam the * Oreo- cookoo {nake, from its colour, which refembles an owl. * This, I apprehend, is the fnake killed'a negro in lefs than five minutes which Dr. Bancroft calls the fmall La« when he was at Demerara, bora, and which he mentions as, having to NARRATIVE OF AN In lefs than a minute the man’s leg began to fwell, when he was feized with excruciating pains, and foon fell into convulfions. One of his companions, having killed the fnake, made the patient drink its gall, mixed with half a elafs of f{pirits, which I gave him. He feemed now (per- haps from imagination) to bear his misfortune better ; but the fits foon returned with increafing violence, and he was inftantly fent to his mafter’s plantation, where he expired. That the gall of adders, externally applied, is efficacious, I have often heard. In the Grand Maga- zine for April 1758, may be feen a letter, figned J. H. and dated 24th March, which treats fy{tematically of the application cf gall. But thefe inveftigations I muft leave. to the learned of the medical profeffion; and only ob- ferve, in general, that the {fmaller the fnake, at leaft in Guiana, the more fatal the poifon; as is juftly and beau- tifully obferved by T homfon : But ftill more direful he « The fmall, clofe-lurking minifter of fate, ce «© Whofe high concoéted venom through the veins « A rapid lightning darts, arrefting fwift “¢ The vital current.” In this graffy wildernefs one of the rangers alfo killed a fnake, called the whip-fnake, from its refemblance to that inftrument; it was about five feet long, and not very much thicker than a fwan’s quill; the belly white, and the back a lead colour: concerning its bite, I can fay nothing. EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 135 nothing. I was informed by the negroes, but I cannot CHAP. {peak from my own obfervation, that it has the power , apa , of giving a very fevere ftroke with its tail, like the lafh | of a whip, which it fo much refembles. | I muft alfo notice an amphibious animal which fome of the negroes killed this evening, called by them the Cabiai; it isa fpecies of water hog, and about the or- dinary fize of the land animal which goes under that name; it is covered with grey briftles, and armed with a number of very ftrong teeth; it has no tail; on each foot it has three toes, webbed like thofe ofa duck. This animal, it is faid, goes afhore only during the night, where it feeds on young grafs, and other vegetables. I have been told it is good food, but never tafted it myfelf. — On the 16th, having refted one day at this place, Colonel -Fourgeoud detached two ftrong parties to reconnoitre, viz. Lieutenant Colonel de Borgnes, with too men, was fent to the Wana Creek in Upper Cormoetibo ; and Co- lonel Seyburg, with an equal number, was ordered to the Creek Pinenburg, in Upper Cottica. The latter re- turned about midnight with two canoes, which he had found hauled afhore, on the oppofite fide of the river, a little below the mouth of the Claas Creek. This con- vinced us that the rebels were gone weftward to plunder, and had brought their empty canoes down the Claas Creek, from the rice country, in order to fend them back loaded with booty from the eftates they intended to a, pillage. a6 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. pillage. In confequence, therefore, of this information, XXL the proper preparations were immediately made to pur- fue them with alacrity. Never did the old warrior dif- play more vigour than on this occafion, fwearing aloud that he now would be revenged of them ve coute qui coute. “ Though they dig into hell, thence fhall mine hand take « them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring « them down.” But how far his generalfhip on this occafion proved to be a match for that of Bonny, I muft beg eaves to re- ferve for the fucceeding chapter. CHAP. EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. CURE AMPS) SX XTE. Alarm in the Pirica River—A Detachment marches to its . Relief—Ambufcade—Wonderful Effect from the Biting of a Bat—Scene in a Quagmire—Sketch of the Inquifition and Return of the Troops to Cormoetibo Creek. N the morning of the 19th of September 1775, juft before fun-rife, Colonel Seyburg marched with one hundred marines and forty rangers, who did me the honour to fix upon me as one of the party, and was upon the whole fo polite, and his behaviour fo contrary to what it had lately been, that I knew not at all in what manner to account for it. — ! Having croffed the Cormoetibo Creek, we kept courfe — S.W. and. by S. till we approached the river Cottica, where we encamped, having met with nothing on our firft day’s march worth defcribing, except a fpecies of ants, which were no lefs than one inch in length, and perfectly black. Thefe infects pillage a tree of all its leaves in a fhort time, which they cut in {mall pieces the fize of a fix-pence, and carry under-ground. It was in- deed entertaining to fee a whole army of thefe creatures crawling perpetually the fame way, each with his green- leaf in a perpendicular direftion. So general is the pro- penfity to the marvellous, that fome have imagined that VoL, II. © this 137 135 CHAP. XXII. een one NARRATIVE OF AN this devaftation was to feed a blind ferpent under ground: but the truth is, that it ferves for nourifhment to their young brood, who cannot help themfelves, and are fome- times lodged to the depth of eight feet in the earth. Madam Merian fays, they form themfelves in chains from one branch to another, while all the others pafs over thefe temporary bridges; and that once a year thefe for- midable armies travel from houfe to houfe, killing all the vermin, &c. that comes in their way; neither of which facts ever came within the limits of my obfervation: but that they can bite confoundedly I have found by expe- rience, though their attack is not nearly fo painful as the bite of that diminutive infect the fire-ant already de- {cribed. The following day we proceeded along the banks of the river Cottica, till we came near the Claas Creek, (where I formerly fwam acrofs with my fabre in my teeth) and early flung our hammocks; from whence I was detached, with a few rangers, to lay in ambufcade in the mouth of the creek till it was dark. Here, however, I difcovered nothing, except that the rangers were pofleffed of the fame fuperftition as the rebels, with regard to their amu- lets or od/a4s making them invulnerable. They told me that the latter mentioned procured them from their prieft, and that they themfelves bought theirs from Graman Qwacy, a celebrated and cunning old negro, whom I fhalk in a proper place circumftantially defcribe.— When I afked them, ** How came any of you, or of your invul- ¢ nerable EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. < nerable adverfaries, to be fhot?” I was anfwered, “ Be- “€ caufe, like you, Maffera, they had no faith in the amu- ‘let or obia.” This piece of policy in Mr. Qwacy, how- ever, had the effect of making all his free countrymen fo undauntedly brave, that I muft confefs their valour had often furprized me. However, this impofition, as fhall be fhewn hereafter, befides refpecét and veneration, pro- cured this dealer in magic confiderable both eafe and wealth, which for a black man in Surinam was indeed not very common. In the mouth of this creek I again faw a quantity of nuts floating on the furface of the water, fuch as I have before mentioned, when I was informed that they were the real acajow or ca/bew nuts, which I have partly de- {cribed: to which I fhall now add, that they grow on the edge of a pulpy fubftance like a very large pear, which is produced on a middle-fized tree, with a grey bark and large thick leaves. This excellent nut will bear to be tranf- ported to any part of the globe, and keep good for a con- fiderable time; it is by fome called the Avacardium Occi- dentals. From the tree exudes a tranfparent gum, which when diffolved in water has the confiftency of glue. I alfo tafted here the eta-tree apple, of which the negroes feemed extremely fond. This tree is of the palm kind, with large leaves, but is lefs in fize than the maurecee or the mountain cabbage-tree. The fruit or apples are round, and grow in large clufters refembling grape-fhot. In the middle of each apple is a hard nut, in T 2 which 139 CirATr. XXII. (ese tana) 140 CHAP. XXII. ren eed NARRATIVE OF AN which is a kernel, and this is covered near half an inch thick with an orange-coloured pulp, that has a moft agreeable acid tafte. They are feldom ufed till the apples by ripenefs drop from the tree, when the Indians fteep them in water, and by maceration convert.them into a moft healthy and agreeable beverage. An exprefs on the 21ft arriving by water from Co- lonel Fourgeoud, informing us that the alarm-guns * had been fired in the river Pirica, we inftantly croffed to the oppofite or weft fhore of the river Cottica, where the rangers, with a party of marines, were again ordered to lie in ambufcade or under cover, in hopes of cutting off the rebels on their retreat, when they returned to crofs the Cottica river with their booty. And this very after- noon a rebel negro was feen with a green hamper, who, ftartled by the {mell of tobacco (for fome of the rangers were fmoking) ftopt fhort of his own accord. He was inftantly fired at by me and one ranger: when the wa-_ rimbo or hamper dropped to the ground, but he himfelf efcaped. This bundle we found ftuffed with a dozen of the fineft table linen, a cocked gold-laced hat, and a cou- ple of fuperb India chintz petticoats, &c. the bulk of which I gave to my black companion, referving only the chintzes for another friend at Paramaribo. The free negroes now rufhing forwards with unre- * By this is meant minute-guns, which _ neighbouring plantations, foon alarm the are fired on the eftates when in danger. whole river, and bring affiftance from Thefe, being regularly anfwered by the every quarter. {trained EXPE DITUONY T.O- SURINAM. ftrained valour, I afked Colonel Seyburg iiberty to follow them; and calling for volunteers, a great number prefented themfelves, which, however, the Colonel thoug’nt proper to reduce to four only, with whom he fent me off; and having fcrambled through thorns and briars woven to- gether like a net or a mat, which tore one of my thighs in a terrible manner, I overtook them at one mile’s dif- tance from the camp: fhortly after we difcovered thirteen frefh huts, where the rebels, we conjectured, had flept but a few nights before. In confequence of this, I now dif- patched a ranger back to Colonel Seyburg to give him in- telligence, and afk permiffion for the rangers and myfelf to march forward to Pirica without delay, in hopes to meet the enemy: but the anfwer was a peremptory order in- {tantly to rejoin him with all hands. We now returned difgufted back to the camp; my fable companions in par~ ticular extremely difcontented, and making many /Lrewd and /arcafiic remarks. Here we found a reinforcement juft arrived from Je- rufalem, confifting of fixty men, black and white, with pofitive orders for us to break up and march early the next morning for Pirica River, while this whole night a {trong party lay once more in ambufh. Accordingly at fix o’clock, with the rifing-fun, all was in readinefs, but by fome unaccountable delay it was very late before we left the camp; during which time we were informed that a canoe was feen croffing the river with one fingle negro in it, who was no doubt the poor fellow 14 CHAP. XXII. ccna poten) 142 CHAP. XX. cen pred ¥i- P NARRATIVE OF AN fellow at whom the ranger and I had fired the preceding day. I cannot here forbear relating a fingular circumftance refpecting myfelf, vz. that on waking about four o’clock this morning in my hammock, I was extremely alarmed at finding myfelf weltering in congealed blood, and with- out feeling any pain whatever. Having ftarted up, and run for the furgeon, with a fire-brand in one hand, and all over befmeared with gore; to which if added my pale face, fhort hair, and tattered apparel, he might well afk the queftion, : « Be thoua fpirit of health or goblin damn’d, “ Bring with thee airs of Heav'n or blafts from Hell!” The myftery however was, that I had been bitten by the vampire ox fpecire of Guiana, which is alfo called the Jying-dog of New Spain, and by the Spaniards perro- volador; this is no other than a bat of a monftrous fize, that fucks the blood from men and cattle when they are faft afleep, even fometimes till they die; and as the man- ner in which they proceed is truly wonderful, I fhall endeavour to give a diftinct account of it.—Knowing by inftiné& that the perfon they intend to attack is in a found flumber, they generally alight near the feet, where while the creature continues fanning with his enormous wings, which keeps one cool, he bites a piece out of the tip of the great toe, fo very {mall indeed that the head of a pin could fcarcely be received into the wound, which is confe- quently @ ASrnuth Sculp! re lipr PC Or Spectre ff (a 7 gis . Gita WAL’, London, Published Dec?1£47g1, by J. Tohnson, §Pauls Church Yard. 57 EXPEDITLON TO SURINAM. quently not painful; yet through this orifice he conti- nues to fuck the blood, until he 1s obliged to difgorge. He then begins again, and thus continues fucking and dif- gorging till he is fcarceiy able to fly, and the fufferer has often been known to fleep from time into eternity. Cat- tle they generally bite in the ear, but always in fuch _ places where the blood flows fpontaneoufly, perhaps in an artery—but this is entering rather on the province of the medical faculty. Having applied tobacco-afhes as the beft remedy, and wafhed the gore from myfelf and from my hammock, I obferved feveral {mall heaps of congealed blood all round the place where I had lain, upon the ground: upon examining which, the furgeon judged that I had loft at leaft twelve or fourteen ounces during the night. As I have fince had an opportunity of killing one of 143 CH AP. XXII. (eres, pees) thefe bats, I cut off his head, which I here prefent to the reader in its natural fize, and as a great curiofity, with the whole figure flying above it on a fmaller fcale. Hav- ing meafured this creature, I found it to be between the tips of the wings thirty-two inches and a halt; it is faid that fome are above three feet, though nothing like in fize to the bats of Madagafcar. The colour was a dark brown, nearly black, but lighter under the belly. Its afpect was truly hideous upon the whole, but particularly the head, which has an erect fhining membrane above the nofe, terminating in a fhrivelled point: the ears are long, rounded, and tranfparent: the cutting teeth were four above and fix below. I faw no tail, but a fkin, in * the 144 CHAP. XXII. (enemy stems) NARRATIVE OF AN the middle of which was a tendon. It had four toes on each wing, with fharp nails divided like the web- foot of a duck *; and on the extremity of each pi- nion, where the toes are joined, was a nail or claw to affift it in crawling, like thofe of its hinder feet, by which it hangs fufpended when afleep to trees, rocks, roofs, &c. One of the marines having this morning taken a mu- rine or moufe oppoffum, 1 fhall alfo take the opportunity of defcribing it, and prefent it to the reader as I defigned it from the life. This animal differs widely in fome par- ticulars from the defcription of the Count de Buffon :— For inftance, it was much fwifter than any of the oppof- fums that he fpeaks of, and had the whole tail covered over with hair inftead of fcales, to the beft of my remem- brance; if, however, my fight deceived me, I am not the only erroneous writer. on the fubject of this animal. Linnaeus, Seba, and Mr. Vormeer, with the laft of whom Tam acquainted, confider it as common to both the ald and new continent; whereas all its fpecies are moft affur- edly inhabitants of America only. Linnzeus is alfo mif- taken when he afferts, that all bats have four cutting teeth in each jaw.—(See Buffon, Vol. V. page 282.) This murine oppoffum was not more than the fize of a very large moufe. It was perfeétly black, except the belly, the feet, and the extremity of the tail, which were all buff-coloured, with a buff fpot above each eye, which * In Vol. IV. plate the 8gd, by the Count de Buffon, a bat is reprefented with only three toes on each wing, refembled EX PEDIVION, TQ SUNRDTNAM. refembled thofe of a rat: the ears were long, rounded, and tranfparent: its toes were twenty in number, one on each foot being placed behind, and f{erving as athumb. It had ten or twelve paps, to which the young ones ftick faft, it is faid, as foon as produced, when they are not larger than {mall beetles; but it wanted that pouch which is common to all other oppoifums; in place of this there were two longitudinal folds on the infide of each thigh, equally adapted to preferve its offspring from every injury, which no tortures whatever, not even fire, will make it forfake. I have only to add, that it bur- rows in the ground, and often climbs trees; but it feeds like a moufe on grain, fruits, and roots. Of the other f{pecies I fhall defer the defcription till chance affords me an opportunity. Madam Merion mentions one kind of them, which, in time of danger, carries its young ones upon its back: but this animal, I confefs, I never heard of in Surinam, and am perfuaded of its non-exiftence. I have already ftated that, from fome unaccountable delay, it was very late this morning before we left the camp; we, neverthelefs, all ftarted at laft; I having the van-guard with the rangers, and the poor marinesdoaded each man with we days provifions on his back. In this condition we had not proceeded long, when one of the rangers founding his horn, they fpread, and I among them, all inftantly falling flat upon the ground, with our firelocks cocked, and ready to engage; but this, Vou li. U however, NARRATIVE OF AN however, proving to be a falfe alarm, by a itag rufhing out through the foliage, we foon rofe, and after marching the whole day through water and mire, at three in the afternoon encamped on a high ridge, where not a drop of water was to be found till we had dug a hole for that purpofe, and this was fo very thick and muddy, that we were obliged to ftrain it through our neckcloths or fhirt- fleeves before we could drink it. Here J was once more accofted by the Lieutenant Colonel, who invited me to fome fupper in his hut, and treated me upon the whole with fuch very great civility as I could not account for after his former behaviour. On the fucceeding day we marched again, keeping courfe W. and N. W. with very heavy. rain, while I had the rear-guard; and once more entered on a quag= mire, which coft me three hours time to bring up the rear to the beach, this march being particularly diftref- fing, as the negro flaves, with their burdens, broke | through the furface every moment, while the loaded marines had enough to do to mind themfelves, and I too weak by my late lofs of blood to afford them any af- fiftance whatever. At laft, approaching the beach, I per- ceived the dead bodies of feveral rebel negroes fcattered on the ground, with their heads and right-hands chopped off. Thefe bodies being frefh, induced me to conclude, that they muft have been very lately killed, in fome en- gagement with the troops and rangers ftationed on the — - Pirica river —And here I muft again remark, that had I 7" been EX PE Pwo, Ni 2.0 SURINAM.) been allowed to purfue, on the arft, with the rangers, when I was ordered to march back, the enemy would have been between two fires; in which cafe few could have efcaped, and all the plundered fpoil muft have been re-taken. The reader will probably recollect a fimilar inftance which occurred two years before, when I was ftationed at Devil’s Harwar. Had I at that time been pro-. vided with men and ammunition to march, I might have. rendered the colony a material fervice. Thefe two capital blunders I am forry to relate, but a regard to truth and impartiality obliges me to doit. Let not thefe remarks, however, fix a ftigma of cruelty on me in the eyes of the world, fince no man could more ftrongly feel at the fight of fuch manly youths ftretched dead among the furrounding foliage; and finer bodies than two of them were in particular I never beheld in all my life. «¢ So two young mountain lions, nurs’d with blood, « In deep receffes of the gloomy wood, « Rubh fearlefs to the plains, and uncontroul’d «© Depopulate the ftalls, and wafte the fold ; «© Till pierc’d at diftance from their native den, « O’erpower’d they fall beneath the force of men ; ‘© Proftrate on earth their beauteous bodies lay, © Like mountain firs, as tall and ftraight as they.” While my mind was engaged by thefe and fimilar: remarks, many of my loaded ilaves ftill remained en- tangled and ftruggling in the quagmire, while the com- U2 manding 147 CHAP. XXII. 148 C HVA P. XI. ee eed NARRATIVE OF AN manding officer, with all the other troops, having got on a dry ridge, were quite out of fight and out of hearing, by which feparation the rear-guard not only ran the ha- zard of lofing all the provifions and the baggage, but of being cut to pieces, fuch was their critical fituation. Having nota fingle European that had fufficient ftrength remaining to overtake the party which had proceeded, I refigned the command to my lieutenant, a Mr. de Lo/- vios, and ventured forward alene through the foreft, till, greatly fatigued, I overtook them; when reporting the fituation of the rear-guard to Colonel Seyburg, I re- quefted * he would flacken his pace till they were able to « extricate themfelves and come up from the bog, with- “ out which I could not be accountable for the confe- «¢ quences.” To this the reply was, “ That he would ” ‘form his camp when he met with good water ;” and I inftantly returned to the rear, where having ftrugeled until it was quite dark in a moft diftreffed and dangerous fituation, the laft man was dragged out of the mud at feven o'clock at night, when we flowly proceeded on till we entered the camp. My folicitude for the people, powder, and provifions, in- ftead of procuring me commendation from the perfon under whofe command I then happened to be, and who had lately been fo very polite, brought me now into fuch difficulties, and produced a mifunderftanding of fuch a ferious nature, and fo very diftreffing to my feelings, that it had nearly terminated my exiftence. The reader may judge EX PED TiVO N \T:0O -SURINA M. judge of my mortification, when I inform him, that, 1n- ftead of receiving the approbation of my commander, as 1 certainly deferved, I was immediately on my arrival in camp put under an arreft, to be tried by a court-martial for difobedience of orders. Colonel Seyburg and I had never been on amicable terms; and though, during the former part of this march, he had treated me with appa- rent civility, yet from this ftep it was evident that he was my mortalenemy. I mutt not omit, that though’a pri- foner ({trange to tell!) I was ordered to carry my own arms and accoutrements, till further orders. On the 24th, we took our departure very early, and di- rected our courfe S. and S. by W. when we paffed clofe by Pinenburg, a forfaken rebel village formerly men- tioned—I itill a prifoner, in the moft dejected {pirits. On the following day our courfe was S.W. through a matakey or trumpeter morafs, which was very deep, and which we entered when we were all in a violent fweat by advancing too faft while upon the hard ground: but the health of our men was not made an object during this expedition, though fo much wanted to fucceed. Having got again upon a ridge, an accident had now nearly befallen me incomparably greater than all my for- mer misfortunes put together; this was no lefs than, hav- ing fallen into a deep reverie, while I followed the rear- guard, Limperceptibly wandered away from the troops, til J was entirely loit and by myfelf in an unbounded wilder- ne{s. Quaco no fooner had miffed me, than, poor fellow, at every 150 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. every hazard he rufhed through the wood to recover XXII. his mafter, and by a miracle faw me as I was fitting under a tree, in the moft dejefted ftate of mind that it is poflible to conceive, immerfed in grief and abandoned to defpair. I had this morning thought myfelf perfe@ly unhappy, but now would have given the world once more to have been in the fame fituation. Good God! entirely cut off from fociety, in a foreft, furrounded by relentlefs favages! while a deluge of rain poured from the heavens, and tigers, famine, with every woe and every danger, ftared me in the face. Farewell, for ever Joanna!—Such was the picture of my mind, when on difcovering the boy, I ftarted up from the ground, and a new life in- ftantly diffufed itfelf through my whole frame. Having now ftraggled backwards and forwards together for fome time, I called to the lad that I faw a pool threugh which the troops feemed to have paffed, the water being frefh clouded with mud; but to my utter difappoint- ment, he obferved, that this puddle was only occafioned by a Tapira*, and fhewed me the print of the animal’s foot in the furrounding mire. At this time the boy fhed tears, crying, “ Mafera, we deade, we deade!” Inthe midft, however, of this diftrefs, recollecting that, by the | map, the river Pirica was due weft from us, I determined to lofe no more time, but to fet forwards without delay. ‘Thus having frefh primed my fuzee, I ordered Quaco to * By fome called the Hippopotamus of South America, which I will defcribe in a proper place, follow EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. Ist follow me; but again to no purpofe, my compafs being CHAP. with the troops, and not a-glimpfe of funfhine, owing to put the heavy rain; till the black boy put me in mind that on the fouth fide the bark of the trees was ufually moft fmooth. This in fact was a fortunate hint, and we pro- ceeded through thick and thin, till, overcome by fatigue and hunger, we both fat down, and looked at each other, exactly like two victims doomed to execution. During this laft mournful filence, we heard a found like cough- ing and the ruftling of arms, which, thank Heaven! foon proved to be our own troops, luckily for us refting near an old encampment, where the purfuing party from the river Pirica had lately lodged. At this moment, notwith- ftanding my prefent fituation, I enjoyed an extraordinary degree of mental happinefs; which proves how much all good and evil are only of a relative nature. Having now been heartily welcomed by the other officers, I partook of fome cold beef and bread, and a gourd full of grog, as did alfo my poor boy. After this regale the party rofe, and purfuing our march, we once more entered a quag- mire, or rather a mud-pool, the furface being too thin to carry us; through which having waded till it was pitch dark, we were obliged to encamp in the very middle of it, the troops by flinging their hammocks in the trees, one above another, and the flaves on temporary rafts made above the furface of the water, on which were alfo placed the powder, the victuals, &zc. On the 26th, the good Colonel having now drank his coffee 152 CHAP. XXII. a) NAR RAI VE OF can coffee in his hammock, while he kept the troops ftanding round it in water above their middle, a whole hour be- fore day-light, we again {crambled forward, keeping our courfe, firft W. and afterwards N. W. when the road was fo exceffively bad, that many flaves let fall their burdens, breaking, wetting, and {poiling every thing that was in them. At lait, having paffed through a fecond deferted camp, we halted on the old cordon, or path of communication on which I formerly difcovered the track of the rebels, when I commanded in Cottica river; and here, having erected flight fheds, we paffed the night— I {till a prifoner. At this time a fmall quadruped running through the camp with incredible fwiftnefs, it was cut down by one of the rangers with his fabre. This proved to be the Paca or Spotted Cavey, called in Surinam the quartic Hare. This animal is the fize of a fucking pig, and ex- tremely fat. The under jaw is fhort, the noftrils large, the eyes black, and the ears imall and naked. It has five toes on each foot, a tail like the firft joint of a man’s thumb, and whijkers like a cat; the colour is an earthen brown, with longitudinal rows of buff-coloured {pots; the belly is a dirty white, the hair all over coarfe and fhort. The Paca is an amphibious animal. On land it digs up the earth like a hog in queit of food, and when in danger flies to the water for-its fafety; notwithftanding this animal is fo very plump and heavy, it runs {wifter than moft other animals of its fize in South America, con- trary to the account given of it in the fupplement to the London,Published Dee"47. 91, b\ LZ Johnson, (Pauls Church Yard. J8 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 153 the Count de Buffon’s defcription*, where it is faid “not CHAP. < to be nimble, to run but feldom, and then with a bad — j « race ;” Which may all be the cafe in a domeftic ftate (for the Paca is capable of being tamed) but he is not fluggith in a ftate of nature. This I know to be true, having feen him run like a hare. We had this animal dreffed for fupper, and found him even more delicious than the wood-rat, or even the warra-bofena: indeed, nothing can be better eating than the Paca or {potted Cavy. ‘The long-nofed Cavy, better known by the name of the Avouti Pacarara, or Indian Coney, is alfo very common in Surinam: this is the fize of alarge rabbit, its colour is an orange brown, the belly yellow; the legs black and flen- der, with four toes on the fore-feet, and three on the hindermoft; the ears fmall, the eyes a bright black, the upper lip divided; it has whifkers, and its tail is like that of the Paca. This animal breeds very faft, and fuckles ats young, which are three or four in number, in con- cealed holes of old trees, &c. where it alfo retires for fhel- ter if purfued; but it does not feek its food in the earth, like the former. The Agouti is eafily tamed, and feeds on fruits, roots, nuts, &c. But its flefh, though very good, is not fo delicious as that of the Paca. In Surinam I have been told there is ftill another fpecies of the Agouti, called the Indian Rat-Coney, on account of -its having a long tail, This I never faw, unlefs it is the , © See Buffon’s Natural Hiftory, Vol. V, page 39, Vou. II. “es x fame NARRATIVE OF AN fame animal (which I apprehend ‘it to be) that. I have def{cribed under the name of the bufh-rat. | On the 27th we again broke up,.and finally arrived in the forenoon, and in a forlorn condition, at the eftate Soribo, on the river Pirica, to defend the plantations againft Bonny and his rebel negroes. The river Pirica by its many windings is thought to ~ extend about three-fcore miles. It is very deep but nar- row, and has its banks, like all the others, lined with fine coffee and fugar plantations; its general courfe is from S.E. to N.W. We were fcarcely arrived at this poft, than, I was accofted by feveral deputies from Colonel Seyburg, who earneftly intreated that I would only acknowledge myfelf to have been in fault, affuring me that I fhould then be fet at liberty, and all would be forgotten. As: I was con{cious, however, of my own innocence, I could not in common juftice criminate myfelf in an inftance, where even my alledged crime amounted to no more than an anxious folicitude for the poor men andthe provifions who were entrufted to my.care. I was, therefore, placed. under the guard of a fentinel, for what my commander was pleafed to term unpliant ftubbornnefs, and difarmed.. In the mean time the marines. caufed me frefh uneafi- nefs, and of the moft poignant, kind,. by loudly threat- ening to mutiny in my behalf; nor could any thing have prevented them, but my decifive declaration, that as no caufe could juftify military difobedience and rebellion, I fhould be under the neceffity myfelf (however injurious to EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. res to my feelings) of taking an active part againft them, and CHAP. feeing the ringleaders brought to condign punifhment. , ee I felt that at this timé I could war with all the world, and nearly with myfelf—my heart was breaking apace—my life became a burden: «¢ Dependants, friends, relations, love himfelf, “ Savag'd by woe, forget the tender tie, “ The fweet engagements of the feeling heart.” The day after our arrival in this ftation, we received the particulars of the Pirica news, which were, that on the 20th the eftates Schoduhove and Altona had been pil- laged by the rebels whom we had routed at Gado-Saby, but that at the plantation Poe/wyk they had been beaten back by the flaves : that the rangers ftationed ai an eftate called Hagendos had purfued them on the arft, over- taken them on the 234d, killed feveral, and brought back moft of the booty: that on the fame day another party of the rebels had made an attempt to feize the powder magazine at Hagenbos (which was no bad plan) but that (while the rangers were in purfuit of their affociates) they had been repulfed by the manly behaviour of a few armed flaves, one of whom, belonging to the eftate Ti~ motibo, took an armed rebel himfelf, and next difcovered their camp at the back of his mafter’s plantations; for which he was handfomely rewarded. From all which intelligence, there was now no doubt remaining that if Seyburg’s detached party on the 16th had marched | X 2 forwards 106 up) NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. forwards inftead of backwards, by his orders, the above . \ Ae , mifchief might have been prevented, and the enterprize of the rebels, entirely fruftrated.. It was.alfo evident from this narrative, that the man whom we fired at on the 21it was certainly one of the plunderers on the 20th, andi . that the bodies found dead on the 23d had been fhot the: very fame day. | On the 29th, among other fruits, fome dates. were fent to me by a Society officer. . This. tree is alfo of the Pal-- meto {pecies, but .not extremely high; its leaves diverge: from its fummit, very thick, hanging down in the form of an umbrella. The dates appear m large elufters, being: — an oblong thin fruit like a man’s thumb, of a yellow co- lour, and the pulp, which is fat, firm, and fweet,, adheres. to a hard greyifh-coloured ftone, with longitudinal fur= rows.—I ought not to omit mentioning, that this day fixty rangers going to reconnoitre, difcovered: the old: rebel camp at the back of Timotibo,, which. feemed? to: have contained about fixty armed men.. _ On the morning of the 30th of September, having no= thing more to do in the neighbourhood of the Pirica Ri-- ver, we left it, and on the rf{t of October came to: Devil's: Harwar much fatigued, nothing remarkable having hap-- pened on our march. I had written on the preceding: day to Colonel Bourgeoud, informing him, that I. was- weary of exiftence in my prefent ftate, and. requefting: that a court-martial might be z7mmediate/y called; and: this letter I had fent by a flave to the commander in chief. ray : On, EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. roy On: our arrival at this ftation, I indeed found every hard CHAP, means employed to bring me to terms; and fuch was the , bisola) 2 fevere ufage I experienced, that one of the rangers, called Captain Quaci, exclaimed, “ If in this manner thefe Eu- “ ropeans treat one another, is it to be wondered at that — “they fhould take a pleafure im torturing us poor &% Africans?” At Devil’s Harwar, however, my ftormy voyage drew to a conclufion. Colonel Seyburg was evidently con- vinced that he was wrong, and knowing what mutt fol- low, now only wifhed for a handfome opportunity of ex= tricating himfelf from the effects of his unmanly paffion.. On. the 2d. of October, therefore, he afked me with a fmile,,“¢ If I had:a heart to forget and forgive?” To which I fternly anfwered, “* No!”—He repeated the queftion.—. I then faid,,‘* I venerated. truth, and would never confefs: myfelf in an. error, unlefs my heart coincided in the: “ acknowledgment—that this was a conceffion I would 6 make to no man living,. and leaft of all. to him.”—He here grafped my hand,, begged me to be pacified,. and declared, ‘ That he would make peace on any terms ;”—= but L again drew back with contempt,. and. decidedly avowed, “That I could not agree to any compromife, un-. ‘lefs he owned 475 fault in the prefence of all the offi- “ cers, with his own hands tearing from his journal every “ fentence that could: refle& upon my character.” The: journals were immediately produced, my arms were re-- turned me, and my triumph. was attended with. every _circumftance 155 N-ARRATAVE- OF AN CHAP, circumftance that could add to my fw /atisfaction. 1 XXII. then frankly and fincerely gave my hand to Colonel Seyburg, who gave a feaft in honour of our reconci- liation; and after dinner, to my utter furprize, pro- duced the /ettery which I had written to Colonel Four- geoud, which he acknowledged he had intercepted to prevent the affair proceeding to extremities: at the fame time he acquainted me, that Fourgeoud was en- camped at the Wana Creek, inftead of Lieutenant Colo- nel de Borgnes, who had fallen fick, and. was gone to Pa- ramaribo. A perfect reconciliation having taken place, and every thing being now adjufted, while the troops having had fome reft, we fet out once more on the 4th for the head quarters at Jerufalem ; but I was obliged to leave poor Quaco, who was very ill, at Devil’s Harwar, under care of the furgeon; and that evening we en- camped oppofite the mouth of the Cormoetibo Creek. On the following morning early, having croffed the River Cottica, the troops marched back to Jerufalem; where I now had leifure to reflect on the various evils which befal poor mortals, as well thofe who are innocent of the difficulties they are brought into, as thofe (which are the greater part) who have brought themfelves into diftrefs and even defpair by their own indifcretions. Thefe reflections arofe from finding here, among others, a newly-arrived acquaintance, a Mr. P—t—r, who hay- ing f{quandered away in Europe above ¢hirty thoufand pounds, and loft a beautiful wife by elopement, was now 4 reduced = EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. reduced to the income of an enfign in the Society troops. This gentleman having. formerly poffeffed confiderable property in this very colony, his prefent fituation could not but be affuredly the more galling on that account.—. Alas! unhappy young fellow: well might you exclaim— «Privé dé tout mes biens,. « Dans un climat funetfte, « Je tadore &. te perds, “Le poignard feul me refte.. “© Mais, Oh! je fuis P—t—r, , “ Refervé pour fouffrir; « Je fcaurois vivre encore, “ Et faire plus que mourir.”’ Thefe are the words which he fpouted’ with a figh, throwing the laft filver he had left among the flaves; and indeed nothing could be more applicable to himfelf than the lines he quoted, or more lamentable than this poor devil’s forlorn condition; which, however, created in me, during my prefent humour, no other effeQ—- than.a.loud and immoderate. fit of laughter, VoL. II: é X 4 CH AP? NARRATIVE OF AN 6S ET eAN SP Ss XeX ie Second marco io Gado-Saby—Account of a living Skeleton —Beautiful Land/capes—The Commander in Chief falls Jick, and leaves the Camp—Some Rebels tohen—Dijcour/e on the Exifience of Mermaids—Heavy Rains—Difcaje— Fantine—Mifery. N the oth of October, 1775, Colonel Fourgeoud broke up the encampment at the Wana Creek to join us at Jerufalem, having fent down the half of his party fick in barges; and their number being greatly augmented by the invalids from this place, they were all together tranfported to receive the coup-de-grace in the hofpital at Devil’s Harwar. The rangers alfo took their leave, and marched, with Mr. Vinfack their conduétor, to guard the Pirica River. Fourgeoud, during his laft cruize, had difcovered a hundred empty houfes, and feen fome ftraggling rebels, but he had taken none. He had alfo found a {calp fixed to the branch of a tree, which we juftly conjectured to be the remains of the unfortunate Schmidt, who was loft *. . On the 1 3th my black boy, Quaco, being perfectly re- # This was the more furprifing, as we were at peace with all the fdiens, and fcalping was never praCtifed by the negroes. covered, EXPEDITION, TO) SURINAM. covered, arrived, to my great fatisfaction, as his fidelity to me was fo fteady and unfhaken. At the fame time we received an account that Captain Stoelman, with fome rangers, had difcovered a frefh fettlement of the rebels by a great fmoke appearing at a diftance in the foreft, but had not yet attacked them; that Captain Fredericy, with a party of black volunteers, was fcouring the fea - fide below Paramaribo; that the two men we had loft on the i8th of Auguft had miraculoufly efcaped, and found their way to the poft at the river Marawina; and that no lefs than twelve fine negro flaves had juft deferted from the Go/d Mine eftate to join the rebels. This news fo much exafperated Colonel Fourgeoud, that the indefatigable man again determined to perfe- vere in purfuing his enemies. We accordingly entered the woods very early on the morning of the rsth, al- though he and his little army were at this time greatly reduced. He buried but the evening before one of his countrymen, a volunteer, called Matthew, and brother to the enfign: but death was now become fo familiar to us, that upon lofing a friend or relation, the firft queftion generally was, ** Has he left any brandy, rum, or to- 66 bacco ?”—“* Pauvre Laurant!” faid I, to his fhriveiled valet-de-chambre, “¢ the brave Fourgeoud is like fire; he _ 6 is to the colony an excellent fervant indeed; but I think “to both you and myfelf but a’roughifh mafter.”. The poor fellow, fhrugging up his fhoulders, replied, with a grin and a heavy figh, ** Ou, par ma foi /” and then treated Vou. II. Y me 101 CHCA P: XXIII. een atemeraed! 162 CHAP. ».@. 4015 Rennes ott amet NARRATIVE OF AN me with a pinch of his fnuff. I muft not omit that, a little before our departure, feven more of our negro flaves did defert us, who went home to their mafters per- fely broken-hearted, emaciated, and nearly ftarved; however, we proceeded, and marched directly N.E. dur- ing which nothing happened, except my box with all my bottles being dafhed to pieces; and in the evening we encamped, though 7ex unknown to us, near the Caffi- pore Creek, where the dry feafon having commenced, we dug a pit for water. Orders were alfo iffued to the troops no more to build huts, fheds, &c. as the rains were now le{s violent. | | On the 16th we continued our route, marching N.E. as before, and towards the evening arrived at the houfes which Colonel Fourgeoud ‘had lately difcovered, which proved fince to be only a temporary fettlement, erected by the rebels as a fhelter or afylum in their expected retreat, before they were diflodged from ‘Gado-Saby ; and to this little fettlement they had given ‘the name of Booffy Cry, that is, “ the woods lament.” Here we encamped, and took -much notice of Bonny’s houfe in particular, which was built like a watering machine, being elevated from the ground, with two doors, fo that he might the better obferve all around him, and prevent his being taken by furprize; it alfo had more air, and, of courfe, was’ better calculated for his health, he having in fome late action received a very dangerous wound in the groin, as we af- terwards learned from a rebel negro prifoner. Near to 7 , Bonny’s EXPEDIMION: TO SURINAM. Bonny’s houfe were the private baths, where his women wafhed themfelves morning and evening, there being no river near this fettlement. In this encampment one of our flaves prefented me with a /and-turtle, which indeed we had met with feve- ral times before; but as I have never defcribed this ani- mal, I will now endeavour to give fome account of it.— The land-turtle of Surinam is not more than eighteen or twenty inches in leneth, and of an oval form; the fhell is more convex than that of the fea-turtle, and marked with thirteen elevated hexangular fhields, dark brown and yellow, fo hard that it will bear almoft any weight without breaking ; the under fhell is a little concave, and of alight yellow: the head of this animal refembles that of other turtles ; the tail is naked and fhort, but inftead of fins or f{wimmers it has four feet covered with {cales, and armed with ‘fharp claws to affift it in crawling over the ground. When this poor creature fees any danger, it inftantly fhrinks within its fhell. In this fituation the Indians put it on the fire, where they broil it until it is dreft, which is known by the under fhell feparating from the upper, which ferves for a difh to hold the contents. A lefs barbarous way, and the way which I always fol- lowed, is only to provoke the animal by the heat of the embers to run away; when ftretching out its head and neck, they are eafily chopped off, and the food extraéted without additional torture. I have known Mr. de Graaf keep three or four of thefe land-turtles for above four ¥ 2 } months 168 CHAP, XXIII. (crane aod 164 CHAP. XXII. SS) NARRATIVE. OF AWN months for tranfportation, during which time they lived without any apparent nourifhment whatever, yet ftill re- mained vigorous, and even prone to copulation. Another kind of land-turtle, called here the arlacacca, I have often feen; this is lefs in circumference, very flat, of a difagreeable greenifh colour, and nothing like fo good as the former. On the 17th we continued our march N.and N.E. in hopes of more difcoveries, but without fuccefs. We this day paffed fome ant-hillocks above fix feet high, and, without exaggeration, above one hundred feet in circum- ference. We alfo faw great quantities of valuable tim- ber, and, among the reft, the d/ack-cabbage tree, the wood of which is of a deep brown, and is in high eftima- tion among carpenters and joiners. The /and- hooker tree was hkewife fhewn me, which receives its name from the fruit, which being divefted of its feed, is ufed as a fand-box by writers. It is of the fhape of a large onion, with {mall holes in the furface; the feed is both laxative and emetic, but the juice of the pulp is a fatal poifon. More than this I cannot fay, having had neither the time nor the power of examining it with the accuracy of a profeffed botanift. On the 18th we continued the fame courfe for a few hours longer, when we found a-beaten path, which, though circuitous, feemed to be a communication be- tween Gado-Saby and Boofly-Cry. We followed this path, which led us due W. for a few hours, when a poor | rebel Bb af t EXPE DIDLON:’ TO; S UREN AM. rebel negro was found by me covered with branches of the manicole-tree, and indeed barely alive, being in ap- pearance nothing but fkin and bone, with one of his eyes almoft beaten out of the focket. I put my boitle to his mouth, he fwallowed a few drops of rum and water, and faid with a faint voice, which we could fcarcely hear, «¢ Dank ye, me Maflera!” but could articulate nothing more. Fourgeoud ordered this man to be carried with us in a hammock; and we foon afterwards encamped near a biree-biree {wamp or quagmire. I ought not to forget that this day we faw fome very fine /ocu/i-trecs, being eighty or a hundred feet high, and prodigioufly thick; the trunk is grey and very ftraight, with no branches till near the top, on which the leaves are dif- pofed two to each ftem: this is jaftly called the king of the foreft, for a finer tree cannot be found. The tim- ber is of a beautiful cinnamon-colour, and poffeffes every defireable quality of gravity, polifh, grain, and durabi- lity.—But what particularly attracted our notice was its feed, like beans, three or four in number, enclofed in a broad light-brown pod, that lay fcattered in quantities at the root of the tree; upon the ground, and tafted like fome kinds of gingerbread. From the root of this tree a gum exudes, which, properly prepared, affords a var- nifh hitherto unequalled for tranfparency and effect. Innumerable indeed are the various fine trees. that this country produces, and which may be had for the cutting; yet, when we confider the diftance they ufually grow from navigable rivers, the great labour in felling and | warking 165 CHAP. XXII. ern pmo! 166 NARRATIVE OF AWN CHAP, Working them, the vaf number of flaves required to XXUI. en ed drag them through the foreft, where no horfes can be employed, befides the danger and lofs of time, we may eafily account for the enormous price generally paid for the beft timber in Guiana. This march undoubtedly afforded us the moft enchant- ing profpects that can be imagined, in a luxuriant ‘and ever-ereen foreft, while the dry feafon contributed greatly to beautify the fcene; and fimple nature by far outfhone the moft ftrenuous endeavours of art. Here we met with immenfe favannas of the moft lovely verdure, in- ter{perfed with meandring brooks of water, cool and clear as rock cryftal; their borders adorned with flowers of every lively hue and fragrance. In fome places we ob- ferved {mall clumps of elegant fhrubs, or perhaps a fin- gle tree, whofe beauty would almoft induce one to think they had been defignedly left growing to enrich the fcene. The whole furrounded by a vaft wood of lofty palm-trees, waving their fea-green foliage above the va- riegated copfe of never-fading verdure, bloffom, and fruit, as if to invite the panting wanderer under its cooling fhade, till in the later hours he might enjoy the ‘bracing pleafures of the limpid flood, and contemplate mature’s beauties undifturbed.— When univerfal filence reigned every where around, how often have I thought on my dear friend, and wifhed with her to glide through life in thefe Elyfian fields !—But I muft wave the pleafing recollection. On the roth we again marched, and fell in with our old EXPEDITION: TO’ SURINAM. old path, which we followed, leading direétly to the fields of Gado-Siby, where. quantities of rice once more ap- peared in full bloom, which we cut down and burned to afhes. Here, perceiving the poor rebel negro hopelefs ef recovery, not abfolutely to bury him alive, he was ever{pread with mofs, leaves, and green boughs; after which we flung our hammocks, being almoft choaked with f{moke. In thefe fields I faw a lizard above two feet long, which the negro flaves killed and ate: they called it /apagala, it was of a brownifh green colour, but did not refemble the iguana. Among the ruins of the confumed town we difcovered fome /colopendras, or centipedes, no lefs than eight or ten inches in length; this odious reptile is of a yellowifh-brown colour, walks very faft backwards or forwards, and bites fo feverely, that the venom it in- fufes, though not deemed fatal, generally produces a fe- ver. Some writers affign this reptile twenty pair of legs, others forty; lnever reckoned them, and can only ob- ferve, that they appeared to me exactly to refemble the centipedes in Europe. Some of our gentlemen formed Jarge collections of thefe curiofities, which were very va- luable, whilft I contented myfelf with the drawings and defcriptions only of thofe I thought moft uncommon. On the 20th, we marched to vifit Cefaay, when I per- ceiving the unhappy negro captive ftill alive; after re- moving the branches, he was, at my earneft interceffion, once more carried along with us;, but the flaves, being difcontented 167 CHAP. XXIII. Ceresrey em 168 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. difcontented with fuch a load, took every opportunity, in AXIIL Cen pre my abfence, of torturing him, by knocking him againft roots and ftones, and dragging him through mud and water as they went along. Different patroles were now ordered out to reconnoitre the grounds, while the re- mainder of the troops encamped in the wef? part of Co- faay; and thefe patroles difcovered no lefs than four beautiful fields in one chain, ‘fituated due weft from Co- faay, well ftocked with caffava, yams, plantains, piftachio nuts, with maize and pigeon peas: alfo were {een feveral human carcafes, the relicts of our late engagements in Auguft. We found here a fpecies of szed/ars of a crim- fon colour, and of a tafte very much like that of ftraw- berries. This fruit grows on a large green fhrub, and is cultivated in many gardens at Paramaribo. We alfo met with a kind of wild plum-tree called monpe: the fruit is yellow, oblong, and fmall; the ftone is large, the pulp thin, and though of a fharp acid has an agreeable fla~ vour. On the morning of the 21ft, all thefe and every ufeful vegetable were cut down, and again deftroyed by fire; after which, returning to our laft night’s camp, we found it alfo in flames, and were obliged to fling our hammocks in the ea/ fkirts of the woods. Here, recollefting that . the poor difabled rebel was left alone, I ran back wef to the burning camp to afford him affiftance; but after feek- ing him in vain through clouds of fmoke and darknefs, I was forced to confult my own fafety, by haftily return- ing EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. ing to my companions; fome blaming me much for my te- merity, others damning the /ke/eton, whether dead or alive. _ The devaftation being now compleated, we marched back to Jerufalem, where on the 24th we arrived per- fefily exhaufted, and Fourgeoud at laft fo ill with a phrenzy fever, that he was confined to his hammock, with {mall hopes of furviving the night. But he how- ever fall continued to command, and the next morning ordered a marine to be baftonaded, for afking fhoes, al- | though he was bare-footed, and his feet tore to pieces; while another was flogged for coughing, who had a fe- vere cold; a captain was difmiffed from actual fervice, and confined in Fort Zealandia, for having dared to marry without his confent.—Sicknefs and death now raged through the camp, and every thing was in the utmoft confufion. To compleat the whole, on the 1f{t of November, twenty-five more negro flaves ran away; and on the 3d we received intelligence that no lefs than fifty armed rebels had been feen {wimming acrofs the River Cottica, about a mufket-fhot above Barbacoeba, In confequence of this information, Colonel Seyburg was detached, with the few men that remained able to carry arms, who through diftrefs and famine were now almoft ready to attack their own officers; and who being unfupplied with their favourite luxury, tobacco*, fat * All failors, foldiers, and nearces are keeps up their fpirits, they fay, and fome particularly miferable without tobacco: it almof? prefer itto bread, Vou. Il. Z fmoking 169 C H A P. XXIIt. NARRATIVE OF AN fmoking grey paper, and chewing leaves and leather as a fubftitute for the want of it. Few men, however, were worfe off than I was at this time; fince, having neither provifions nor cloaths, I was almoft naked as well as ftarved, with a running ulcer in my left foot, ever fince the ambufcade and march to Piricas; nor had I a friend in the camp who could give me the fmalleft affiftance. To compleat my mifery, the little blood I had remaining was in zwo fucceffive nights again nearly fucked away by the vampire-bat, or fpectre: thus I fainted away in my hammock, and was almoft forry to recover, particu- larly upon being informed by a letter that Joanna and her boy were dying with a putrid fever at Paramaribo. At laft, on thetath, Serjeant Fowler arrived from Mocha, with ove of my boxes; when this poor fellow, notwith- ftanding my fituation, made me laugh aloud by producing a letter from his mother in Europe, which made him extremely happy; and which I muft beg leave verbatim to tranfcribe. « Dair Shonny, « T have relaved your girl from the Bridevail—and your « ‘fhits from the panbroker—the baby is died—bleffed be Goat, « while I hop yow be living. Iam your laffing mother tell “© death, Maccy Fow ter.” The fame evening Colonel Seyburg’s party returned, without having obtained any further intelligence. On the 14th Colonel Fourgeoud was fo dangeroufly ill, EXPEDITION’ TO SURINAM. ill, that he at length was obliged to relinquifh his com- mand, and proceed to town for his recovery. Accord- ingly on the rsth, he fet out by water for Paramaribo: thus, a’ter having facrificed all his troops, he became himfelf finally a victim to his unbounded ambition and obftinate perfeverance in this worft of all climates, while by toiling lefs and living better both he and his foldiers might have rendered the colony, if not fuperior, at leaft an equal fervice.—-A barge loaded with fick and dying was at the fame time once more fent to the hofpital at Devil’s Harwar. The command of the remaining fcarecrows now de- volved upon the Lieutenant Colonel, who ({trange to tell!) _ that very evening inherited the /ame diftemper, as well as the chief command; the barge that rowed off the old hero having but juft difappeared, when this gentle- man was attacked alfo by the phrenzy fever; the above complaint was indeed at this time very common amongft all ranks and degrees who were broiling under a burning fun at Jerufalem; it being the dry feafon, when we ought to have been in the woods—but for thofe expeditions, as I have ftated before, the rainy feafons were moft unhappily preferred. Several officers would have before now thrown up their military commiffions, could they with decency have taken fuch a meafure, during an expedition on ac- tual fervice; nor, in my opinion, ought fuch to be grant- ed, cafes of the very greateft neceflity excepted. I could myfelf have wifhed to go for forme time to Paramaribo, Z 2 but 172 CHAP. XXII. NARRATIVE OF AN but as this favour was not offered me, while all the others, and even the flaves, were relieved, I {corned to petition for it while I was able to ftand. On the 19th, however, my foot became fo bad, that the furgeon reported me unfit for duty; yet I ftill remained in the camp, where I could be to none of any fervice. A fupply of frefh troops, flaves, and provifions being arrived on the 20th, Major Medlar, with 150 men, was de- * tached to make new difcoveries. Among other plagues, the whole camp at this time {warmed with /ocufls, which appeared every where in moft formidable troops, devouring every thing that lay in their way. Indeed the curfe of Heaven feemed to vifit us here in various fhapes, and every vermin were fo plenty at this time, that no exertion could keep us per- fectly free. Thefe locufts were brown, two inches in length, and fhaped like a grafshopper ; they did not fly, but crawled by millions on the very tables and feats as we fat at dinner, and at night they tormented us by crawling over our faces by {fcores. The only defirable article we found at Jerufalem was fith, of which we feldom wanted plenty, particularly mew- mara and warrappa, alfo the patakee, and the ofd wifee, both very excellent; the former of which is about two feet long, fhaped like a whiting, the other is the fize of a large perch. A kind of needle-fifh, called naaynaay- fifeéy was found here in great abundance, thefe were very thin, and about one foot in length; alfo a kind of dung=- EXPEDITION, TO. SURINAM. dung-fi/b, about the fize of a {mall herring, but thefe two laft were only ufed by the negroes. On the 3d of December, Major Medlar’s party returned, after fourteen days abfence, with a captive rebel woman and her boy about eiy::. years old, taken in a finall field of bitter caffava. The poor woman was pregnant, and under great alarms, but was tenderly treated by Medlar, who was always a humane and well-difpofed gentleman. He had, however, unluckily loft two of his beft men, cne Seboe.ar, a corporal, the other called Philip Van den Bos, a private marine, who having inadvertently eaten a few roots of the above bitter caffava were poifoned, and died during the fame night with the moft excruciating pain and convulfions: the antidote is faid to be Cayenne pep- per and fpirits, neither of which were at that time to be procured. The black woman confirmed the account that Bonny had been wounded ; fhe alfo told us the poor ftarved ne- gro we had found was called J/aac, and had been left for dead. That one Captain 4rico had formed a new fettle- ment near the fea, called Fify-Hollo; while Bonny, fhe affured us, maintained the ftricteft difcipline amongft his troops: he was, fhe faid, abfolutely defpotic, and had exe- cuted two of his men but three days before we took Gado-Saby, uz. during the night of the 17th Auguf, when we heard the firing and fhouting, only upon fuf- picion of having hinted fome few words in favour of the Europeans, and were the heads which we found ftuck on £74 CHAP. XXII. (acon eed NARRATIVE OF AN. on the ftakes. She further affured us, that none of his people were trufted with arms, until they had firft ferved him fome years as flaves, and given him unquef- tionable proofs of fidelity and refolution. But thefe, fhe obferved, were but few in number, when compared to his numerous vaffals, who were bound to do without murmuring whatever he thought proper to command them; yet that he /77// was more beloved than he was feared, on account of his inflexible juftice and manly courage. On the 4th December, this poor woman and her boy were fent to Paramaribo, with Enfign de Cadaines, who had taken them: he had at the fame time nearly feized a young girl about fifteen, who by her great agility, and being ftark naked, flipped out of his hands: “ Fugit ocior aura < [lla levi: neque ad hac revocantis verba refiftic : <¢ Nympha, precor, Peneia, mane: non infequor hoftis. £¢ Nympha, mane.” OyiD. {t being proved at the court that the above woman had been forcibly carried off by the rebels, though many years before, the poor creature was pardoned, and joy- fally returned with her child to her mafter’s plantation. It is remarkable, that when the boy faw the firft cow or horfe he almoft fell into convulfions with terror; nor could he bear to be touched by any white perfon, whom 6 he EXPEDITION FO SURINAM. 175 he never had feen before, and whom he conftantly called CHAP, sh ea pa awe es ; XXIII. Yorica, which in his language fignifies the devil. ; | About this time a dead fea-cow, or manatee, by the French called Lamantin, floating patt Jerufalem, the ne- gro flaves fell upon it, like fo many crows upon a car-_ rion, {wimming round it, fome with a rufty knife, fome with a bill-hook, and each carrying off a flice for his dinner; at laft they dragged the ftinking animal on fhore, of which I inftantly took a drawing. This manatee was exactly fixteen feet long, almoft fhapelefs, being an enor- mous lump of fat, tapering backwards to a flefhy, broad, horizontal tail. It hada thick round head, a flattifh Mout, large noftrils, with ftrong briftles both on its nofe and chin, {mall eyes, and auditory holes inftead of ears. In- ftead of feet, it had two excrefcences or flethy fins, like thofe of the fea-turtle, projecting near its head; with thefe it {wims, and moves awkwardly to eat the grafs on the banks of the rivers, being an amphibious animal. The colour was a greenifh black; the {kin was hard and uneven, covered with large knobs, circular wrinkles, and with a very few ftiff hairs thinly fcattered. It had grinders but no fore-teeth, and a very fhort tongue. The fea-cow or manatee is, like the whale, a viviparous animal, the female fuckling its young by the help of its fwimmers. They are very numerous in the river Ama- zons; their fleth, it is faid, refembles veal, and is very good food. This was, however, too far advanced in a ftate of putridity, for me to tafte it. It had the marks of being twice 176 CHAP. XXIII. een eel NARRATIVE OF AN twice fhot, which muft have been by the rebels on the o7th, when we heard the report of two mufkets at a dif- tance. rane As Iam once more on the fubjec& of natural hiftory, I fhall defcribe another amphibious animal, called the tapira, which bears fome diftant refemblance to the hip- popotamus of the old continent, but it is a great deal lefs. This creature is about the fize of a fmall afs, but much more clumfy. The head is not unlike that of a horfe, but the upper lip much longer, proje&ting fomething like the probofcis of an elephant, and is alfo moveable, but too fhort to be of ufe, as is the trunk of that animal; the ears are fhort, the tufks ftrong, and fometimes vi- fible, the mane is briftly and erect, the hmbs are low and ftrong, with a kind of hoof divided into four¢laws, and the tail is thick and fhort, like that of the elephant. bhe {kin of this creature is exceffively thick, of a brown co- lour, and when young it is marked with white fpots, like thofe of the ftag or paca, proceeding in longitudinal rows. It feeds on grafs, and other herbs that grow in watery places, and is fo. fhy, that when alarmed by the {malleft noife it plunges under water, alfo like the paca, for {e- curity, where it remains for a confiderable time. The flefth-of the tapira is delicate, being accounted fuperior to the beft ox-beef.—See both the above animals in the annexed plate. A Mr. Selefelder, of the Society fervice, at this time af- fred me, that he faw quite a different river-horfe in the river ysl zs i ul) fe) a Deer We WO, OF Kei Cott”07 Guan a rt London, Published Deci%4791, by SJ. Johnson St Pauls Church Yard. 59 > EXPEDITSON, TO, SURINAM. River Marawina; and Major Avercromby, of the fame fer- vice, declared, that a mermaid was lately feen in the Ri- ver Surinam. Lord Mondboddo alfo pofitively affirms the exiftence of fea-women and fea-men, while he afferts that they were feen fo late as 1720. But, however re- fpectable his lordfhip’s judgment and authority may be on other fubjefts, I can no more agree with him, as to men and women having fins and fcales, than to their having fails. The plain fact, in my humble opinion, is this, that in many rivers between the Tropics, both on the coaft of Africa and South America, a fifh fometimes appears half above the water, that bears a diftant refemblance of the human fpecies, but is {maller, nearly fuch as in 1794 was exhibited in London. The colour is of a blackifh green ; the head is round, with a deformed kind of a face; a ftrong fin runs from near the eyes to the middle of the back, which fomething refembles flowing hair: and the two fuppofed arms and hands, are two flefhy fins, or rather digitated {wimmers; the female has breafts affur- edly like a woman’s, being a viviparous animal; while the tail is exactly that of a fifth, in moft of which proper- ties it agrees with the feal, but this laft has no fin along the back, and is confiderably larger, while it never ap- pears erect above the water, like the former. The above information [ had from. feveral old negroes and Indians, who all agreed perfectly in the def{cription; fome added, that they fang, which I apprehend to be no other than a - VOL. Il, A. ek grunting 177 CHAP. XXIII. cen premet i758 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. grunting noife which they emit like moft other tropical XXII. are fifth and amphibious animals. - They concluded by affuring me, that though they were {carce, nothing was more dreaded by their wives and children, than the Watra Mama, which fignifies the mother of the waters; and by which name, ftrange to tell, they diftinguifh their Syd7/s.—So much for the mou- fiers of the deep; and now I fhall once more return to thofe infefting Terra Firma. I have juft mentioned, that, on account of a very bad foot, I had been returned unfit for duty by the fur- geon, on the roth of November; yet this day, Decem- ber sth, another furgeon, with two captains, and the adjutant, were fent to infpect both me and Captain Perret, who was alfo fick. The furgeon gave his des claration upon oath, that we were incapable of walking without danger, much more of undergoing fatigue; but Seyburg, who was {till in his phrenzy fever, declared we fhould inftantly enter the woods, though he fhould fee us carried in two wheel-barrows. Poor Captain Perret complied to turn out, though he looked like a ghoft, and could fcarcely ftand; but I folemnly {wore that I would blow out the firft man’s brains who dared di/re/pectffully to touch me: in confequence of which I was clofe guard- ed by a fentinel; while the whole camp, upon my foul, now feemed to be compofed of none but madmen. On the 11th we received intelligence that a number of armed rebels had been juft feen oppofite to Devil’s Har- war, EXPEDITION TO SURINAM.. war, and afterwards informed they were upon their re- treat from the Comawina River, where on the 5th they had burnt to afhes the dwelling-houfe of the eftate Kil- leflyn Nova, with Mr. Slighter the overfeer i it, ran- facked the whole plantation, killed and carried off thirty- three women, and chopped off the limb of a male mulatto child, to be revenged of its father; and that the Pirica rangers were in purfuit of them. Captain Fredericy alfo arrived this day, who had exchanged from the Society troops into Colonel Fourgeoud’s regiment of marines,, and confirmed to us the above unhappy news. About this time, after having {tarved four months, my remaining ftores arrived at laft from Mocha, but three- fourths rotted and deftroyed by the d/ara or cockroaches : the remaining part I diftributed among the fick people. But what proved truly acceptable, was the cheering account: that Foanna and Fobuny were patt danger, and recovering: at Paramaribo. ‘This intelligence indeed fo elevated my fpirits, that the next morning I reported myfelf fit for duty, though God knows that I was not; and to this I was the more induced by the want of frefh air, of which I was’ perfectly debarred in my confinement, and ftood fo much in need. The fame evening a boat full of Garibbee Indians rowed up Cormoetibo, for the River | Marawina, by the communication of the Wana Creek. In eight days more, which was the 20th of December, being actually recovered of the wound in my foot, and Sseyburg of his phrenetic fever, another officer and I played him the following trick, for his bad ufage. A. a 2: Having 179, CHAP, XXIII. mee 180 CHAP. XXII, eed NARRATIVE OF AN Having invited this gentleman, with his adjutant, and a few more, to fee us act a farce by candle-light, we af- feéted to quarrel, and beating out the candle, the door being well fecured, laid on in the dark with fuch fuccefs upon a certain fomebody’s fhoulders, that, calling out Murder! he leaped out at the window. Nothing ever gave me greater entertainment than to perceive his agi- lity ; but Colonel Seyburg declared he would never more to our play be a {pectator. At this time orders arrived from Colonel Fourgeoud, who was alfo better, to break up our camp at ferufalem, and march once more to the Wana Creek. in confe- quence the fick were again fent down in barges to the hofpital at Devil’s Harwar, which was nearly full, while feveral were labouring under a difeafe fomething like the ztympany, called here the oof, being a prodigious hardnefs and {welling in the belly, occafioned, it is faid, by drinking muddy water without f{pirits, which was in- deed our daily and general beverage. On the 22d, at fix o’clock in the morning, we all de- camped, and fcrambled up along the banks of the Cormoe- tibo Creek, through a perfect bog, while one poor ne- gro, who had his head fractured, was left behind, and another knocked over-board one of the barges, who was drowned. We this day again faw great numbers of pingoes or warree-hogs, which as ufual breaking through our line, were cut down by fabres and ftabbed, while fome ran off with the bayonets {ticking in their hams. ; This EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. This march was peculiarly difagreeable, upon account of the heavy rains, which now began to fall down in torrents, overflowing the banks of all the rivers; and fo cold were the damps in the morning, contrafted with the late warm days, that we frequently lay fhivering in our hammocks as in froft, efpecially when fleeping in wet cloaths. This inconvenience, however, I obviated to day by marching half naked, like the rangers, and putting my fhirt in one of the reverfed kettles, during the rain— thus my {kin foon drying, after a fhower, I again put on my linen, and found myfelf much more comfortable than any of my trembling ghaftly looking companions. On the evening of the 23d, we encamped near a ri- vulet called the Caymans or Alligator Creek; where a tree called Mondiara afforded fome excellent fruit, but this was entirely {tripped by the flaves before I could either tafte or even fee it in perfection, The rains continuing to pour down in a deluge, I again marched ftripped on the 24th, and we {flung our hammocks in the evening, near a brook called Yorica, or the Devil’s Creek, where we made huts or fheds to co- ver us, and ftowed the provifions upon rafters. On the following day we once more laboured through deep mud and water, in very heavy rains, and encamped at another fmall brook, called the Yava Creek, three miles below the Wana. On the 26th I was felected, with a fmall party, to re- connoitre the old camps at Wana Creek, In the evening we r8r CHAP, XXIII. SS 152 Cio. ALF: XXIII. {rence rammed NARRATIVE OF AN we returned, half {wimming through mud and watery. and having literally feen nothing, except fome birds. and curious trees, which I cannot pafs unnoticed. The birds were called the Cromdéack, the Camawarry, and the Crocro. The firft isa kind of large fnipe, the fize of a woodcock, with a crooked bill. The fecond is alfo a water fowl, but three times as large as the firft: on ac- count of their fwiftnefs, and difappearing in a moment, I can give but a very imperfect defcription of them. The Crocro is fomething lefs than our ravens, and I be- lieve of the fame {pecies, being one of the rmoft voracious: birds of the carnivorous tribe; in Guiana it is of a dark blue colour, has a remarkably {trong bill and limbs, and croaks exceffively loud and difagreeably, efpecially by night. The trees were what the negroes called the Ma- takee, and the Markoory. The firft is remarkable for its roots, which f{pread above the ground in fuch a manner, that they will conceal a fcore of men from each other 3 nay fo large are they fometimes, that a horfeman may ride through between the interftices, and one fingle piece is fufficient to make a table large enough to hold twelve people. For a better idea of this wonderful tree, I refer the reader to the annexed plate; where I have placed it upon the oppofite fhore of the encampment at Jerufalem. In the fame plate, he is alfo prefented with a /ai-weatber view of the camp at Java Creek. | The other tree, called the Markoory, is truly formidable bd on London, Published Deceli"4 7g1, by JeJohnson, S&Pauls Church Yard. 60 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 183 ~ on account of its poifonous qualities, which are of fuch CHAP, a fubtle nature, that the very {moke of this wood, when on fire, is fatal to thofe animals that receive it into their lungs; this is always feen to grow by itfelf, as it infal- libly kills every thing around it, nay even the flaves re- fufe to cut it down on the plantations, fo much are they afraid of touching, or of even coming near to it. The Mar- koory is low, ugly, and uneven, with very few branches, and a pale verdure. I have been told that fome of the Indians render their arrows fatal by dipping the barbs of them in its fap. Qn the 27th, another patrole was fent out, but to no better purpofe than the firft. I have mentioned that my foot was recovered, and fo it was, but I had now ex- tracted out of my right arm two dreadful infects, which left behind them very deep ulcers. Thefe are called in Surinam the du/b-worms, and. are the fhape and fize of the aurelia of the common butterfly, with a pointed tail and black head. ‘They ftuck extremely faft in the flefh, and were extracted with a lancet. They breed naturally in ftagnated waters, in marching conftantly through which they had attached themfelves to my flefh. My heart now began to fink with accumulated dif afters; my mind was agitated and deprefied with a con- flant train of tortures, to which I could fee no end, and I became weary of life. In this dreadful fituation I fell upon my naked knees, and invoked the malediction of Heaven to fall on me, if I did not feparate myfelf from my XXIII. 184 | NARRATIVE OF AN CHAR, my prefent commanders and this fervice, the firft ho- XXII. nourable opportunity that fhould offer itfelf;—how re- ligioufly I have perfevered in obferving this vow, fhalk — be feen in the fequel of thefe pages, before I take my final farewell of my readers. The place of our prefent encampment was now intoler-. able beyond every defcription, being con{tantly overflowed, fo that the ammunition and provifions were ftowed for pre- fervation on wooden rafts; nor could we ftep out of our - hammocks without being up to the knees in. mud and. water, where it was. moft fhallow,. while the gnats and other infects devoured us alive. The confequence of all which was, that avotber barge-full of dying wretches was fent down the Cormoetibo Creek, bound for the hofpital at Devils Harwar; among whom the peor old negro. with his fractured {kull, who had only yefterday rejoined. us in his fhocking condition. This floating charne- boufe weighed anchor on the laft day of the year 1775— with which I fhall beg leave to. conclude this. gloomy chapter.. CHAP. EX PEDITSONY TO:.SUREN AM. GHA Pec XXIV. Two Volunteer Companies raifed, of free Mulattoes and Negroes—Defcription of the Arrowouka Indian Nation— Colonel Fourgeoud’s Regiment receives orders to fail for Europe—Countermanded—Re-enter the Woods—Trade of the Colony—Defcription of a Cacao Eflate—Sample of Sable Herot/m. “HNO what good ftar I was obliged, in the midf of all our confufion and diftrefs, I know not, but certain it is, that Colonel Seyburg having fent for me on the firft day of the new year, not only folicited my future friend- fhip, but declared ‘he was forry for all the ill-treatment he had ever occafioned me, for which he principally blamed Mr. Gibbart, his adjutant and fpy; then taking me by the hand, as a proof of ‘his real regard, permitted me from that moment to go to Paramaribo, or wherever I pleafed, to refrefh and refit until further orders; which had fuch an effect on me, that having inftantly converted every drop of. my rum into grog, we fat down, together with two -other officers, and drowned all former animo- fity in oblivion, till we could hardly fee each other. In this condition I took my leave that very evening of my new friend and the camp at Java Creek, and rowed down in the beft {pirits for Paramaribo. VoL. II. Bb Next 185. 186 CHAP. XXIV. cee rome NARRATIVE OF AN Next morning, having flept during moft of the paf- fage, I breakfafted at Devil’s Harwar, where I found that the unfortunate Gibhart had juft fet fail for the other world. In the evening we arrived at the eftate Beekflied, as my negroes had made extraordinary difpatch, fusmming wattra* all the time to encourage each other. On the 3d I arrived at the fortrefs Amfterdam, where I was entertained with an excellent fifh dinner, and where I mutt again intreat the reader’s patience, while I attempt to defcribe the different {pecies, w/z. the pafury, prare-prare, provof, and curema. The paffary is above two feet long, and weighs fometimes twenty pounds: the head is broad and flat; it has two long barbs, and no {cales, and is very delicate eating. The prare-prare is about the fame fize, and equally good. The provoft is large, often five feet, and of a yellowifh colour; the flefh of this is lefs agreeable, but the oil it produces comes to good account. As for the curema, this is a f{pecies of mullet, fometimes above two feet in length, with large filvery eyes, and the under jaw longer than the upper. Near this place are alfo found a kind of /ea-/nais, of which Madam Merian makes mention; and the fore-part of which exactly refembles thofe of a fhrimp. | In the evening at fix o’clock I arrived once more at Paramaribo, and found Joanna with her little boy per- * That is, one of the rowers beating from the reft, to which the others fing a the water with his oar at every ftroke, in chorus. fuch a manner that it founds different fectly EXPEDITDON, TO..SURIN AM. 187 fectly well, after having both been blind for above three CHAP. weeks; with whom being now invited to lodge, at the houfe of my friend Mr. De Graaf, I was completely happy. The following day I dined with Colonel Fourgeoud, who now alfo was as found as ever, and who gave me a very indifferent meal of falt provifions*, but an wncom- monly hearty welcome. He acquainted me that two new companies of free mulattoes, and two of free negroes, all volunteers, had juft been raifed; that the Serameca and Owca negroes encouraged and favoured the rebels, and were deceitful rafcals; that a few rebels had been killed in the Caffiwinica Creek; andthat he was in hopes of root= ing out Fify Hollo; that Bonny, with his people, were almoft ftarving in the foreft, notwithftanding their late depredations, which could not laft much longer; and that he was fully determined, if he fhould lofe his laft man, to make ¢dis rebel furrender, or harafs him till he and his gang, through hunger and diftrefs, fhould be obliged to quit the colony. I learned further from him, that a Frenchman had juft efcaped hanging for betraying the {tate of the fortifications, &c. to the governor of Cay- enne; that he had pardoned Captain Tulling for his clandeftine marriage; and that Lieutenant Colonel de Borgnes was juft entered into matrimony with a rich wi- dow, a Mrs. Crawford. ~~ * This he abfolutely held as the beft regimen for health, notwithftanding he Dad brought three cooks from Europe. Bb 2 The XXIV. ee ammeaad NARRATIVE OF AN The Colonel, in a word, was now quite the reverfe of what he had been before, and upon the whole fo very agreeable in his manners; that-I would never ‘wifh to ~ {pend my time in better company; but how I fhould be- come at once the favourite of both thefe rival com- manders, was a fecret I could never yet difcover, unlefs it might proceed from a defire of gaining me from each other, as they ftill continued mutual enemies: be that as it may, I refolved to preferve the moft inflexible neutra- lity, as I alfo did between them and the governor, where. I was invited next day, and dined not on falt-beef, but found as ufual a truly magnificent entertainment. Thus I continued daily vifiting my friends, wz. Mrs. Godefroy, the Demellys, the Gordons, the Mac Neyls, &c. I alfo {pent a very agreeable day with the black Mrs. Sampfon, or Zubly, who was now a widow. I was prefent too at a mulatto ball, compofed however not of flaves, but of free independant fettlers. Here the mufic, the lights, the country dances, the fupper, and,. above all, the dreffes were fo fuperb, and their behaviour fo decent and genteel, that the whole might ferve as a model for decorum and etiquette to fome of the fairer and more polifhed inhabitants. On the 20th, obfervins a number of Indians and black people of both fexes fwimming at the back of Fort Ze- landia, young Donald Mac Nev] and myfelf compleated the groupe, by {tripping and getting in among them; and I muit confefs { never beheld more furprifing feats. of EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. of activity in the water, than were performed by the ne- groes, who fought a /Lam battle, by plunging or rather tumbling like porpoifes, when they ftruck each other with their Jegs, as they never ufed their hands; while the Indians, who were of the drrowouwka nation, fwam and dived like amphibious animals. Being fufficiently refrefhed, we fat down upon the beach, near the twenty-one gun battery, where I had an opportunity of examining the features and figure of one _ of their young females, as fhe approached us, like Venus rifing out of the fea. Thefe people being very different from all the other Indian nations that I have already de- fcribed, I fhall embrace the opportunity of fulfilling my | promife, and giving a particular account of them.—In the firft place, the {kin of the young woman who was now emerging clean from the river, and divefted of ar=. notta-paint, appeared much fairer ‘than the copper-co= lour of the other Indians; neither were her limbs de- formed by thofe ftrait-laced bracelets or cotton-bands fo. much in ufe with the reft; nor did her hair hang down, but was neatly plaited clofe round the crown of her head, and faftened in the centre with a broad filver plate *. Her only drefs confifted, both during the time fhe bathed and after, of a fmall fquare apron made of beads, as I have mentioned before: in every other refpect fhe was perfectly naked: nor could a finer figure be imagined— * This, at other times, they fupply by a fhell, a fith-bone, or the tooth of a tiger, &c.. erecty igo CHAP. XXIV. N AsByRL ATENEO FR 7 A erect, vigorous, - active, young, and healthy, which ‘ , convinced me that when the body is expofed, as it certainly was ordained by nature, the face is but little noticed. 66 eee Such as Arcadian fong “© Tranfmits from ancient uncorrupted Time ; * When tyrant Cuftom had not fhackled Man, “ But free to follow Nature was the mode.” In her features was difplayed that beautiful fimplicity, that native unfufpecting innocence, which cannot be put * on where there is the flighteft confcioufnefs of guilt. Nor is the olive-colour incompatible with beauty, it is certainly the ftandard complexion of the human race, while the black and white are fuppofed to be only gradations, pro- duced probably by the extremes of heatand cold. As this Indian girl was perfectly handfome,. fo fhe feemed to be perfealy happy. — “ Happinefs,” as the Abbe Reynal wifely obferves, * is more frequently found in a pure ftate é¢ of nature, than in that of the moft refined civilization.” To be fure an European woman would blufh to her fin- gers ends at the very idea of appearing publicly ftark naked; but education and prejudice are every thing, fince it is an axiom, that where there is no feeling of felf-reproach, there can affuredly be no fhame, I remember to have feen an Indian youth, whofe name was Weekee, at Bergen-op-Zoom, where he was brought ever from the colony Berbice with General De/a/ve, who cloathed and partly civilized him: amongft other things, he \8 Sg IN N IQ XS ~ ‘ Y i RS : NS SS ==, . x ~ A] ( S \ xy S 8 \ S N 5 ~ S Ny a & = >» § SN $ ne : & . > a Q > y W7Q2, A hed Decl1: Ze A Tay T1100 > e C London, Publ A710 7, ll dy g EX'PE’ DITION TO’ SURINAM. he learned cookery, and to be fomething of a taylor, at his own requeft, that he might be enabled to provide both for his back and his belly. After fome time how- ever, exprefling a defire to return to the colony, he no fooner touched American ground, than ftripping himfelf of his lumber, he launched naked into his native woods, where he ended his days as he had begun them, amongft his beloved countrymen and companions; like the Hot- tentot mentioned by Rouffeau, in his celebrated Di/cours fur I’Inegalité & Conditions, Sc.——But to return to the girl:—She had with her a live parrot, which fhe had ftunned with a blunt arrow from her bow, and for which 1 gave her a double-bladed knife *. So wonderfully ex- pert are the Arrowouka Indians at this exercife, that they frequently bring down a macaw in full flight, or even = pigeon. I cannot conclude thefe remarks without adding a few words concerning the unfpotted moral character of thefe people, who not only live in peace with moft of the other Indian nations, but are peculiarly attached to the Euro- peans, while thefe in return profefs for them the ftrongeft efteem. * The general traffick carried on bee hammocks, flaves, monkies, parrots, and tween all the Indian nations and the Eu- ropeans confifts in baifam-capivi, arroco- cerra, oil of carrabba, arnotta, and bees- wax, befides pieces of Brazil and ebony ; the roots hiaree and yarnillas, canoes, paroquets; for which they receive fire- arms, knives, hatchets, fifh-hooks, combs,, coral and glafs beads, blue cotton, look- ing-glaffes, &c. 19k CHAP. XXIV. Noreen 192 ‘CH ALP. XXIV. Qceeeeeson sited NARRATIVE -OF AN< As a proof of their gratitude, I will only relate one in- ftance : — Some years ago an Indian woman being at Pa- ramaribo, and far advanced in a ftate of pregnancy, a Mr. Van der Mey humanely ordered his fervants to con- dué&t her and her hufband into his houfe, where, giving them a private apartment, and every other conveniency, he wifhed them good-night. Before the next morning the woman was delivered; but when the fervants went in to renew their offers of friendfhip, neither man, wife, nor child were to be found, as they had before day-break quietly marched into the foreft*. Various were at this time the conjectures concerning the boafted :ntegrity of the Arrowouka Indians, until, no lefs than eighteen months after, the fame Indian returned to Mr. Van der Mey, with a charming captive boy of the /ccawau nation, that he. had taken in battle+; and whom prefenting to his bene- factor, he only faid, “* Thaz’s yours,” and without waiting for any anfwer difappeared.—For this flave the above gentleman was offered £.200, which he refufed, and treated him as well as if he had been free. The education thefe people receive in their infancy being according to the dictates only of fimple nature, their minds or their bodies are very feldom deformed, while a too nice attention to either is poffibly as detri- mental as a total neglect. ‘The ingenious Dr. Bancroft is * Ihave mentioned before that the Indians are exempt from pain in labour. + This is however extremely uncommon, as a more peaceable peeple does not exift in the univerfe. Pay 2 of EXPE DITTON’-T.0 SURINAM. of the fame opinion, which he fupports (I think need- lefsly) by a quotation from Quintilian. Though the Arrowouka Indians live in perfect friend- fhip and harmony with us, and indeed with moft of their neighbours, they yet fometimes go to war when pro- voked, as I have juft obferved; in thefe combats they ufe bows and arrows, and the club called abowfow*; but they do not eat their prifoners like the Caribbee In- dians, who even devoured the negroes whom they killed at the infurreGtion in Berbicé. Notwithftanding thefe people live at a greater diftance from the fea than the Warrows, &c. yet they have canoes, fometimes fourfcore feet in length, in which they paddle down the rivers, The Arrowouka Indians particularly are great herbalifts, and for all external accidents have recourfe to fimples, with which the woods of all Terra Firma abound.—— But to proceed : ~ Onthe 25th I was feized with a fever, and blooded in the foot, in which the orifice being /fruck too deep, for ftruck it was as they bleed the horfes, I again became Jame; during which time Colonel Seyburge arrived from the Java Creek to recover, he being at laft alfo taken very tl. In the mean time Colonel Fourgeoud, while he was juft ready to renew his operations, having already fent a {mall detachment to the Jew Savannah for intelligence, received letters from the Hague, with exprefs orders to * The New Zealanders call their clubs pato-patos; which affinity is remarkable, on account of their very great diftance. WoL. Il, Ce abandon NARRATIVE OF AN abandon the expedition immediately, and with his few remaining troops to fail for Holland without delay. In confequence of thefe commands on the 27th, the tranfport {hips were put in commiffion, and all the officers and privates received their clearance, which made them very happy; and indeed all at Paramaribo were alive with joy, except fome of the inhabitants and myfelf. On the 14th of February, ill as I was with a bad foot,, a fore arm, the prickly heat, and all my teeth loofe with the fcurvy, I found means to fcramble out on. crutches, with a thoufand florins in my pocket, which having di- vided between Fourgeoud and Mrs. Godefroy for the redemption of the black boy Qyaco, and my mulatto, E returned home without a fhilling in my purfe; yet for this fmall furn of 500 florins, fo inadequate to 1800 which I owed that lady, fhe was induced generoufly to renew her perfuafions of carrying Joanna and the boy with me to Holland. This, however, Joanna as nobly as firmly refufed, declaring, “ that, independant of all other confi- “‘ derations, fhe could never think of facrificing one be- “ nefactor to the intereft of another; and that her own “ happinefs or even mine, which was dearer to her than ‘¢ life, fhould never have any weight, till the debt of her 6 liberty was paid by me, or by her own induftry, to the “ utmoft fraétion, and which fhe did not defpair to fee «one day compleated.” She added, “ our feparation *¢ fhould only be for a time, and that the greateft proof I «¢ could ever fhew her of my real efteem, was now to un- *¢ dergo this little trial of fortune like a man, without 9 6 {9 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. <¢ fo much as heaving a figh in her prefence ;” which laf fhe fpoke with a fmile, next embraced her infant, then turned fuddenly round, and wept moft bitterly. —At this moment I was called to Mr. de Ja Mare’s, who was juft dead, where my melancholy having furpaffed all defcrip- tion, I at laft determined to weather one or two painful years in her abfence; and in the afternoon went to diffi- pate my mind ata Mr. Rowx’s cabinet of Indian curiofi- ties; where, as my eye chanced to fall on a rattle-fnake, I will before I leave the colony defcribe this dangerous reptile. The ratile-/nake of Surinam is fometimes eight or mine feet long, and very thick about the middle, tapering towards the neck and tail. The head is dreadfully de- formed, being flat and broad, with two large nottrils near the fnout, and a large feale or knob like the alligator above his eyes, which are jet-black and fparkling ; at the extremity of the tail are feveral thin horny fhells joined together, which are very dry, and which, when irritated, the animal fhakes, founding much like a rartle, from which it derives its name. Thefe fhells augment, 7¢ is Jfaid, inthe proportion of one every year, by which it is fuppofed its age may be afcertained. This whole fnake is covered over with fcales, which on the ridge of the back it erects. The colour is a dirty orange mixed with dark-brown and black fpots, which laft are alfo on its head, appearing like velvet, anil marked in a very confpi- guous manner; the belly is‘afh-coloured, with tranfverfe Cc 2 {cales, 195 CHAAP. XXIV. a] 196 CHAP, XXIV, Se) N-A'R ROA To OF. LAgN {cales like moft other ferpents. When this animal is in= tent on miichief, it lies coiled like a rope, with the tail a little in motion, which having rattled, it launches forth upon its prey, making no farther reach than its own | length; this done, it coils a fecond time, and again pro- jeCs itfelf. The bite of the rattle-fnake’ is accounted fatal, at leaft is thought very dangerous over all America; but with regard to the fafcinating qualities of its eyes, fuch as the {tory of its caufing mice, {quirrels, and birds to. rum into its mouth, I reject them as fables; the fuppofed’ charm confifting in nothing more than this, that the poor-animals, finding themfelves furprized by the im- pending danger, are feized with fuch a trepidation and fear, that even the ufe of their limbs forfakes them, and. they are rivetted to the place till they die, or in the a& of leaping they are feized by their enemy *.. In this cabinet I alfo faw the blue dip/as of Surinam, which had almoft the colour of ultramarine on the back ;. its fides were lighter, and the belly nearly white. I did not learn that the bite of this reptile was fatal, but that it occafions immoderate thir{ft in the patient, from which it took its name; the word d/p/a fignifying thirft in the Greek language. Another fnake I alfo obferved here, about three feet long, being annulated with different colours, and called amphi/bena, from the fuppofition of its hav- ing two heads; but the truth is, that from its cylindrical ® See a letter to the editors of the New Univerfal Magazine for OGtober 1787. form eS Wee bpreen . Viulterf. Yy of South . Sore PLCLY ; te London, Published Dec!t "4791, by J Tohnson, StPauls Church Yard. 02 EYP WD TON. TO «SURTNA M. form the head and tail fo much refemble each other, that the error is almoit pardonable; befides which, the eyes are nearly imperceptible. This is the {fnake which, be- ing fuppofed blind, and vulgarly faid to be fed by the large ants already defcribed, is in this country honoured with the name of King of the Emmets *. Amonegft Mr. Roux’s numerous collection of fine but- terflies, one of a middle fize [thought peculiarly beau- tiful; all its wings, both above and below, being elegantly ftreaked with tranfverfe bars of velvet, black, and a va- riegated bright green. The amazing height to which they afcend, and the great velocity with which thefe in- fefts fly, make them fo rare, being, for thefe reafons, but very feldom caught. The caterpillar is a fea-green, and all covered over with hard feelers, not unlike fea- thers.—For a better idea of the above {nakes, and this fly, fee the plate annexed, where the laft was improved from Madam Merian’s collection. I have juft faid ttiat we were ordered to Ieave the co- lony, and that all were overjoyed with the news, myfelf excepted. But on the r5th, by letters from Holland to our chief, our return was again countermanded for fix months. My companions were therefore fuddenly caft down with difappointment, while | was as fuddenly re- vived, and now determined to fave all my pay until Jo- anna’s redemption fhould be fully accomplifhed: but what * How Madam Merian fhould call this reptile an oviparous viper, furpafles my comprehenfion, grieved NARRATIVE OF AN grieved me very much was the other news from Europe, viz. that the Scots Brigade had been invited to England by his Britannic Majefty, while I was lamenting that I could not poffibly be one of the number*. I at the fame time had the offer of an American company under Ge- neral Wafhington, but this I refufed without any hefita~ tion, as may be fuppofed. In fhort, on the 18th of February, the poor difpirited men were again fent up to Magdenburg, a large party full remaining at the Java Creek; whilft the temper of the officers was now fo ruffled, that a Mr. Fiber of our corps fought no lefs than fwo duels in two fucceeding days, dangeroufly wounding both his antagonifts, who were both officers of the Society regiment. As I was not yet recovered, I ftaid fome time longer at Paramaribo, where at the houfe of a Mr. Reynfdorp, I faw a Portuguefe Yew teaching his children the Cdri/izan religion, while the pious mother of the charity-houfe kept flogging the poor flaves daily, vccaufe they were, as fhe faid, unbelievers. To one black woman, in parti- cular, fhe wantonly gave four hundred lafhes, who bore them without a complaint. But to change the difagreeable fubject ;—while I have the leifure and the opportunity, I feel the inclination to ftate to the public a fhort account of the trade and. in- txinfic value of this blood-fpilling colony; which, fill * The King’s demand was negatived by the States of Holland. might EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. might be richer, did they not follow the example of the woman in the fable with her golden eggs. In the firft place, in Surinam are computed to be about fix or eight hundred plantations, producing fugar, coffee, cacao, and cotton, befides fome indigo, and valuable tim- bers, &c.—The exportation of which four firft articles only, and their value, may be feen at one view in the following table for four fucceflive years. The Barrels of Ibs. of Ibs. of Ibs. of Years. SUGAR. COFFEE. CACAO. COTTON. 1771 19,494 1151355132 416,821 2035945 1772 19,260 12,267,134 3542935 903035 1773 155741 15,427,298 3323229 1353947 1774 15,111 11,016,518 506,610 105,126 — —— >» | 2 ees Total - 69,606 49,846,082 1,610,595 5345153 69,606 barrels of fugar, at 60 florins per barrel, make “ - = - | fi 4,176,360 — — 49,846,082 lbs. of coffee, at 82d. per Ib. make - @1,184,584 17 — 4,610,595 lbs. of cacao, at 63d. per Ib. make - $29,443.97 $ 5345153 lbs. of cotton, at 8d. per lb. make - 212,661 4 — Sum total r - | f. 26,097,049 8 8 Which makes in one year exactly - - | f£ 6,524,262 7. 2 But this average produce was fhipped off for the town of Amfterdam only. =——— Carried forward - - | f. 6,524,262 7 2 a If 200 NARRATIVE OF AN = CHAP. Brought forward © - | f 6,524,262 7 2 aI If I now add what goes to Rotterdam and to | Zealand, befides the home confumption, and the return of the rum and molaffes, the indigo at 4f. per Ib. and the timber from $d. to five florins per cubic foot, it will amount to as much more = = - - - 6,524,262 97 9 f 13,048,584 14 4 Thus altogether = Which, fuppofing it was but 11,000,000, makes a yearly income of one million neat in fterling money. How the above fum is divided between the republic of Holland and this colony, fhall be my bufinefs to ftate in the fecond place. The town of Amfterdam affords about fifty fhips, at an average of 400 tons burthen each, which receive, for importation freight of various commodities, the fum of - - - £6,000 For exportation freight of the above productions, which grow in the co- F 2,000 lony * a - - ~ Thus each veffel gets for freight - f£ 38,000 ‘Which, multiplied by the N° of veffels 50 Makes exactly - - - | f. 1,900,000 — — For Rotterdam and Zealand I calculate toge- ther about 30 veffels more-of different bur- dens: thus - - - - - 1$460,060" —= = —————— Carried forward « - | fi 3,100,000 —- — * Sugar pays about 3/7. per barrel, and coffee about as much ger thoufand ; other coms snodities in proportion—N. B. This I infert unauthenticated, thus errors excepted. And EXPE DITDBON, T'O,SURIN AM, Brought forward - - And for the brick that ferves for ballaft, paf- fengers, &c. - - - e Fach Guinea fhip, importing yearly from 250 to 300 negroes, loweft > f 120,000 value, at - - = Thus fuppofing the number of veffels* 6 Amounts to < e es To all thefe I fhall add the merchandize im- ported from Holland, fuch as wine, fpirits, beer, falt-beef, pork, and ficur, filk, cotton, and linen- manufactures ; cloaths, hats, fhoes; gold, filver, and fteel ornaments; arms and ammunition; even mafons and carpenters tools, &c. &c, at an average of about 50 per cent. profit. Befides correfpon- dents charges, infurance, duty, ftare-houfe ex- pences, porters fees, wharfage, and package, which laft articles coft the inbabitants ten per cent, more, Thus altogether - + & Which makes already the fum of - - Still let me mention the intereft of 6 per cent, for the national debt of five millions fterling, due by the colony, and what they are defraud- ed of by ufurers in Holland, where prodigious other charges are brought in; and where thofe who have made their fortunes go to fpend it ; and the amount will be found to produce at leatt - : ae = The whole of which items added together, pro- _ duce no lefs a {um yearly than : z. Fe 3y100,000 —~ ~~ 80,000 —= —= 720,000 — = 1,100,000 smo === — | eT fi 53900;000 — —= 1,000,000 —— =~ —— = a SS ee eee ee a San EH EF £anr ee fs 000,000 = * There are fome years but fous, and fame ten, &c. Vou. IVE Dd 201 CHAP. XXIV. ceerenty sod 202 CHAP. XXIV, Yeomans promt NARRATIVE OF AN Brought forward - - | fi 6,000,000 —- = Which is clear profit to the republic, viz. prin- cipally for Amfterdam, Rotterdam, and Zea- land. ‘Thus the inhabitants of Surinam get, for their fhare of the above treafure, only - 5,000,000 — — Which make together, as I faid, one million fter- -——————+ ling, or - ~ me Pe - | f. 11,000,000 —— —— ns ee — In the third place, I fhall now fhow in what manner the intermal ex- pence of the fociety of Surinam is defrayed by taxes; which amount to no trifle, as fhall be feen. Having already mentioned, when fpeaking of the government, that the public revenue officers were five in number, I will now point out how they collect the cath refpedtively each, for the fupport of the above ex- pences. The firft of thefe is that of Importation and Exportation Duties. To this is paid, viz. By all Dutch veffels, 3 f per tom) thus for ton- By Americans, &c. 6 f. per ma nage, f. 90,000. By Americans, &c. for all im- ports and experts, § per cent. Sugar pays 1f per thoufand ol) barrel = - a rope cy. 11ule Coffee 15 d. per 100 |b. weight b0773 Cacao 1f. 154. per 100 lb. D° | paid 260,000 | Cotton - A aa | pobed VRID Ee os t. - 60,000 }. f. 410,000 — — ——E Se ‘Thus receives yearly about the fum of -| (410,000 — — The EXPEDITION TO; SURINAM. Brought forward == - The fecond is the office of excife and fmall duties. To this js paid, vez. For a barrel of beer = -fi3-— A D° of claret - = - 12 ——— A pipe of madeira - - 2310 —. All wines, per quart bottle - - m—— 1 The tax on publicans, is - - 600 — — D° on fmall retailers - - 300 — — And which amounts to a yearly pro- ances duce of at leaft - = 2 - a Then follows thirdly the office for taxation on heads; which receives for all inhabitants, black and white, without exception, viz. Formenand women - - f£2 10 cINSiEO- For boys and girls under 12, fit 5 eece yearly - Next comes the office for fales and flaves, which gets, viz. For felling dead ftock, including eftates, &c. § per cent. - - For felling newly-arrived or imported ne- \ Bass ero flaves, 2; per cent. And finally, the office for re-taking negro deferters, which was then erected, the other taxes not being fufficient; which produces yearly, wiz. f: 410,000 — = 150,000 —— == 130,000 =~ == By an additional tax on heads, "ett oS obs ; Role) and white, at 1f. is = a By 4 per cent, of every profit got dur- : 400,000 ing the year upon oath,is. - = §? | Which makes exactly - += + «© - 480,000 <= =. Carried forward = - Te 1,270,000 == a= Dida Still 203 CHAP. XXIV. (eee perl 204, CHAP, XXIV, NARRATIVE OCOF: AM Brought forward - - | fi 1,270,000 —- ome Still let me not forget what is yearly paid for ———=J._ what is called the fupport of the common or grafs fields, viz. For a houfe, according to its fize. Foracoach - - “ = (got meee For a whifkey - - = Oe es For a faddle-horfe - - maces tT oA Which add to the above impofitions again - 12,000 — —< And thefe, if fummed together, make a yearly revenue of no lefs than - - - | f. 1,282,000 — — —— ee ———S= —_——— Having now clearly demonftrated, partly by the affift- ance of Dr. Fermyn’s Tableau de la Colonie de Surinats and partly by my own experience, that the intrinfic value of this fettlement is worth yearly above ove million of fterling money, which, by proper management, might be ftill increafed ; alfo that the greater part of it goes to the republic, while the people are thus burthened on their eftates by almoft infupportable taxation, which induces many to be rogues, who would perhaps otherwife be ho- neft; I fhall, by way of appendix, give fome fhort ac- - count of the trade carried on in this colony by the Noris Americans: —'Thefe people arrive with {mall brigs, floops, and {chooners from Virginia, Rhode Ifland, New York, Boiton, Jamaica, Grenada, Antigua, Barbadoes, &c. from which places they export flour, beef, pork, her- rings, falt, mackarel, and leaf-tobacco for the negroes ; alfo fir-boards, Englifh rum, and other {pirits; loaf-fu- gars EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. gar*, fpermaceti-candles, onions, &c. Befides each veffel is bound to bring in one horfe 7, which they often fupply by a head only; affirming, that they put on board a horfe, but that he diéd on the pafflage. For the above commo- dities the American traders export all the melaffes of this colony to diftil into rum at home, and frequently fhip- loads of other productions and merchandize, though this is done in a clandeftine manner, by which both the feller and buyer are confiderable gainers, being ready cafh for the one, and a cheap bargain for the other. From the Leeward Iflands thefe veffels alfo import pri- vate mulatto and quaderoon flaves, which being gene- - rally young and handfome, whatever may be their mo- ral character, fell for confiderable prices. Having thus fhewn, according to the beft information I was able to acquire, in what the commerce and intrinfic wealth of this fine colony confift; I will now take my leave of the fubject, and continue my narrative. On the arft of February, Mr. Reyn/dorp, the fon-in- law of Mrs. Godefroy, took me in his fail barge for change of air to Nuten-Schadelyk, one of his own. coffee eftates; where I faw a white man who had lately loft both his eyes in one night by the bats or vampires, as they are called; and the following day, failing up Come- wina River, we proceeded to the delightful Cacao plan- * T have faid they can make no rum here; neither do they refine fugar. + Mr. Hartzink mentions four horfes, but thts is a miftake, . tation 906 CHAP. XXIV. moe mere NARRATIVE OF AN tation A/kimaar, the property of the above lady; where the negro flaves are treated like children by the miftrefs, to whom they all look up as to their common parent.— Here were no groans to be heard, no fetters to be met with, nor any marks of feverity to be feen—but all was harmony and content. The fuperb houfe and other offices of this charming eftate, where pleafure and hofpi- tality ever reign, I have already reprefented in plate N° X.3; while the fields and gardens, nay, even the negro houfes, bore all the marks of perfect peace and plenty. The cacao-trees are fupplied from nurferies for the purpofe, like orchards in England, and planted very re- gularly at ten or twelve feet diftance from each other, where they grow to the height of our Englifh cherry- trees. But thefe plantations muft be well fheltered, both from the hard winds and fcorching fun, when young; the roots not entering deep into the ground to fuccour them, nor can they at that time bear extraordinary heat; on which account the groves are filled up with caflava- fhrubs or plantain-trees for their fhelter, and which at the fame time anfwer the purpofe of killing the weeds, which grow fo luxuriantly in all the tropical climates ;— by thefe attentions the trees will bear fruit before they are three years old, when they afford two crops annually, but they are in the higheft perfection at the age of twelve or fourteen. The leaf of the cacao-tree is above eight inches long, and nearly three broad, thick-pointed, ribbed like the laurel-time, and of a bright green-colour. The EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. The fruit is about the fame fize, and when young refem- 207 CHAP. XXIV. bles a cucumber; but when ripe it becomes yellow hke , ; a large lemon, with ribs like the melon, and tubercles which enclofe the feed or nuts, near thirty 1 number : they lie longitudinally in the fruit, and when fit for ufe are of the fize of olives, and purple-coloured. The trees are fuppofed to bear at each crop from thirty to three hundred pods, each containing about thirty nuts, weigh- ing one pound, from which a calculation may be made | how much will be the produce of each harveft. After a few days the nuts are extracted from the pods, and dried in the fhade; during which time they undergo a very {trong perfpiration, when they are put into barrels and fit for tranfportation, to be converted into that well-known and agreeable beverage called Chocolate. It is faid the cacao-trees are natives of Guiana, and grow wild in large quantities near the river Amazon: be that as it may, Governor C/azilon’s fon planted the firft tree in Surinam in 1684, and the firft crop was exported to Holland in 1733. A great advantage in cultivating cacao-trees is, that fewer flaves are required than in any ether branch of the planting bufinefs. How confider- able are the profits will appear by the accounts of the year 1774, when 506,610 lbs. were exported to Amfter- dam alone, which produced 202,614 f. Dutch money, being equal to £. 18,419 fterling. The prices have been fluctuating from 4d.,to gd. per lb. the average being 6 about NARRATIVE COEF? AW about 6:d. ‘The beit eftates, of which “/kmaar is one, produce yearly above 80,000 lbs. weight. In the plate annexed, / is the leaf above, B below*; C, the wood; D, thé flower; E, the young pulp;iF; the fame in perfection ; and G, the feeds or nuts to make the chocolate. — ‘ On the 27th we returned to town, where the day before a Society foldier was fhot for mutiny; and the day fol- iowing a fhip was burnt in the roads. At this time the celebrated free negro Qwafi, who was the prophet, prieft, and king of the rangers, &c. went to Holland:on a vifit to the Prince of Orange, with letters of recom- mendation from Fourgeoud, whofe praifes he was to re- found, as well as to complain of the Governor for not treating him with due refpect. This being the period for the feffions, another negro’s leg was cut off for fculk- ing from a tafk to which he was unequal; while twe rnore were condemned to be hanged for running away altogether. The heroic behaviour of one of thefe men before the court deferves particularly to-be noticed :-—He begged only to be heard for a few maments; which be ing granted, he proceeded thus: “| was born in Africa, where, defending my prince “© during an engagement, I was made a captive, and fold *¢ for a flave on the coaft of Guinea by my own country- * Drs. Bancroft and Brooke fay, the leaf is light above and dark below, which in my original drawing is quite the reverfe, ” 66 men. ? a) ? ee e Yprig J the l fito, OF CHOLLI SCE Z London. Published Deelt"7 91, by Te Sohnson, SPauls Church Yard. 63 ¢ calle ; 3 aR; i 4 > ei ‘ ‘ Di hd, | é H , . . 4 ' ‘ r = ts , ea im " i - 7 i B'S, 7 F i} j 7 \ . . y , 4 - = 5, 2 - 1 ¥ f 4 . i . ‘ . & « : . . 6¢ 66 EXPEDITIYVON: TO - SURINAM. 209 men.—One of your countrymen, who is now to be cne CHAP. of my judges, became my purchafer, in whofe fervice . Iwas treated fo cruelly by his over/eer, that I deferted, and joined the rebels in the woods.—-Here again I was condemned to be a flave to Bonny, their chief, who treat- . ed me with even more feverity than I had experienced from the Europeans, till I was once more forced to elope, determined to fhun mankind for ever, and inoffenfively to end my days by myfelf in the foreft. Two years had I perfevered in this manner quite alone, undergoing the greateft hardfhips and anxiety of mind, preferving life only for the poffibility of once more feeing my dear family, who were perhaps ftarving on my account, in my own country; I fay two miferable years had juft elapfed, when I was difcovered by the rangers, taken, and brought before this tribunal, who are now ac- quainted with the hiftory of my wretched life, and from whom the only favour I have to afk is, that I may be executed mext Saturday, or as foon as it may ¢ poffibly be convenient.” This fpeech was uttered with the atmott moderation, by one of the fineft-looking negroes that was perhaps ever feen; to which his former mafter, who, as he ob- ferved, was now one of the judges, made the following laconic reply —* Rafcal! that is not what we want to €é 6¢ 4 know; but the sorture this moment fhall make you confefs crimes as black as yourfelf, as well as thofe of your hateful accomplices.” To which the negro, who Vou. II. Ee — now XE, 210 CHAP. XXIV. en em NARRATIVE 0|OF'AN now {welled in every vein with indignation and ineffable contempt: ** Maffera, the tigers have trembled for thefe ‘¢ hands,” holding them up; ‘and dare you think to “‘ threaten me with your wretched inftrument? No, I “ defpife the utmoft tortures you can now invent, as “ much as I do the pitiful wretch who is going to in- “ fli& them.” Saying which, he threw himfelf down on the rack, where amidft the moft excruciating torments he remained with a {mile, without uttering a fyllable; nor did he ever {peak again, until he ended his unhappy days at the gallows. What good man can “ reflect the tear-ftain’d eye, ' «© When blood attefts even flaves for freedom die? “ On cruel gibbets, high difclos’d they reft, «* And fearce one groan efcapes one bloated breaft. Here fable Ce/ars* feel the Chriftian rod, “ There Aftic Platos, tortur’d hope a God, « While jetty Brutus for his country fighs, {72 “ And footy Caso with his freedom dies ! Having dined with Colonel Fourgeoud on the 8th of March, when we celebrated the Prince of Orange’s birth- day, while Mr. Reyndorp gave a treat to all the foldiers, he acquainted me that the rangers were now alone encamped at the Wana Creek; that the peftilential {pot Devil’s Har- war was at laft entirely forfaken; and that the two lately * The above names, with fuch as Nero, flaves, in exchange for Quacoo, Quacy, Pluto, Charon, Cerberus, Proferpine, Me- Quamy, RUAN, Quafi iba, Adjubay, dufay ‘Ke. are ufually given to negro &c, 7 -yaifed EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. raifed companies of fable volunteers had taken a few prifoners, and killed others on the Wanica path, behind Paramaribo. I was at this time a good deal better, but {till, not being quite recovered, he who had formerly treated me fo feverely, now even infifted on my ftaying fome longer time at Paramaribo: nay, gave me an offer to re-_ turn to Europe, which I abfolutely refufed; in fhort, about the middle of the month, I was as well as ever I was in my life. At this time Colonel Fourgeoud and myfelf were daily vifitors of the ladies, in whofe company no man could behave better, while I could often not avoid difguft; indeed fo languid were many in their looks, and fo unreftrained were fome in their converfation, that a Mrs. N—— even afked me, fans ceremonie, to fupply the place of her hufband; while fhe might as well have afked me to drink, for a relifh, a tumbler of falts. On the 17th, however, my eyes were better feafted, when, going to dine with Colonel Texier of the Society troops, I firft took a walk in the orange grove and the . governor’s gardens; here, peeping through the foliage, I foon difcovered two moft elegant female figures after bathing, the one a fine young Sasdoo, the other a d/oom- ing Xuaderoon, which laft was fo very fair complexioned, that fhe might have paffed for a native of Greece, while the rofes that glowed in her cheek were equal to thofe | that bloffomed in the fhrubbery *. They were walking _ * Itis to be remarked, that though Eu nefs_ peculiarly engaging, particularly fopeans look pale under the torrid zone, mulattoes and quaderoons, the native inhabitants have often a frefh- Eee hand arr CHAP. XX1Va Ee aed 212 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. hand in hand, and converfing with {miles near a flowery XXIV. bank that adorned the fide of a cryftal brook, in which they plunged the inftant they heard me ruftling sagiaal the verdure, like two mermaids : “© Then to the flood they rufh’d; the parted flood © “ Tts lovely guefts with clofing waves receiv’d, «© And every beauty foft’ning, every grace “ Flufhing anew, a mellow luftre fhed. 7 Leaving them to enjoy their innocent amufement of bathing, I {pent the remaining hour before dinner amongtft the fhady fruit-trees, blooming bowers, and ferpentine gravel walks; where indeed I faw greater variety of Eu- ropean plants than I imagined were produced in a tro-= pical climate, fuch as mint, fennel, fage, rofemary, gold- en-rod and jeffamine, the fenfitive plant, pomegranates, rofes, figs, and even fome: grapes.—Of the pomegranate flowers, a fpecimen may be feen in plate, N° XXIX. The figs are both within and without of a beautiful crimfon colour; but the rofes are rather pale.:: Here were fome beautiful pine-apples and melons, which, though they are fo generally known, I will neverthelefs give fome- account of. The imperial fruit, called Avana or pine- apple grows in the centre of an elegant fea-green plant, on a ftalk of the fame hue, about eight inches in length, its leaves diverging near the furface of the earth; which are fmooth, long, ftrong, pointed, and dentulated © with hard prickles. The fhape of this fruit is nearly oval, the fize of a fugar-loaf, all over chequered, and of amoft - EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. a moft beautiful orange or golden colour, being crowned with a fea-green tuft, of the fame leaves as the mother plant, and which when put in the ground produces an- other pine-apple in the {pace of about eighteen months. The delicious tafte and flavour of this fruit has in the fpace of half a century become fo well known, that I have introduced it merely to notice its p/enty in the country I write of; for fo {pontaneoufly indeed do the former grow in this climate, and of fuch different kinds, without any cultivation, that on many eftates they ferve as a common food for hogs. The mu/k and water melons grow alfo plentifully in this country ; the firft is of a globular form, large, like the crown of a {mall hat, ribbed, buff colour, orange and green. The pulp is yellow, firm, fweet, and fucculent; ftill it is eaten with fugar, but more frequently with black pepper and falt—the fmell of this fruit is ex- cellent. The water-melon is of an oval or cylindrical fhape, its colour is a bright polifhed green, and partly a very pale buff; the pulp of this fruit is a pink colour, and of a mellow watery fubftance; its tafte is fweet, exceedingly cooling, and of a moft agreeable flavour. Both the above melons are of the cucumber kind, grow- ing on rough ftalks, with large leaves, that creep along the ground. It is remarkable that the water-melon, which may be freely eaten in all diftempers without the leatt pernicious confequence, thrives beft in very dry and fandy places. 114 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. places.—In the annexed plate may be feen the Avzana XXIV. or pine-apple, with the mufk and water-melon, befides the feed from which this laft is produced. I fent about this period, toa Mr. Reygerfman in Holland, a moft elegant collection of Surinam datterflies, which are here caught in great abundance and variety, and by which alone fome people make no fmall profit; but the very idea of pinning them alive to a fheet of paper, was fufficient to prevent me from becoming a fly-catcher : ““ Lo! the poor beetle that we tread upon—— ‘€© Feels a like pang, as when a giant falls.” Now Captains Van Geurick and Fredericy, with Ser- jeant Fowler, were fent on an embafly to the Owea and Sarameca free negroes, if poffible to procure their af- fiftance againft the rebels, which they always continued to promife (while Colonel Fourgeoud gave them prefents) but never yet performed. A few of the other officers ftill ftayed with us gal/anting at Paramaribo, amongit whom were Major Medler and Captain Hemmet*, who had both been with General Defalve’s regiment, in the colony Berbicé, and previous to that the firft was in the Pruffian fervice. It was no {mall change of appearance * The latter gentleman, in the year thronedalfo the king of Salangoo, whofe 1783, failed from the Texel to the Mo- land he captured for the Dutch Eaft-In- Jucca iflands; where, as commander in dia Company, befides taking 127 pieces chief, he killed the king of Pongue, with of cannon, &ce his three fons, and 600 men; and de- for A ee ee ee ee ee A Smith Scuip! pee’ Wer she 2 Nelon; Vaters Welon XLine . Viptle Pi London, Published Deelt!9791 bv S Sohnson, S’Pauls Church Yard. 04 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 21S, for us, who had fo little a time before appeared like wild CHAP. men, now to ftrut through Paramaribo, dreffed lke ees fo many French marquees. Being a particular favourite of Governor Nepveu, I one day was induced to afk him for apiece of wuculti- vated foreft ground; when he readily granted me 400 acres: but when I inconfiderately afked it of him, I had not calculated how large a capital it required to clear away woods, purchafe negroes, and provide other neccf- faries for fuch an undertaking; and when a little re- flection convinced me how difficult it would be to find a partner of abilities to affift me, I declined accepting this mark of the governor’s regard. Having on the 26th once more faved a poor black girl from receiving fome hundred lathes, by replacing a dozen of china, which fhe had broken by accident; while an- other was {tabbed by a Frenchman, who immediately cut his own throat from remorfe, and his companion, an —overfeer, hanged himfelf; and having vifited the poor negro whofe leg had lately been cut off dy Jaw, I pack- ed my boxes to fet out next morning on my fixth cam- paign; and once more take the command of the River Comewina: at which moment arrived at my lodgings fix loaded negro flaves with prefents from my hofpitable - friends, of every kind that Guiana could produce, and the colony of Surinam could afford me. CHAP. 216 NARRATIVE OF AN — CH A-P. XxX Singular Method of detecting a Theft—Rencounter between the Rangers and Rebels—=Amazonian Action of a black Girl—Wonderful Sagacity in wild Bees—The Regiment receives a fecond Order to return to Europe. N the 27th of March, 1776, adieu once more Para- maribo, my Joanna, and my boy! This morning, a little before I fat out, I faw a Mr. @’Halbergh terribly bitten by a large iguana or lizard, at the very moment he was prefling me and my com- panions to ftay a few days, to be prefent at the cele- bration of what he called his Siver -fea/t, being the twenty-fifth anniverfary of his marriage; but after con- doling with him upon account of the accident, we em- barked in a tent-barge, and arrived that evening at the Spork{gift eftate in Matapica. Here we were entertained two days by Captain Mac Neal, with the greatett ‘hofpi- tality. I was however nearly fuffocated by the fteam of fome green coffee, which was fpread on the floor of the lodge where I had flung my hammock, : Late on the evening of the 29th, we arrived at the Gold-mine plantation, where we found a negro boy and girl, fufpended by each others fide from a high beam, by a rope faftened to their ¢4umbs, which were tied behind their EXPRDITLON TO SOR 1 N Ago. their backs, this almoft diflocated their fhoulders, and mui{t have occafioned the moft agonizing tortures. Thus I cut the miferable victims down, without leave or ce- remony, and {wore that inftant to demolifh the tyran- nical overfeer who had inflicted this new mode of punifh- ment, unlefs he promifed immediately to forgive them ; which he miraculoufly did in my prefence. On the 30th, a little before we landed at the Hope, Tt: difcovered that all my fugar, with the greateft part of my rum, was gone; and detected the thief by the follow- ing laughable ftratagem (though not my own invention) —I told the negroes, fix in number, that a parrot’s feather was to grow within fix minutes upon the tip of his nofe who was moft guilty; at the fame time pronouncing a few incoherent words, and making two or three circles with my fabre, I fhut myfelf within the tilt: here, peeping through the key-hole, and obferving the rowers with great attention, without their perceiving me, I foon faw one of them, at every ftroke of the oar, put up his hand, and feel the tip of his nofe; upon which I inftantly ran up to him, and cried, ‘ I fee the parrot’s feather! Thou “ art the thief, thou rafcal!” To which the poor fuper- ftitious fellow inftantly anfwered, “ Yaw, me maffera!” then kneeling to the /orcerer for mercy, and the others alfo intreating me to {pare him, I pardoned the credulous thief and his accomplices, who by their candid confef- fion obtained a piece of falt beef for their dinner, and a gourd full of good grog in the bargain. Vou. IL Ff Immediately 217 CH AP, XXV. (epee) pend NARRATIVE OF AN Immediately on my arrival I took the command of the whole river, and now was once more the Prince of Comewina. I alfo built an elevated pa/ace, in imitation of Prince Bonny’s at Boofy-Cry, on twelve ftrong ftakes; which aerial habitation I found very neceflary, the whole poft being almoft under water by the inundations, and by neglect become a perfect mire-pool, while of my former cottage not a veftige was to be feen. Here I found the marines in perfect mifery, being almoft naked, and hav- ‘ing fold their very fhoes for a mouthful of freth provi- fions. Thefe grievances, however, by my labour and interceffion with Colonel Fourgeoud, whofe favourite I now became more and more, were fpeedily redreffed, and the Hope, in a little time, appeared like a paradife, when compared with its former ftate. | Shooting was now, as formerly, my favourite diverfion $ and on the 4th I brought home akind of p/over, a couple of red-breafis, and near a dozen gra/s-/parrows. The plover of Guiana is the fize of a pigeon, its co- lour a dark-brown and white, with tranf{verfe bars. The wet favannahs are full of them, and they are delicate eating. The red-breaft is a kind of large bull-finch, with the upper part of its body'a deep chefnut; and all the reft a blood=-colour: this is reckoned as good as an ortolan, and abounds on all the plantations. The grafs- f{parrow, which I think is by fome called the avaca, is a beautiful little creature, like a paroquet; thefe birds are perfe@ly green, with a white bill and red eyes. They do 7 ~-ommuch EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. much damage amonegft the rice and Indian corn, flying in prodigious flocks upon the plantations, At the Hope the ¢rochulus, or humming-birds, were fo thick among the tamarind-trees, that they refembled a {warm of bees; a Lieutenant Swé/dens daily fetching down feveral of them, by blowing {mall peas or Indian corn through a hollow reed. Of all the tropical birds, this little creature is particu- larly worth attention, not only on account of its beauty, but for its diminutive fize, being fmaller than the firft joint of a man’s finger; and when deprived of its feathers not larger than a blue-bottle fly. However, there are fe- veral {pecies, and fome twice as large. ‘Thefe birds vary much in their colour: in the fhade they appear generally of a deep fhining green; which, by the reflection of the fun, produces a fplendid purple brown and azure. The head is crefted with a {mall tuft of feathers, green, black, and gold; the tail and wings are a gloffy black; the bill is not much thicker than a pin, it is long, black, and crooked at the end; the tongue is forked, and refembles a red filk thread; with this they fip the nectar or honey from the flowers, during which time they are ftationary, exactly like bees, and this juice feems to be the only nourifhment of thefe little creatures. They often make their neft on the leaf of a wild pine-apple, or dwarf aloe, which is _conftructed moftly of cotton, and not larger than the hufk of a walnut; their eggs are about the fize of peas, and only two innumber. Madam Merian fays, that the hum- Fra | ; ming- 21g CHAP, XXV. core pom 220-— CHAP. XXV. ed NARRATIVE OF AN ming-bird fits on four eggs; which, for my part, I never faw or heard of during my refidence in Guiana. In the annexed plate I have endeavoured to reprefent them and their little habitation in natural fize; though I found it impoffible to make the drawing more perfect, their motion upon the wing being fo very quick, that the feathers are hardly perceptible; and this motion occa- fions that humming noife, from which this delicate little creature derives its name. Here were alfo immenfe flocks of monkies: I have feen above two hundred of them in a field of fugar-canes, where they make great devaftation. Thefe wary animals place fentinels all round the field to give the alarm; and I myfelf have been a witnefs with what fagacity and fide- lity they perform this duty, when the whole company hop into the foreft, each with his plunder in his paw. — Swimming was another of my favourite amufements, which contributed to make me more healthy, and ftronger than moft of my companions; as it is beautifully omc by me author of the Sea/ons :— es This i is the pureft exercife of health, ¢ The kind refrefher of the fummer heats: = Hence the limbs « Kies into force, and tfie fame Roman arm «“ That rofe viétorious o’er the conquer’d earth, : * Firft learn’d when tender to fubdue the wave.” ; ‘ee Bey On the 14th I fhot an alligator; but returning from this excurfion in a boat, a packet of letters from Colonel } Fourgeoud SSH \\Y / HH QW SS ie a. ‘ . D: oa 5 ° Wee SOUNMUNG Ler weille ibs west 4, London, Published Dee.1azg1, by J. Sohnson, Pauls Church Yard. OF a Pee rang saree ee eH EX PE DLE LON. lO - SU RIN VAM, Fourgeoud being reached me, unfortunately fell over- board into the water, and fank immediately; fome officers, however, the next day coming to the Hope, informed me of the principal contents, w/z. that Colonel Fourgeoud, being determined once more to fcour the woods, had ordered me to fend up all my {pare men and provifions, as alfo the Society troops who were now at Oranjebo, the former to Magdenberg, and the latter to the river Pirica; which J performed, retaining only twelve crippled foldiers at the Hope, and as many at Cla- renbeek, without either furgeon or medicines; neverthe- lefs, with this fmall number, I made daily patroles by land and water—they alfo informed me of the death of enfign Van Halm, and that another fhip with fick was ordered Shortly to fet fail for Holland. Colonel Fourgeoud, though he himfelf remained ftill _ at Paramaribo, yet continued attentively to command. Thus, on the 23d, he ordered a detachment of ene hun- _dred men to reconnoitre from Magdenberg to the Wana Creek and Marawina river ; but they returned without any new difcoveries. . As I was now likely to be continued at the Hope for fome time, I fent for my fheep and poultry, from the eftate where 1 had left them, prefenting Mr. Gour/y with a ram and a ewe, as being of a breed fuperior to any in the colony; and I found with joy that my flocks had confiderably encreafed in numbers. On the 26th one of my men brought me a {nake, which 227 CHA-P, XXV. (neem pecmeesd 222 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAyp. which he had juft killed; it was about four feet long, AXV. | and not thicker than the barrel of a mufket; when per-. ceiving a knob near its middle, larger than my fift, I had the curiofity to cut it open, and an enormous frog made its appearance, perfectly alive and entire, a {mall {pot on the back of its head and neck excepted, which was blue and flimy, as if beginning to putrify. For the fake of experiment, I faftened him with a ftring to his foot upon a grafs-plat near the river for three days; when finding the poor animal hearty and well, I gave him his liberty, with a-caution to keep a better look-out for the future. . On the 28th I paid a vifit to Tomas Palmer, Efq. late King’s counfellor at Maflachufett’s Bay, upon his eftate called Fairfield. Here both the mafter and his flaves were perfectly happy and contented, chiefly owing to Mr. Palmer’s juft and equitable admiuniftration to all around him; and fuch were the confequences of his wife govern- ment, that few plantations in the Weft Indies could boaft of greater profperity, either in point of produce or popula- tion; while the courtefy and hofpitality of the gentleman- like proprietor to ftrangers, completed his happy charac- ter, which fhone confpicuoufly throughout the colony. Upon my return to the Hope I received a letter from the commander in chief, informing me that Mr. Vinfack with his rangers had killed feveral rebels, and taken eleven prifoners; but that another party of the rangers hhad been furprized by the enemy, and feveral of them {hot dead while afleep in their hammocks. During EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. During thefe fkirmifhes, an inftance of prefence of mind was exhibited by a rebel negro, I think but feldom equalled :—A ranger having levelled his piece was jutt going to fire at him, when the man called out, holding up his hand, ** What, Sir, do you mean to kill one of “ your own party?” Which the ranger believing him to be, replied, ** God forbid!” and dropping the muzzle of his piece, inftantly received a ball through the body from his adverfary, which killed him; and who, having thus faved himfelf, difappeared like a flafh of lightning. One of the captive negroes related, that the evening before they were taken, a rebel, who had formerly deferted from Fau- conberg was cut to pieces with fabres, by Bonny’s com- mand, as two others had been before we took Gado- Saby. On the 6th of May it blew a violent hurricane, accom- panied with thunder and lightning, fo that many trees were torn up by the roots, and moft of the houfes on the Hope blown down or unroofed; my aerial palace, how- ever, by good fortune, withftood this gale; and upon the 8th, Joanna, with her boy, arriving at this place, I promifed myfelf a fcene of happinefs equal to that I experienced in 17743 efpecially as my family, my fheep, and my poultry, were now doubled; befides, I had at this time a beautiful garden, and if I could not with propriety be called a planter, I might at leaft claim, with fome degree of juftice, the name of a little farmer. On the oth we all dined with Mr. de Graaf, at his beau- tiful 223 CHAP, XXV. (cere aoa ’ NARRATIVE VOR LAN tiful plantation Kxoppemombo, in Caflawina Creek, where this worthy man had foretold, before the birth of my boy, that both he and his mother fhould one day be happy and free. Here I faw the following roots and plants, which I have not yet obferved.—The ¢ayers, which are the hearts of a farinaceous green fhrub, not above two or three feet high, with remarkable large leaves, in the form of a heart, the trunk fomething refembling that of a banana-tree. This plant being cut down, and with a knife divefted of its outer tegument, has the appear- ance and confiftency of a yam or potatoe, but is better eating, having a much finer grain. The tayers are of different kinds; the f{malleft is preferred, and made ufe of in the fame manner as the above roots. I have here alfo found a kind of real potatoe, and in large quantities, but they are only ufed by the negroes, being inferior to the hog-potatoes in Great Britain. : The tobacco plant grows here with large downy leaves, full of fibres; it flowers almoft continually, and will laft for twelve or fourteen years, but is fo inferior to the Vir- ginia tobacco, that it is only ufed by the flaves. This plant derived its name from the ifland Jodago, where’ it was firft difcovered, in 1560. They have here alfo a kind of wild zea, which is accounted very wholefome, but in my opinion is no better than Englifh ground-ivy. I found plenty of tomate, which being produced in many Britifh gar- dens, I will not attempt to defcribe; but only obferve — that EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. that the Jews are particularly fond of it, and ftew it with butchers meat inftead of onions. The phy/fic-nut tree is likewife to be met with here; this is a knotty fhrub, that grows about ten or twelve feet in height, and very flender; the nut that it produces has a kernel like an almond, and taftes as well, provided it be deprived of a thin white fkin that adheres to it, otherwife a violent vomiting and purging is the immediate confe- quence of {wallowing it. They alfo fhewed me feveral kinds of peas and beans, and other fruits growing in pods ; fuch as the caja, a fhining hard yellow feed inclofed in a woody fhell near fixteen inches long, and very fmall, with a black foft pulp as fweet as honey: this is confi- dered as a very fafe laxative: the caffia grows on a tree very common in Guiana, and which 1s called /oete boonties and cotiaan. Another kind of pod, named /eve-yaars beontie, is fo called, becaufe it is faid to be in bloffom feven years before it produces. The fhrub called /nakee weeree-weerce alfo grows here; they told me it was a fo- vereign remedy for fevers, and I take it to be the fame as the Jerpentaria Virginiana, or Virginian fnake-root. Laftly, I faw a vegetable or flower here called /even- boom, which is too frequently ufed by the young negro girls to promote abortion, as are alfo the green pine- apples, which are faid to have the fame effect. Thus having {pent not only an agreeable but an in- _ftructive day at Knoppemombo, we took leave of our very good friend in the evening, and rowed contentedly ss Vou. I. 3 & back NARRATIVE OR tA N back to the Hope, our boat being nearly loaded with pre- fents of every kind, amongft which were fome fine co- coa-nuts, that one of his flaves, after walking, I may fay more properly than climbing*, up the tree, had brought down in my prefence, and after a fierce engagement with a black ferpent upon the very top of it, which by the help of his knife he vanquithed, and to our admiration dropped it down dead at our feet. The flaves of the Hope and Fauconberg alfo tet: tified their refpect for Joanna and her boy, by bringing in prefents of fowls, fruit, eggs, venifon, and fifh; and Mr. Palmer handfomely prefented us with a large quan- tity of Indian corn to feed our poultry. Thus every thing feemed to contribute to our felicity, which was however confiderably allayed by the difagreeable news we received on the 18th, informing me of the death of my dear friend, Mr. Walter Kennedy, fhortly after his arrival in Holland?+: it was now alfo confirmed that the Dutch had refufed the Scots Brigade to his Britannic Ma- jefty ; which greatly furprized me, as I confidered it as a. claim not only from affinity, but alfo by treaty. To amufe my mind from thefe unpleafing fubjects, I now paid a fhort vifit to my French acquaintance Mon- * See Vol. II. page 69. plate L. + This gentleman a little before his ing him with his diffolution (which he departure fhewed me a letter from the un- ~ had felt approach) was figned, “ Your’s happy youth Campbell; which, after thank- _ “ to eternity, R.C;” and to his father ing him for every civility, and acquainte he had wrote the fame. 6 fieur EX BEDITION TO SURINAM, fieur Cachelieu, at his plantation Egmond. Here, amongft other company, I met with an Italian, a planter called D’O—s, who had but one arm; with which, however, he took up a knife at table, and without the fmalleft provo- cation, as 1 fat next him, made’ a back thruft .at me, to the aftonifhment of all who were prefent. Having fortu- nately parried the blow by beating up his elbow, which occafioned the point of his knife to pafs over my fhoulder, I ftarted up, and was going to put him inftantly to death ; but this being prevented, I offered to fight him with one hand tied behind me, and with any inftrument he chofe, fift, bludgeon, fword, piftol, or even knife; this the cow- ardly affaffin having refufed, was kicked out of company, and fent home to his plantation called Hazard. So violent was this unhappy man’s difpofition, that fome little time before, he ordered a poor negro woman, who was advanced eight months in her pregnancy, to be flogged, until her inteftines appeared, and that only for breaking atumbler. One of his male flaves, trying to evade his feverity, was fhot dead on the {pot; and there was not a flave belonging to his eftate but was cut by the lafh of his whip from the neck to the heel. Colonel Fourgeoud now fending a proper fupply of men, with a furgeon and medicines, the Hope wore a more pleafing afpeét, and health and content began to be vifible in every countenance. Amongft other things, I encouraged the men to catch fifth, which were here in abundance, and the negroes taught them how to make ie 2 the 27% CHAP. XXV. caesar. peed) 228 CHAP. XXV. NARRATIVE OF AN the proper fnaresy fuch as the /prizg-book, and manfoa or fpring-bafket. I have given areprefentation of both thefe in the plate annexed, where the f{pring-hook is exprefi by the letter 4, being a long elaftic pole, like a. TO! g fifhing-rod, ftuck in the ground under water, at the other end of which is fixed a double line, the fhorteft having faftened to it a fmall ftick, ten inches long, a and the other the fame, but a little lower; while at the ex- : tremity of ‘dis line is hooked a {mall fith by the fins, in fuch a manner as to {wim to and fro, and bea bait for the larger fpecies. Two long fticks being next placed in the ground fo as to appear above water, a third ftick much fhorter, forms them like a gallows; above this gallows is bent and fixed the elaftic pole, by means of the double line and its beams; but in fo very flight a manner, that upon the leaft touch the whole ap- paratus gives way, and the large pole ereéts itfelf, when the fifh that occafioned the f{pring, by taking the bait, is fufpended to the houk in the air, as exhbited by the figure B. Be The man/oa or {pring-bafket is laahe upon the fame conftruction, and may be feen by referring to letter C, where it is reprefented open and under water, with the bait {wimming in it. This bafket is made of warimbo reeds, in the form of a fugar-loaf (the above apparatus being fixed to the middle) in the {mall end of which the elaftic pole is fattened, while at the other end is an oper trap-door, the whole being fupported in an erect pofition ) “ ‘ Voor O calihing iit Cy Lhe Spring Snitsh 0. London, Published Dee £49 91, by SL Sohnson, JIL Paule Church Yard. 66 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. by a forked ftick. No fooner has a large fith entered and taken the bait, than this pole, as in the former, erects itfelf with a fpring, and the fnap or trap-door fhuts on the invader, and he is taken, as may be feen by letter D. This differs from the former, no hook of any kind being neceflary. An idea of the ingenuity of the negroes may be formed from thefe conftructions, as this mode of catching their fifth requires no attendance, for the {naps being fet at night, the fith is found in the morning, which is generally the newmara or barracota already deferibed. Among the variety of fifh caught here was the //a, a {mall oval fifh, marked not unlike a pine-apple; the Jokay, which is a large fifth, and very good eating; the _ torro-torro, and another called farpoen; the firft three feet in length; the other, which is white, about two feet fix inches. On the 26th, I faw a moft furprifing difplay of activity, ftrength, and courage by a young female negro, called Clardina, at the Hope; where a wild ftag having ftrayed from the flock, at the moment it came bounding over the foot-path fhe feized it in full fpeed by the hinder leg, but not being able to ftop it, fhe fuffered herfelf to be dragged to a confiderable diftance, nor until fhe was terribly wounded would fhe let go her hold. The Hope was now truly a charming habitation, being _ perfectly dry even in fpring-tides, and wafhed by pleaf- | ing canals that let in the frefh-water every tide; while the hedges furrounding the fields and gardens were | neatly NARRATIVE OF AN neatly cut, and produced fruit and vegetables of many fpecies for our ufe. The houfes and bridges were alfo all repaired, while the ftricteft adherence to cleanlinefs was recommended and enforced among the men: by thefe means not one fick perfon out of fifty was now to be found, where floth, ftench, and difeafe had_ fo lately fpread their deftructive influence, and to which the land and fea-fcurvy had given the moft fatal affiftance. Of the above fcorbutic complaints, the former covers the body over with blotches, and the latter chiefly affects the teeth and gums. I now enjoyed the greateft flow of health and fpirits, - while moft of my old ihip-mates were either dead or re- turned to Europe; not a fingle officer at this time being in rank above me, except only fuch as had been formerly inured to the Weit India climate. But to return to my garden—this at prefent exhibited carrots, cabbages, onions, cucumbers, lettuces, radithes, pepper, crefles, &c. all thriving as well as in Europe ; befides forrel of two kinds, the common and the red, this Jaf{t grows upon a fhrub, and is excellent for making jam or marmalade. The jeffamine alfo was found here of different {pecies, that growing on a {mall tree being moft admired: it is of a pale but beautiful red colour, anda moft agreeable fmell; the leaves are thick, fhining, and filled with a milky juice. A fpecies of fenfitive fhrub they call /bame -/bame, grew alfo here, as did the fleep- ing plant, fo called from its leaves, which:are fet in pairs, clapping EXPERT DP 1b OWN, TO: UR EN A M. clapping clofe together from fun-fet to fun-rife, and ap- pearing as if the two were but one; but as foon as the fun is up they again open, and refume their double form. The above-mentioned thrubs were all difperfed through my hedges, befides pomegranates and Indian rofes, which blow every day; while a few elegant red-lilies, which alfo grow wild in the favannas, adorned the banks of my canals, the leaves of which flower have a very bright and beautiful green polifh. Thus fituated, we were vifited, among{t others, by a Madame de Z—e, in company with her brother, and a Mr. Schadts,; who were lately arrived from Holland; this lady was fuppofed the fineft woman that even Europe produced, as well as the moft accomplifhed. She fpoke feveral languages, and was a perfect miftrefs of mufic and painting; fhe danced elegantly, and rode vafily well on horfeback ; fhe even excelled in fhooting and fencing, &c. In order to make her perfect miftrefs of all the fa- fhionable exercifes, I offered her my affifiance in teach- ing her to {wim, which, however, with a fmile, fhe thought proper to refufe. My foldiers, and even negvoes, feemed now completely happy, amonegft whom the moft perfect harmony fub- fitted; while I frequently indulged them with a merry evening, and a grey-beard of rum. One night, in the midft of this feftivity, I fecretly or- dered the fentinel to fire his piece, and caufe a falfe alarm, as if the enemy were on the eftate; when I had the 932 NARRATIVE OF AN CuHap, the fatisfaction to fee them feize their arms, and rufh XXV. out with the utmoft order and intrepidity. This experi- ment I was the rather inclined to put in practice, as it was reported that the rebels intended foon to pay a vifit to the River Comewina. But we foon experienced that no fcene of perfect felicity can be lafting, for the dry feafon now fuddenly fetting+in, difeafe and mortality once more began to rage among us, ten or twelve men dying daily at the Java Creek and Magdenburg, while thofe under my command at the Hope diminifhed hourly. On the 3d, the furgeon made me the following report, « That my Enfign, Mr. Decabanes, had his anchor-a- *‘ peek, and would certainly fet fail for the other world *¢ with the ebb-tide;” which was really the cafe, for he died that very evening. This grieved me the more, as he had obtained his commiffion through my intereft, and bore an excellent character. ‘ | On the 4th of June, the fpring-flood broke down my dams while we were drinking the King’s health, and laid the whole poft under water, which created vaft confu- fion; and in‘this ‘diftrefs the overfeer Blenderman re- ‘fufed to lend me any affiftance, which occafioned fo vio- lent a quarrel, that he was glad to take to his heels, and make his efcape from the plantation. I fhall never have done mentioning the infolence of thefe favage brutes, who moftly are the refufe of the earth, brought “p in Germany, or elfewhere, under the cane of a corpo- ral. EXPEDITEION TO SURINAM. ral. Well,” faid one of thefe mifcreants ironically to an old free negro, “ don’t you believe that the monkies are “<< a race of damn’d Chriftians, who have been thus trans- “‘ formed for fhewing fo much lenity to fuch as you?” —‘ No, fir,” replied the black man, * we do not think that “¢ the monkies are damn’d Chriftians; but I, and all of us, * believe that many who call themfelves Chriftians are a * pack of damn’d monkies.”— Which pointed repartee afforded me infinite fatisfaction. Of the adminiftrators I fhall fay nothing, nor cf the appraifers of eftates; having, I believe, already mentioned that the firft got ten per cent. of all the produce, and many. of the latter enrich the purchafers and themfelves by felling under the value fuch property as is entrufted to their cares On the 7th, Mr. Moryn, adminiftrator of the Hope, being in a piece of newly-cultivated ground on the op- pofite fhore, I rowed over to obtain fatisfation of the im- pertinent Blenderman, who was along with him; but this fellow’s cowardice being equal to his infolence and barbarity, he made every conceffion, and promifed like- wife to repair my dams, rather than run the rifque of broken bones—thus a reconciliation was eftablifhed. Walking through thefe new fields, where a neat houfe was already built, I faw fome beautiful birds, amonetft which was the wwood-pecker. I ought indeed to have de- {cribed this bird before, and another, the name unknown to me, having had an opportunity of doing it when I was at Magdenburg, but I then took only drawings of them. ¥.O1,,, I. Hh The XXV. Veena ooensad NARIBIA TIV E Cm IAIN 4 elegant cinnamon-colour, fpeckled with dark brown and yellow ; near the rump it is entirely yellow; the head is — crefted with a fine crown of fmall feathers, of the fame colour as the body: the tail is long and black; the bill is ftraight, and of a fea-green colour, as are the legs and iris of the eyes, under which on each fide are two fpots of beautiful crimfon. The anonymous bird, which, however, the negroes called wwoodo-/oufo - fowlo, from its feeding on wood- lice, is larger than the former, and uncommonly bril- liant in its plumage; the head and upper part of its body being of a rich grafs green; the breaft and belly crimfon, divided by an afh-coloured bar. The tail is long, and of a dark blue, as are the prime feathers in the wings, which are alfo divided from the green by another afh-coloured bar; the bill is yeHow and hooked, being furrounded by a number of fmall black feathers, as are ‘the eyes, the iris of which is of a blood colour. (Both thefe birds may be feen in the annexed plate.)—As _ T have already obferved, however rich and beautiful the plumage may be which decorates the groves of Surinam, the melodious fong there is but feldom heard. They had alfo here the tame galinas, or Guinea-hens, called okay, which being fo well known in England, require no par- ticular defcription. | Among the plants which I faw here was the Ames rican aloe, above half a foot in thicknefs, and twenty feet high; it is an ever-green, pithy within and without, co- vered —=—= ST 0 a 7 = ! U } ‘ NACo ” She Udlou Vootfiecker & ood touse foul. C - London, Published Decliizor, by d.Sohnson, S¢Pauls Church Yard. (LM 67 EXPEDITIONY TOLSUIRIN AM. vered with fharp-pointed follicles, growing lefs as they ap- proach the fummit. This tree has numerous thick leaves diverging at its bafe, like the pine-apple plant, which are very long, broad pointed, and dentulated with ftrong prickles. On the top grows a clufter of yellow flowers, whofe pedicles contain the feed of future aloes, and which never fail to come to perfection in the {pace of two months.’ In the fkirts of the furrounding woods I faw alfo the — vanillas, or baxnilla, which is a fhrub that climbs up along the trunks of other trees, adhering to the bawk like ne- bees or ivy, by the help of its tendrils: the leaves are prodigioufly thick, and dark green, the fruit confifting of a triangular pod fix or eight inches long, and filled with fmall polifhed feeds. Thefe pods, being dried a fortnight in the fun, become brown, and have a fat rich aromatic tafte, and moft agreeable flavour ; on which ac- count they are ufed to {cent the chocolate. There are different kinds of vanilla, but that is moft efteemed which has its pods the moft long and moft flender. The negroes fhewed me here alfo a {mall {weetifh feed, which’ they called dongora. -As I returned to the Hope, I met Cojo, Joanna’s uncle, who had fhot one of the Jowliag baboons, which he brought to the Hope to fhew it me. Thefe animals are the fize of a {mall bull-dog, and the colour a reddifh- ; brown, with long hair; they have alfo a beard, and are upon the whole extremely ugly; but what chiefly dif- tinguifhes them from other monkies is their abominable HM hig how], 235 CHAP. ‘XXV. 236 NARRATIVE OF AN ¢€HAP. howl, which they perform in chorus whole groupes to- XXV. gether, and fo loud, that it may be heard above a mile $. thefe difcordant concerts, the negroes told me, they ge- nerally repeat, both night and day, at the time of high water, which, it is fuppofed, the baboons know by in- ftinct.—When fpeaking of inftinct in animals, I cannot omit relating the following fingular fat; after which F fhall return to the hiltorical part of my narrative. On the 16th I was vifited by a neighbouring gentle- man, whom I conducted up my ladder; but he had no fooner entered my aerial dwelling, than he leapt down from the top to the ground, roaring like a madman with agony and pain, after which he inftantly plunged his. head into the river; but looking up, I foon difcovered the caufe of his diftrefs to be an enormous neft of wild bees. or waffee-waffe, in the thatch, directly above my head,.as I ftood within my door; when I immediately took to my heels as he had done, and ordered them to’ be de- : molifhed by my flaves without delay. A tar mop’ was now brought, and the devaftation juft going to com- mence, when an old negro ftepped up, and offered to re= ceive any punifhment I fhould decree if ever one of thefe bees fhould fting mein perfon. “ Maflera,” faid he, “ they “ would have ftung you long ere now had you been a « ftranger to them; but they being your tenants, that is «“ gradually allowed to build upon your premiffes, they ‘affuredly know both you and your’s, and will never “ hurt either you or them.” I inftantly affented to the | propofition, EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 237 propofition, and tying the old black man to a tree, or- CHAP. dered my boy Quaco to afcend the ladder quite naked, which he did, and was mot ftung; I then ventured to follow, and I declare upon my honour, that even after fhaking the neft, which made its inhabitants buz about my ears, not a fingle bee attempted to fting me. I next releafed the old negro, and rewarded him with a gallon of rum and five fhillings for the difcovery. This fwarm | of bees I fince kept unhurt, as my body-guards, and they have made many overfeers take a defperate leap for my amufement, as 1 generally fent them up my ladder upon fome frivolous meffage, when I wifhed to punifh them for injuftice and cruelty, which was not feldom. The above negro affured me, that on his mafter’s eftate was an ancient tree, in which had been lodged ever fince he could remember, a fociety of d7rds, and an- other of dees, who lived in the greateft harmony toge- ther; but fhould any ftrange birds come to difturb or feed upon the bees, they were inftantly repulfed by their feathered allies, and if {ftrange bees dared to venture near the birds nefts, the native fwarm attacked the invaders, and ftung them to death: that his mafter and family had fo much refpect for the above affociation, that the tree was confidered as facred, and was not to be touched by an axe until it fhould yield to all-deftroying time. On the 22d, a patrole arrived from Rietwyk, in Pirica, who informed me, that a party of our troops were juft returned to Java Creek from a cruize to Vredenburg, at 9 the XXV. NA BRA TD VE “OB AUN the Marawina; and that, in conjunétion with the rangers, they had during this campaign deftroyed many fields of provifions belonging to the rebels: alfo, that for their faithful fervices, our fable allies had been complimented by the Society with new arms, and, for the firft time, -cloathed in green uniform jackets. I. further learned that the ambaffadors to the Owca and Serameca negroes were returned after a fruitlefs journey, as neither of thefe affociations would lend the fmalleft affiftance. _ In confe- quence of this refufal, Colonel Fourgeoud, being wearied himfelf, and having exhaufted his troops in deftroying moft of the rebel fettlements, at length determined to re- linquifh the whole expedition; which refolution he pre- vioufly communicated to his Serene Highnefs the Prince of Orange at the Hague. is er On the 23d I received pofitive orders to. prepare and be ready on the rsth of July, to break up, with all the troops under my command, leave the River, Gomewina, and. row down to Paramaribo, where the tranfport fhips were, put in commiffion to convey us back to Holland. This order I inftantly read before the front to all my men, who received it with unbounded joy and three cheers—but I alone fighed bitterly. — Oh my Joanna! Oh my boy!, who were at this time both dangeroufly ill,, the one with. a fever, the other with convulfions, fo that neither were. expected to furvive. Add to this, that I ran a nail quite through my foot—thus was completely miferable. , | | During this fcene of ficknefs and diftrefs, the rz or night EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. nicht -ow! of Guiana regularly paid us his noéturnal vi- C HA P. XXV. fits, even in the apartment where we lay, pouring out his melancholy hootings, until he was killed by one of my black attendants. This bird is here called Ooroocoocoo, from its note, to which this word has fome affinity. It _ is about the fize of a pigeon; the bill is yellow, and hooked like that of a fparrow-hawk; the eyes are alfo yellow; the tongue is cloven’; the ears very vifible; the legs ftrong, fhort, and armed with fharp claws: the ge- neral colour of this bird is a pale brown, except the breaft and belly, which are white, intermixed with fome fpots of amber. The fuperftitious negroes generally believe that where the night-owl makes his appearance morta- lity muft enfue: which prejudice is the more excufable, as this creature only frequents the apartments of the fick; but the real caufe which attracts the animal, I ap- prehend to be the /gd7s that upon thefe occafions are generally kept burning all night, or poffibly the morbid and putrid air, which excites its appetite for prey. An old Indian woman of Joanna’s acquaintance being now fent for to the Hope, I myfelf was foon cured by her fill and attention ; but my little family continued fo very unwell, that I thought it right to fend them to Parama- ribo before it was too late. Andon the toth of July I fent all my fheep and poultry to Fauconberg, one couple of fat ewes excepted, which I killed, and with which, by the addition of fifh and venifon, I entertained for two days following twenty-four of the moft refpectable inha- ‘bitants Ot} can 240 CHAP. bitants in the river, while the white bread, fruit, and. XXV. ‘ , Spanifh wines to help out the feaft, I received as a pre~ fent from my very worthy friend, Mr. James Gourland, NARRATIVE OF AN at Berghoven. On the 13th I ordered down the troops from C/aren- beek, where an hofpital had been a /econd time erected, and they this evening anchored off the Hope. On the 14th, an officer of the Honourable Society troops arrived to relieve me in the command of the river; and his men from that moment began to perform the duty. | I now removed my flag from the Hope to the barges ; and in the evening took my laft farewel of Joanna’s relations on the Fauconberg eftate; who, crouding round me, exprefied their forrow aloud for my departure, and with tears invoked the protection of Heaven for my fafe and profperous voyage. On the 15th we finally left the Hope, having marched my troops on board the barges at ten o’clock, A.M.; and at noon I fired my piftol as a fignal to weigh anchor, when we immediately proceeded down the River Come- wina for the roads of Paramaribo, to be embarked on board the tranfport fhips for Europe. CHAP. XPEDITION 'TO' SURINAM, CORA’ Pls XXVIL The Troops on Board—Again ordered to difembark--Gr eat De jection~-Mutiny—In/jolent Conduct of an Owca Negro Captain—Near two hundred Sick fent to Holtand— Gene- ‘ral Defcription of the African peti N the evening of the rth of July, we anchored off the eftate Berkfhoven, where I fpent the night afhore with my friend Gourley ; and in the morning we continued to row down the river, when I took my laft farewel of Mr. Palmer.- I paffed the evening of the 17th with Captain Mac Neyl; and, on the 18th, the whole fleet, confifting of my own barges, together with three from Magdenberg, and thofe from the River ‘Cottica, ar= rived fafe at anchor in thé roads of Paramaribo, where three tranfports lay ready to receive us, on board of which veffels I immediately embarked all the troops that had come down under my command. ‘This fervice being accomplifhed, I went afhore, and made my report to Colonel Fourgeoud ; after which | went to vifit Joanna and her boy, whom, to my great joy, I found very much recovered. “The following day | was again fent on board, to make the neceflary arrangements for the voyage; and’on the goth I dined with Colonel Fourgeoud, where, to ‘my “Vou, I. 13, furprize, CHAP, XXVI. Lerman erred 242 CHAP, XXVL Cen, pomcenee! NARRATIVE OF AN furprize, I found two fpecies of fith, which I have never mentioned; the one is called the /addock, being much ike ours, but rather larger and whiter coloured: the other the /eparee, which a little refembles the fkait. At the deffert was a fruit called in Surinam zgurzacka, which } believe by the Englith is called the four-/ap. It grows upon a tree of a moderate fize, with a grey bark, and leaves like thofe of the orange-tree, but fet in pairs; the fruit is of a pyramidical form, heavier than the largeft pear, and ail covered over with inoffenfive prickles: the {kin is very thin, the pulp a foft pithy fubftance as white as milk, and of a {weet tafte, mixed with a moft agreea-~ ble acid, in which are feeds like the large kernels of an apple. Another fpecies of /mall zurzacka grows in this country, fomething refembling hops, but is of no ufe whatever. We had alfo the fruit called /adazdéle, which grows on a large tree, the leaves like thofe of the laurel. This fruit is the fize of a peach, very round, and of a brown colour, covered over with a foft down: when cut in two, the pulp is not unlike marmalade, in which are found the feeds; it is fuch a lufcious {weet, that to many palates it is even difagreeable. On the arft we once more received our clearance, but in card money, by which we all loft very confiderably ; however, I inftantly went to Mrs. Godefroy, and again gave her all the money that was in my pocket, being no more than £.40. This excellent woman now renewed her entreaties that I fhould carry my boy and his mother with tem EXPEDITYON: TO SURINAM. with me to Holland, but to no purpofe; Joanna was perfectly immoveable, even to a degree of heroifm, and no perfuafion could make the leaft impreffion upon her, until her redemption fhould be made complete by the p2yment of the very laft farthing. In this fituation we affected to bear our fate with perfect refignation, though what each of us felt in particular may much more eafily be imagined than defcribed. The regiment’s colours were now carried on board on the 23d in great f{tate, which put a final clofe to the ex- pedition, but without receiving any Lonours from Fort Zealandia, not a fingle gun being fired, nor even the flag hoifted on the occafion, to the great mortification of Co- lone] Fourgeoud, though in effect it was chiefly owing to his own neglect, as he had never given the Governor official notice of his intended departure. The baggage was alfo fent on board the fhips; and a gentleman of the name of Van Hey/f entertained the marines at his private expence with three hundred bottles of wine, fruit, &c. I have often remarked the hofpitality and generofity of thefe people, which I now alfo once more experienced, receiving various prefents of fruits and preferves from my numerous friends, to refrefh me at fea while on the voyage; amongit the preferves were the female pappayas, the male bearing no fruit. This grows on a erey trunk, near twenty feet high, ftraight, and pithy within, the top being covered with a crown, and only fourteen or fixteen diverging leaves, extremely large and digitated. The fruit grows clofe to the trunk; the flower or bloffom has lia a moit NARRATIVE OF AN a moft delicious fragrance. When ripe, it is the fize and fhape of a water-melon, and turns from green to yellow, but its pulp is more firm and folid: the inner pulp is foft, and flimy, filled with innumerable feeds. This fruit at full maturity is cut in pieces and boiled, when it eats like Englifh turnips; but they ufe it principally for confec- tionary and fweetmeats, when young, and with its blof- foms being both extremely delicate and wholefome. J had alfo fent me fome fine preferved e/mger; this is the root of a kind of reedy ftalk, that never exceeds. two feet in height, with long, narrow pointed leaves. Thefe roots are tuberous, flattifh, fmall, and cluftered in many different fhapes, not unlike pig-potatoes, and of nearly the fame colour in the infide, but fibrous, acid, hot, and aromatic ; the fmell is highly fragrant : it is well known to be not only an agreeable preferve, but in many cafes an excel- lent medicine.——But to proceed. On the 24th of July, the fails being bent to the yards,. we ai /aff proceeded in corps to take leave of his Excellency the Governor of the colony, who, while he {till received us with the greateft politenefs, yet gave our hero to under- ftand, that were his colours ow to be fent on board, they fhould mof certainly be faluted with thofe honours which indifputably were their due. After which he fent the whole corps of. Society officers to the head-quarters in ftate, to wifh us a profperous voyage to Holland; and in this conteft of etiquette his Excellency moft affuredly led the van; for hinting which, however, to fome of Four- geoud’s favourites, I had nearly engaged myfelf once more in EXPEDITION .TOcURINAM, 245 in a ferious quarrel. Our men, who had been on board CHap. fince the 18th, being now joined by their officers, the oor remains of this fine regiment were thus finally em- barked, and in the higheft flow of {pirits, expecting to fet fail the folowing day for Europe; while (ove alone excepted) every countenance wore the appearance of happinefs and joy; and nothing indeed could equal the exultation of the few furviving troops, when the next morning the orders were iffued for the fhips to weigh anchor and put to fea. | | But it was by fate ordained that their eager hopes and expectations once more fhould be blafted: for on the very moment of departure, a fhip entered the river with difpatches, inclofing an order for the regiment immediately to re-enter the woods, and remain in the colony until relieved by frefh troops to be fent out from Holland for that purpofe. The sINCERE THANKS of his Serene, Highnefs the Prince of Orange were now read to the men from the quarter-deck of each veffel, ‘¢ for the manly and fpirited conduct they had difplayed *¢ during fo long a trial, and fo many great and unpre- <‘ cedented hardfhips ;” but as they concluded with or- ders for the troops to di/embark, and remain in this dreadful fervice, I never faw dejection, difappointment, and defpair fo ftrongly marked: while at this moment I, who but juft before had been completely miferable, was now in turn the only one who was not deprefiled with forrow. In “in Fi XXVL a] 246 CHAP. | XXXVI. NARRATIVE OF AN In the midft of this gloomy fcene, the mén were or- dered to give three cheers, which the marines on board one of the veffels abfolutely refufed to comply with: Colonel Seyburg, and wunluckily myfelf, were in -confe- quence ordered to compel them; which he undertook, with a cane in one hand, and a loaded piftol cocked in the ‘other. Knowing his temper to be fiery and irafcible, what did I not feel at this moment? I fuddenly leapt into the boat that lay along-fide, where, after haranguing thofe few that leaned over the’ gunwale, I promifed the Jfrip’s crew twenty gallons of Holland’s gin if zhey would only begin the melancholy chorus. Then mounting again the quarter-deck, I acquainted the Colonel that all were ow ready and willing to obey his commands ¢ we then re-entered the boat, and in fhoving off had the fatisfaction to receive three hearty cheers from the failors, in which joined a few marines, but with fuch languid looks and heavy hearts as cannot be defcribed. At this time however the Prince of Orange’s goodnefs of heart appeared in a confpicuous light, as he ordered all private accounts due by the troops to furgeons and phyficians to be paid by the treafury; which, however trifling it may appear, was no trifle to many of the offi- cers, &c. and evinced an attention in his Serene Highnefs which is not always to be found in princes, while all knew his forrow for the hard lot of his foldiers, but which could not yet be difpenfed with, confiftent with the general good. f if W. EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. If our difembarkation diftreffed the troops, it afforded joy to moft of the colonifts; as indeed a petition, figned by the principal inhabitants, had been prefented to Co- lonel Fourgeoud but two days before, ‘* praying that our ‘regiment might ftay fome time longer, and give the “ finifhing ftroke to the rebels, as we had fo ac oaed «¢ begun, and perfevered in routing and haraffing them ;’ which indeed was certainly true, for our regiment, in conjunction with the Society and rangers, had demolifhed moft fettlements the rebels poffeffed in the colony, and had driven them to fo confiderable a diftance, that their depredations, and the defertion of flaves, were incompa- rably lefs than upon our arrival; and this was affuredly much better than the Dutch making a fhameful peace with them, as had been done with the rebels of the Owcea and Sarameca fettlements before, yet which would _ probably again have been the confequence had we not Janded in Guiana. As an inftance of the infolence of /avages, when per- fectly independant, I muft relate a converfation which paffed between one of this defcription and myfelf at Pa- ramaribo, where the troops were allowed fome time to refrefh themfelves before they again retook the field :— Dining one day at Captain Mac Neyl’s, who was now come to town from his eftate, a captain of the Owca ne- groes, our /uppo/ed allies, came in to demand money from his lady; and being very importunate, I defired her in _ Englifh to “ give him a dram, and he would be gonec;” which the fellow underftanding, called me without the — ~ doors NARRATIVE OF AN door, and lifting up his filver-headed cane, afked me,“ If * that houfe was my own? and if not, what bufinefs 1 . “had to interfere? I am,” faid he, in a thundering voice, ** Captain Fortune Dago-So; and, if I had you in “ my country at Owca, I would make the very earth «drink up your blood.” To which I replied, drawing my fword, “ That my name was Stedman; and that if he ‘‘ dared to utter one infolent expreflion more, my wea- «pon fhould find the fhorteft way through his body.” Upon which he fnapped his fingers, and marched off, leaving me much difpleafed, and blaming Fourgeoud for fhewing fo much indulgence to fuch a fet of banditti. In the evening, as I returned from dinner, I met the fame black fellow again, who, ftepping fhort up to me, faid, ¢¢ Maffera, you are a man, a very brave fellow; won't « you now give fome money to the Owca Captain?” This -I fternly refufed; he then kiffed my hand, and fhewed his teeth (he faid) in token of reconciliation, promif- ivg to fend me a prefent of piftachio-nuts, which, how- ever, never did arrive, nor indeed fhould I have tafted. Though we continued in Surinam fome time longer, our future fervices could add but very little to its pro- {perity, as our numbers were now fo very few, and out of this number, {mall as it was, /ve officers and above ene bundred and fixty privates, all fick and incurable, embark- ed again for Holland on the 1ft of Auguft. I was ill with an ague at this time, and had the offer of making one of the party, but declined it, being determined to fee the end of the expedition if I could; 1 however availed myfelf ep, OF EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. of the opportunity to fend fome prefents to my friends in Europe; amongft thefe were a couple of beautiful parrots, two curious monkies, an elegant collection of fine butterflies, three chefts of fweetmeats, and fome pickles, all fhipped on board the fhip Paramaribo, and under the care of Serjeant Fowler, who was, poor fellow, one of the invalids bound for Amfterdam. - Major Med/ar being quite emaciated with fatigue and hardfhips, now alfo failed for Holland; thus, during his abfence acting as major, I began to entertain an expec- tation that I fhould one day carry home the regiment myfelf, fo very rapidly were our officers daily diminifh- ing; and yet amongift thofe few who remained two had the courage at this time to venture upon matrimony, and married two Creole ladies, both widows. Every thing now being peaceable and quiet, I recover- ed my ftrength fo far as on the 1oth to walk to Mrs. Godefroy, when I acquainted her that I wifhed much to emancipate at leaft Fobuny Stedman; and requefted her to become bail before the court, for the ufual fum of f. 300, as he fhould néver be any charge to the colony of Surinam. But this fhe peremptorily declined, though there was no rifque, it being only a matter of form; at which I could not help feeling fome aftonifhment, till I was acquainted that fhe had actually refufed the fame favour to her own fon. The mention of flavery reminds me of a debt which i feem to have incurred to my reader. I have from time to time given fome account of the mode in which Vou. II. Kk ee 249 CHAP. ' XXVI. heretical 2590 NARRATIVE UGOF AN CHAP. flaves are brought to this market, and of the man- XXXVI. ner in which they are treated—But I feel that I have not been fufficiently full upon this fubject; and I am the more difpofed to bring forward all the infor- mation that I have gained concerning the negroes, be= caufe I flatter myfelf that I fhall be able to bring fome truths to light, that have hitherto been unobferved or im- perfectly related, at leaft to the generality of Europeans. In the firft place,.as to the complexion of a’ negro, this, as | have obferved before, is I am perfuaded en- tirely owing to the burning climate in which he lives, and an atmofphere ftill more heated by the fandy defarts, over which the trade winds pafs before they reach the habitable parts. The Indians of America, on the contrary, who indeed live under the fame degree of latitude; have this wind refrefhed by the Atlantic Ocean, and are cop- per-coloured ; and the inhabitants of Abyffinia, who re- ceive it cooled by the Arabian and the Indian Seas, are entirely olive. Thus north of the great River Senegal the complexion changes from black to brown amongft the Moors, as it does toward the fouth amonegft the Caffrarians: and the Hottentots; and I am of opinion, that the woolly texture of their hair is an effect proceeding from the fame caufe. The epidermis or cuticle of the negroes I have feen diffected more than once; it is clear and tranf- parent, but between this and thé real fkin lies a thin fol- licle, which is perfectly black, which being removed by fevere flagellation, or by fcalding, expofes a complexion not inferior to that of an European. iA Bs . On EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. On the eftate Vofendergh, in Surinam, were born two white negroes, whofe parents were both perfeatly black ; the one was a female, fent to Paris in 1734; the other a boy, born in March 1738. And in 1794, a fimilar woman, Emelia Lew/am, was exhibited in England, whofe children (though fhe is married to an European) are all mulattoes. The ikin of thefe people is not of the European white, but more refembles chalk; their hair the fame; their eyes are often red *, and they fee very little in the fun-fhine, neither are they fit for any kind of labour; while their mental faculties, I have been told, ufually correfpond with the debility of their bodies. With refpect to the /Lape of the African negroes, it is from head to foot certainly different from the European mould, though not, in my opinion, in any degree in- ferior, prejudice being laid afide. Their ftrong features, flat nofes, thick lips, and high cheek bones, may appear deformities to us, and yet amongft themfelves may be ef- teemed the reverfe; their bright black eyes, and fine white teeth, we are forced to admire; and one decided advantage in a black complexion is, that all thofe languid pale fickly-looking countenances, fo common in Europe, are never exhibited among them, nor are the wrinkles and ravages of age equally confpicuous; though I mutt confefs that when a negro is very ill, his black changes to a very difagreeable fallow olive. * This is well known te be the cafe &c. that are perfectly white, to have their with many other animals, as rabbits, mice, eyes blood=coloured, K k 2 For 252 CHAP. XXVI. enn NARRATIVE-OF AN For exertion and activity, their fhape is affuredly pre= ferable to ours, being generally {trong and mufcular near the trunk, and flender towards the extremities; they have moftly a remarkable fine cheft, but are fmall about the hips; their buttocks are more prominent, and their necks are thicker than ours; the thighs are ftrong, as alfo the arms above the elbow, but the wrifts and lower part of the legs are very flender; and a good deal indeed of the Herculean make of the late Broughton the pugilift may: be traced in the form of a vigorous negro. As-to the erookedne(fs of their limbs, it is to be accounted for by the manner in which they are carried whilft infants upom the mother’s back, their tender legs being tied clofe round. each fide of her waift, which occafions that unnaturak bent, with which they are not born: nor are their children. ever taught to walk, but left to. creep amongft the fand and grafs, until they gradually acquire ftrength: and inclination to erect themfelves, which they do very’ foon; by this cuftem, however, the pofition of their feet is much neglected, yet by exercife, and daily bathings. they acquire that ftrength and agility, for which they are fo remarkable. Another cuftom which,. in their opinion, conduces: much to their health and vigour is, that, during the ¢wa: years in Which the mothers fuckle their children, they» frequently make them {wallow large quantities of watery. after which they fhake them twice a day, with much violence; they are then taken by a leg or an arm, and. | toffed, ' EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. | toffed into the river, to be well fcoured outwardly ; nor are the females exempt from this mode of rearing youth, which renders them not inferior to the-men, in fize alone excepted, while fome in running, fwimming,, climbing, and dancing, as well as. wreftling, are. even their fur periors: thus,.that itdepends on education to form a.race of Amazonian females, is a propofition of which I have very little doubt.. . Nor are thefe hardy daughters of the Torrid Zone lefs renmiarkable for propagation. I knew a. female fer- vant: at Mr. de Graat’s,. called Le/peranza,. who actu- ally bore mime children. in. the courfe of three years, the firft year four, the next two, and.the third three. They bring their offspring into the world without pain, and like the Indian women refuming their domeftic em-+- ployments even. the fame. day. During the firft week. their infants are as fair as any Europeans, except that in the males there is a little appearance of black in a certain part, and.the whole body becomes gradually of. that co- lour. Their. females arrive early at the age of. puberty 3. but, as in the fruits of this climate,.this early maturity is. fucceeded by a fudden decay.. Many. of. the. negroes,, however, live to.a very. confiderable aze:.1 have feen one or. two that were above one hundred ;, and the: London: Chronicle for October 5, 1780, makes mention:of a negro, woman, ,called Louwi/a Truxo, at Tucomea, in. South Ame- rica, {till living, at the furprizing age of one hundred and feventy-five years. In what tables of longevity is there fuch an European to be found? though moft pro- | bably. NARRATIVE OF AN bably this venerable perfon fpent her youth in hard labour, like other flaves; which, though a negro can bear much better in a tropical climate than a native of Europe, yet cannot be natural, either on the coaft of Guinea or Guiana, where, without toil, the neceffaries of life are produced, and vegetation flourifhes fponta- neoufly for ever. In the conftitution of thesnegroes I have {till obferved this fingularity, that while they bear the fatigue of labour in the hotteft days, they can alfo bear the cold and damp better than an European, at leaft better than I could; fleeping all night on the wet grafs, perfectly | naked, without any injury to their health, while I have been glad, efpecially early in the morning, to have a fire lit under my hammock, and while the ‘marines for want of it lay ina fhiver. They alfo bear hunger and thirft, and pain or ficknefs, with the greatef{t patience and refo- lution. I have formerly mentioned the names of more than a dozen of negro tribes: all thefe know each other by the different marks and incifions made on their bodies — for inftance, the Coromantyn negroes, who are mott efteemed, cut three or four long gafhes on each of their cheeks, as reprefented in the face of the armed free negro or ranger, in plate VII. The Loango negroes, who are reckoned the worft, dif- tinguifh themfelves by puncturing or marking the {kin of their fides, arms, and thighs with fquare elevated figures, fomething like dice. (See plate LXVIII.) Thefe alfo EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 255 alfo cut their fore-teeth to a fharp point, which gives CHAP, them a frightful appearance, refembling in fome degree thofe of a fhark: and all their males are circumcifed, after the manner of the Jews. Among the ftrange productions of nature, a {pecies of people known by the name of ecorces, deferves to be particularly noticed.—The 4ccorces, or Two-fingers, live amoneft the Seramaca negroes, in the very upper parts of the river of that name. This heterogeneous tribe are fo deformed in their hands and feet, that while fome have three or four fingers and toes om each hand and foot, others have only two, which refemble the claws of a lobfter, or rather limbs that have been cured after mu- tilation by fire, or fome other accident. This deformity in one perfon would caufe but fmall admiration; but that a whole community fhould be afflicted with this fingula- rity, is certainly a moft wonderful phenomenon. Having feen but wo myfelf, and that at too great a diftance to take a drawing of them, I cannot pretend to vouch for the truth of what I have only heard;, but an engraving of one of thefe figures was pofitively fent to the Society of Arts and Sciences at Haerlem; while I beg leave to introduce, as a further voucher, the following extract from an old book of furgery and anatomy, procured me by the ingenious and learned Owen Cambridge, Efquire, of Twickenham. «¢ After Michaelmas term, im the year 1629, a body was « brought from the place of execution to the College of s Phyficians, to be cut up for an anatomy; and by chance “ the XXVI. sees emer 250 CHAP. XXVI. €4 we NARRATIVE OF AN the officer of the college brought the body of a-cruel wretch, who had murdered the fon of one Matter Scot, a furgeon of good note in this city. This wretch was of a very truculent countenance and afpeét; his hair was black and curled, not very long, but thick and bufhys; his forehead little above an inch highs his brows great and prominent; his eyes fet deep in their fockets; his nofe crooked, with a round knob or button at the end, which alfo fomewhat turned upwards; on his upper lip he had fome quantity of black hair, on his chin very few, ftraggling, black and ftiff; and his nether lip was as big as three lips. Such was his face: but the greateft deformity was his feet, and that almoft to admiration; for they were both cloven, but not alike. One foot was equally divided between four and five inches deep into two toes, jointed like other men’s toes, but as large each of them as half the foot could make them, with nails proportionable. The left foot was divided likewife in the middle, but the divifion was not above three inches deep, or fcarce fo much; the one half, which was towards the body, made one large toe, with a nail proportionable, like the inward half of the right foot; but the outward half was com- pounded of two toes, yet growing clofe and faft to- gether. This monftrous fhape of aman I have thought good to give this relation of, from certain knowledge, for there were a thoufand witneffes of it prefent.” With the languages of the African negroes Iam but little EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. little acquainted; as a fpecimen, however, I will infert a few fentences of that called the Coromantyn, upon the credit of my boy Quaco, who belonged to that nation, to- gether with a tranflation in Englifh; and only obferve, that they break off their words very fhort, in a kind of guttural manner, which I cannot eafily defcribe:—For in- ftance — * Co fa anfyo, na baramon bra, Go to the “ river, and bring me fome water.”—“ Mee yeree, naco- “‘ meda mee, My wife, I want fome food.”———So much for the Coromantyn language, as {poken by the negroes on the coaft of Guinea. But as to that fpoken by the black people in Suri- nam, I confider myfelf a perfect matter, it being a corn- pound of Dutch, French, Spanifh, Portuguefe, and Eng- lifh. The latter they like beft, and confequently ufe the moft. It has been already obferved, that the Englifh were the firft Europeans who poifeffed this colony, hence probably the predilection for that language, which they have {till retained. In this mixed dialect, for which I have feen a printed grammar, the words end moftly with a vowel, like the Indian and Italian, and it is fo fweet, fo fonorous and foft, that the genteeleft Europeans in Su- rinam fpeak little elfe; it is alfo wonderfully expreffive and fentimental, fuch as, ‘* Good eating, /weety-muffo.”— “ Gun-powder, man fanny.”—* I will love you, with all “ my heart, fo long as I live, Mee Jaloby you, langa alla “< mee batty, fo langa me leeby.”—= A pleafing tale, ananaffy VOL. IE. L1 66 fory.” 257 CHAP. XXVI. Ee en mune call NARRATEVE OF iN “gory.” I am very angry, me batty brun.”—“ Live “Jong, fo long until your hair become white as cotton, 6 Lebee langa, tay, tay, ta-y you weeree weerce tan wity likee. “ catoo.”—* ie peekeen.” —“ Very imall, peekeenee- “ yee,”—* Farewel! Good-bye ! I am dying, and going to — “my God, 4diofo, cerroboay, mee de go dede, me de go na “6 mee Gado.” —In this fample, many corrupt Englifh words are perceptible, which however begin to grow out of ufe near the capital, but are {till retained in the diftant .plan- tations; for inftance, at the eftate Goet-ccoord, in Cottica, I have heard an old negro woman fay, “* We lobee fo lebee “‘ togeddere,” by which fhe meant, we love to live toge- ther; and at Paramaribo to exprefs the fame fentence, “ Wee looko for tanna macandera.” Their vocal mufic is like that of the birds, melodious, but without time, and in other refpects not unlike that of a clerk performing to the congregation, one perfon con- ftantly pronouncing a fentence extempore, which he-next hums or whiftles, and then all the others repeat the fame in chorus; another fentence is then fpoken, and the chorus is-a fecond time renewed, &c. This kind of finging is much practifed by the barge: rowers or boat negroes on the water, efpecially dur-: ing the night in a clear moonfhine; it is to them pe- culiarly animating, and may, together with the found of their oars, be heard at a confiderable diftance.: As a {pecimen, I have tried'to fet the following words * Lud wiih oe Hy EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. to mufic, fuppofing aranger going to battle, and thus taking leave of his girl: Amimba me eke na ohh pics Fas efecr “adiofi me do gv. Amimba 1 go to the woods o ‘tis’ fo — good-by girl, I mutt go. Such is their voca] melody; and of their inftrumental mufic, and dancing, which ‘is perfectly to time, I fhall {peak hereafter, having already given a fhort account of that which is praétifed: by the Loango negroes. That thefe people are neither divefted of a good ear, nor poetical genius, has been frequently proved, when they have had the advantages of a‘good education. Amongtft others, Pdillis: Wheatley, who: was a-flave at: Boffon in New England, learned the Latin language, and wrote thirty-eight elegant pieces of poetry on different fubjects, which were publifhed in 1773.. Asa fpecimen, I cannot refrain here inferting the following extract from that en- titled, ** Thoughts on Imagination.” ** Now here, now there, the roving fancy flies, ‘© Till fome lov’d object ftrikes her wand’ring eyes, * Whofe filken:fetters all. the fenfes bind, ‘© And foft captivity invades the mind. Li 2 « Tmagi- 259 CHAP. XXVI. (cnet ptm NARRATIVE OF AN “ Imagination! who can fing thy force? “© Or where defcribe the fwiftnefs of thy courfe ? ‘* Soaring through air to find the bright abode, “« Th’ imperial palace of the thundering God. “< We on thy pinions can furpafs the wind, « And leave the rolling univerfe behind. ** From ftar to {tar the mental optics rove, “¢ Meafure the fkies, and range the realms above ; «* There in one view we grafp the mighty whole, “© Or with new worlds amaze th’ unbounded foul.” What can be more beautiful and fublime ? ———# Ignatius Sancho, a negro, many years fervant to the Duke of Montagu, whofe fentimental letters, fo generally known, would not difgrace the pen of an European, may alfo be mentioned on this occafion; and with regard to their powers of memory and calculation, I fhall only notice Thomas Fuller, a negro, the property of a Mrs. Cox in Maryland, North America; and quote one fingular anec- dote, as it is related by Dr. Ru/h of Philadelphia, in a letter to a gentleman at Manchefter. “Being travelling,” fays the Doctor, “ with fome other «¢ gentlemen of this city, through Maryland, and having « heard of the aftonifhing powers of memory in arith- «© metical calculation pofleffed by Thomas Fuller, a negro, “¢ we fent for him; when one of the gentlemen in com- s¢ pany afked him, how many feconds a man of feventy “* years, fome odd months, weeks and days, had lived? ‘© He told the exa&i number in a minute and a half. + s¢ When EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. rs ‘¢ When the gentleman who had afked the queftion took CHAP. *¢ his pen, and having calculated the fame by figures, told ae ‘¢ the negro he muft be miftaken, as the number he had *¢ mentioned was certainly too great. * Top, Maffera,’ faid _ the negro, § you have omitted the leap-years;’ when ‘¢ having calculated the feconds contained in the number “© of leap-years, and added them, the number was found “< exactly the fame as that calculated by the negro. This “fame man multiplied nine figures by nine, by me- “¢ mory, before another company.” Another lately repeat- ed the A/coran from recollection only.—What amazing mental faculties in African negroes, who could neither © read nor write! Yet that fuch things.are, is well authen- ticated. To what I have already advanced, I may add, that ali negroes firmly believe the being of a God, upon whofe goodnefs they rely, and whofe power they adore, while they have no fear of death, and never tafte food without offering a libation. In the rivers Gambia and Senegal they are moftly Mahometans; but generally the worfhip and religious ceremonies of the Africans vary, as do the num- berlefs fuperftitious practices. of all favages, and indeed of too many Europeans. Perceiving that it was their cuftom to bring their offerings to the wild cotton-tree*, * This tree grows toaconfiderable produces triennally, is neither white nor height and thicknefs, very ftraight; and plentiful, which makes it. little fought covered with a {trong grey prickly bark. after. It bears fome refemblance to the The boughs fpread very much, with {mall — Britifh oak, the largeft of which it fur-. digitated leaves. The cotton, which it paffes both in elegance and magnitude. I enquired. 262 NARRATIVE OF ‘AN CHAP. T enquired of an old négro, why they paid fuch particular XXXVI. - , reverence and veneration to this growing piece of timber. “This proceeds (faid he) maffera, from the following *¢ caufe: having no churches nor places built for public “¢ worfhip (as you: have) on the Coaft of Guinea, and “¢ this tree being the largeft and moft beautiful growing «* there, our people, affembling under its branches when “ they are going to be inftructed, are defended by it from * the heavy rains and fcorching fun. Under this tree our «* gadoman, or prieft, delivers his leQures; and for this « reafon our common people have fo much veneration “ for it, that they will not cut it down upon any’ ac- <* count whatever.” | No people can be more fuperftitious than the gene- rality of negroes; and their Locomen, or pretended pro- phets, find their intereft in encouraging this fuperftition, by felling them odias or amulets, as I have already men- tioned, and as fome hypocrites fell abfolution in Europe, for a comfortable living. Thefe people have alfo amonetft them a kind of Svdy/s5 who deal in oracles; thefe fage matrons dancing and whirling round in the middle of an affembly, with amazing rapidity, until they foam at. the mouth, and drop down as convulfed.. Whatever the pro- phetefs orders to be done during this paroxifm, is moft facredly performed by the furrounding multitude; which renders thefe.meetings extremely dangerous, as fhe fre- quently enjoins them to murder their mafters, or defert to the woods; upon which account this fcene of exceffive fanaticifm is forbidden by law in the colony of Surinam, upon EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. often practifed in private places, and is very common amonegft the Owca and Seramica negroes, where captains Fredericy and Van Geurick told me they had feen it per- formed. It is here called the wznty-p/ay, or the dance of the mermaid, and has exifted from time immemorial; as - even the claffic authors make frequent mention of this ex- traordinary practice. Virgi/, in his fixth book, makes Eneas vifit the Sibyl of Cuma; and Ovid alfo mentions the fame fubject, lib. 14. where Eneas withes to vifit the shoft of his father. But what is ftill more ftrange, thefe unaccountable women by their voice know how to charm the ammo- dytes, * or papaw ferpent, down from the tree. This is an abfolute fact; nor is this {fnake ever killed or hurt by the ‘negroes, who, on the contrary, efteem it as their friend and guardian, and are happy to fee it enter their huts. When thefe fibyls have charmed or conjured down the ammodytes ferpent from the tree, it is common to fee this reptile twine and wreathe about their arms, neck and breatt, as if the creature took delight in hearing her voice, while the woman ftrokes and careffes it with her hand. The facred writers fpeak: of the charming of adders and ferpents in many places, which I mention * "This creature is from three to five iancy of its colours may be another feet long, and perfectly harmlefs ; it has inducement for the adoration of the not the leaft apprehehfion of ‘being ‘hurt —_ negroes. : even by man; while the unparalleled bril- only 263 . upon pain of the moft rigorous punifhment: yet it is CHAP. XXVI. Leen end NARRATIVE OF ‘AN only to prove the antiquity of the practice *; for nothing is more notorious, than that the Eaftern Indians will rid the houfes of the moft venomous fnakes by charming them with the found of a flute, which calls them out of their holes. And it is not many years fince an Italian woman brought over three tame fnakes, which crawled » about her neck and arms: they were four or five feet jong, but not venomous. Another inftance of fuperftition amongft the negroes I muft relate; there is a direct prohibition in every family, handed down from father to fon, againft the eating of fome one kind of animal food, which they call tvef; this may be either fowl, fifh, or quadruped, but whatever it is, no negro will touch it; though I have feen fome good Catholics eat roaft-beef in Lent, and a reli-. gious Jew devouring a flice from a fat flitch of bacon. However ridiculous fome of the above rites may appear, yet amongft the African blacks they are certainly necef- fary, to keep the rabble in fubjection; and their gadomen or priefts know this as well as the infallible Pontiff of the Roman church. Thefe illiterate mortals differ, how- ever, in this refpect from the modern Europeans, that whatever they believe, they do it firmly, and are never ftaggered by the doubts of {cepticifm, nor troubled with -* See the 58th Pfalm, ver. 4, and §: “ ing never fo wifely.”-—Jerem, chap. « They are like the deaf adder, that viii ver.17,—-and the Book of Eccle- « ftoppeth her ear ; which will not heark- —fiaftes, chap, x. ver. 13, &, "en to the -voice of charmers, charm- the EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. the qualms of confcience; but whether they are, upon this account, better or worfe, I will not pretend to determine. —I however think that they are a happy people, and poffefs fo much friendfhip for one another, that they need not be told to “ love their neighbour as themfelves ;” fince the pooreft negro, having only an egg, fcorns to eat it alone; but were a dozen prefent, and every one a {tranger, he would cut or break it into juft as many. fhares; or were there one fingle dram of rum, he would divide it among the fame number: this is not done, however, until a few drops are firft fprinkled on the ground, as an oblation to the gods.—Approach then here, thou canting hypocrite, and take an example from thy illiterate fable brother !— From what I fometimes throw out, however, let it not be underftood that I am an ene- my to religious worfhip—God forbid! But I ever will profefs myfelf the greateft friend to thofe whofe actions beft correfpond with their doctrine; which, I am forry to fay, is too feldom the cafe amongft thofe nations who pretend moft to civilization. If favage nations be commonly generous and faithful, they are not, however, without their dark fhades; and among thefe, the moft confpicuous is a pronenefs to an- ger and revenge. I never knew a negro indeed forgive thofe who had wilfully offended him. The ftrength of this paffion can only be equalled by their gratitude ; for, amongft them, it may be truly faid, that VoL. II, M m e A penerous 265 CHA P. XXVI. es’ ammeedl NARRATIV.E OF AWN ** A generous friendfhip no cold medium knows, . . % ** But with one love, with one refentment clows.” Their abominable cruelties alfo, like thofe of all barba- yous nations, are truly fhocking. In the colony of Ber- bice, during the late revolt, they made no fcruple of cut- ting up their miftreffes with child, even in their mafter’s prefence, with many other favage devices too dreadful to relate *,—In the art of poifoning, not even the Accawaw Indians are more expert; they can carry it under their nails, and by only dipping their thumb into a tumbler of water, which they offer as a beverage to the object of their revenge, they infufe a flow but certain death ¢. Whole eftates, as well as private families, have become the: victims of their fury, and experienced their fatal ven- geance, even putting to death {cores of their own friends and relations, with the double view of depriving their * Tt is a well-known fact, that a ne- out to them that he was now fully re- gro, having been ill-treated by the family venged, leaped down himfelf, and dathed. out his own brains amongft the amazed. f{pe€tators. —— Another. ftabbed the in-. in which he lived as a fervant, one day took the following defperate revenge i= The matter and miftrefs being from home, _offenfive hufband to be revenged on the he, having locked all the doors, at their return prefented himfelf with their three fine children on the platform on the top of the houfe. When afked why he did not give admittance, he only anfwered by throwing an infant baby to the ground: they threatened—he tofled down the bro- ther: they intreated, but to no purpofe, the third fharing the fame fate, who all lay dead at their parents” feet~then calling - guilty wife ; declaring, that to kill herfelf was only temporary, but to lofe all that was dear to her mutt be eternal bitter— nefs, while to himfelf it was the fweeteft fatisfaCtion. + After the moft fcrupulous enquiryy, and even ocular demonftration, I can af= fert the above as literally true. proprictors EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 267 proprietors of their moft valuable poffeffions. Thefe CHAP. monfters are diftinguifhed by the name of Wify-men, perhaps from wi/e, or knowing, and by their fatal genius carry Geftruction to a moft dreadful length before they _ are detected. All barbarous and uneducated. people have indiftiné notions of property; nor can we wonder that flaves, who in their own perfons fuffer the moft flagrant viola- tion of every right, fhould be difpofed to retaliate. The flaves on the plantations are therefore too commonly thieves, plundering whatever they can lay their hands upon with impunity; nor can any bounds be fet to their intemperance, efpecially in drinking. I have feen a ne- gro girl empty a china-bowl at one draught, containing two bottles of claret, which I had given her by way of experiment, till fhe could no more ftand. I fhould not forget to mention that the Gango negroes are fuppofed to be antbhropophagi or cannibals, like the Caribbee Indians, inftigated by habitual and implacable revenge. Amongft the rebels of this tribe, after the taking of Boucou, fome pots were found on the fire with human flefh; which one of the officers had the curiofity to tafte, and declared it was not inferior to fome kinds of beef or pork. I have been fince affured by a Mr. Vangills, an Ame- rican, that having travelled for a great number of miles inland in Africa, he at length came to a place wheré human legs, arms, and thighs hung upon wooden fham- Mm 2 bles, XXVI. 268 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP, bles, and were expofed to falé, like butchers meat in XXXVI. oem Leadenhall market. And Captain Yobu Keene, formerly of the Do/phiz cutter, but late of the Naimbana {chooner, in the Sierra Leona company’s fervice, pofitively affured me, that when he, a few years fince, was on the coatft of Africa, in the brig Fame, from Briftol, Mr. Samuel Biggs owner, trading for wood, iron, and gold-duft, a Cap- tain Dunnigen, with his whole crew, belonging to the Nafjau {chooner, which was her tender, were cut in pieces, falted, and eaten by the negroes of Great Drewin, about thirty miles North of the River S7. Andrew's; who having torn the copper off her bottom, burned the veffel. But from thefe deformities of character I will now re- lieve the attention of the reader, and proceed in juftice to difpel the gloomy cloud, by introducing the fun-fhine of their virtues. Their genius has been already treated of, fo has their gratitude; which laft they carry to fuch a length, that they will even die for thofe who have fhewn them any particular favour. Nothing can exceed the fidelity and attachment they have for thofe mafters who ufe them well, which proves that their affection is as {trong as their hatred. Negroes are generally good-natured, particu- larly the Coromantyn, and thofe of Nago. They are alfo fufceptible of the tender paflion, and jealoufy in their breafts has produced the moft dreadful effe&s. The de- licacy of thefe people deferves likewife to be noticed: I do not remember, amongft the many thoufands I have feen EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 269 feen during feveral years refidence among them, ever to CHAP. have obferved even an offer to kifs a woman in public. , a Maternal tendernefs for their children is alfo natural to the females, for in general, during the two years which they ufually fuckle them, they never cohabit with their hufbands; this they confider as unnatural, and preju- dicial to the infants: andthe cafe of Lefperanza (who bore fo many children in a fhort time) is no exception, as her children died almoft as foon as they came into the world. ‘The cleanlinefs of the negro nation is peculiarly remarkable, as they bathe above three times a day. The Congo tribe in particular are fo fond of the water, that they may, not improperly, be called amphibious ani- mals. The negroes are likewife {pirited and brave, pa- tient in adverfity, meeting death and torture with the moft undaunted fortitude. Their conduct, in the moft trying fituations, approaching even to heroifm; no ne- gro fighs, groans, or complains, though expiring in the midft of furrounding flames. Nor do I remember, upon any occafion whatever, to have feen an African fhed a tear, though they beg for mercy with the greateft ear- neftnefs when ordered to be flogged for offences which they are conf{cious deferve to be punifhed; but if they think their punifhment unmerited, immediate fuicide is too often the fatal confequence, efpecially amongft the Coromantyn negroes, who frequently, during the act of flagellation, throw back their heads in the neck, and Swallow 270 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. /walow their tongue, which choaks them upon the fpot, XXVI. (neers mace when they drop dead in the prefence of their mafters. But when negroes are fenfible of having deferved correc- tion, no people can be more humble, or bear their un- happy fate with greater refignation. The {wallowing of the tongue, which they only practife during the moments of fevere difcipline, has of late been prevented in Suri-. nam by the dumane method of holding a fire-brand to the victim’s mouth, which anfwers the double purpofe of burning his face, and diverting his attention from the exe- _ cution of his fatal determination. Some have a practice of eating common earth, by which the ftomach is pre- vented from performing its ordinary functions, and thus difpatch themfelves without any immediate pain, but linger perhaps for a twelvemonth in the moft debilitated _and fhocking condition. Againft 'thefe ground-eaters the fevereft punifhments are decreed by the laws, but without much effect, as they are feldom detected in this act of defperation. . After thefe general remarks upon the mental and bo- dily faculties of the African negroes, we fhall next pro- ceed to view them in a ftate of bondage, under all the oppreffion they are expofed to from the rod of barbarous tyranny; then, refcuing them from this horrid fcene, we will next confider them as protected by impartial juftice, and foftered by the mild hand of tendernefs and huma- nity. The reader may remember that I have already intro- 2 duced EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 275 duced the flaves as landing from on board the Guinea ene: ; | acs 3 XXVL bir and generally fhocking inftances of debility and : mifery :— “ Their vifage is blacker than a coal, they are not known in “ the ftreets, their fkin cleaveth to their bones, it is withered, it is. <° become like a ftick.” I have alfo obferved, that under the care of fome.old ne- groes, appointed for that purpofe, they foon become fat and fleek, and learn the language of the colony: they then are fent to work in the fields, to which they chear- fully fubmit; though I have feen fome inftances of newly-imported negroes refufing to work, nor could promifes, threats, rewards, nor even blows prevail; but thefe had been princes or people of the firft rank in their native country, who by the cafualties of war had the mis- fortune to become-flaves, and whofe heroic fentiments fill preferred inftant death to the bafenefs and miferies of fervitude. Upon thefe occafions I have feen the other flaves fall upon their knees, and intreat the matter to permit them to do the work required, in addition to their own tafks; which being fometimes granted, they conti- nued to fhew the fame refpe& for the captive prince that he had been accuftomed to receive in his own coun- try. I remember once to have had a remarkable good- looking new negro to attend me, whofe ancles and wrifts being much galled by chains, I enquired the caufe. “My ‘¢ father,” faid he, “ was a king, and treacheroufly mur- dered: NARRATIVE OF AN ‘dered by the fons of a neighbouring prince. To re- “venge his death, I daily went a hunting with fome «‘ men, in hopes of retaliating upon his affaffins; but I ‘‘ had the misfortune to be furprized, taken, and bound ; «hence thefe ignoble fcars. I was afterwards fold to « your European countrymen on the coaft of Guiana—a © punifhment which was deemed greater than inftant *¢ death.” The hiftory of Quaco, my black boy, was {till more extraordinary :—‘* My parents,” faid he, “ lived by hunt- “‘ing and fifhing: I was ftolen from them very young, «¢ whilft playing on the fands with two little brothers ; «¢ I was put into a fack, and carried for feveral miles. I “¢ afterwards became the flave of a king. on the coaft of ‘¢ Guinea, with feveral hundreds more. When our mafter ‘¢ died, the principal part of his flaves were beheaded “and buried along with him; I, with fome other chil- «dren of my age, were beftowed as prefents to the dif- «¢ ferent captains of his army; and the mafter of a Dutch «¢ fhip afterwards had me, in exchange for a mufket and «“ fome gun-powder.”— Each loves his country beft, if mild its laws, or rigid : “ The naked negro, panting at the line, © Boafts of his golden fands and palmy wine ; “ Bafks in the glare, or ftems the tepid wave, “And thanks his gods for all the good they gave :— ‘© Such is the patriot’s boaft, where’er he roam, « His firft beft country ever is at home,” EXPEDITPONY TO) SURINAM. No fooner do thefe wretched ftrangers begin to flag at their labour, than whips, cow-{kins, bamboos, ropes, fet- ters, and chains are introduced, until they are ready to fink under accumulated oppreffion. With fome matters their tafks can never be performed, as they mutt toil on, day and night, even Sundays not excepted. I recollect a {trong young negro, called Marquis, who had a wife he loved, with two fine children; he laboured hard, and ge- nerally finifhed his tafk of digging a trench of five hun- dred feet by four o’clock in the afternoon, that he might have fome time to cultivate his little garden, and go to fith or fowl to fupport his beloved family: hard did Mar- quis ftrive to earn this additional pittance, when his du- mane matter, apprized of his induitry, for his encourage- ment informed him, that if he could delve five hundred feet by four o'clock, he could certainly finifh fix hundred before fun-fet; and this tafk the unfortunate young man was condemned from that day ever fince to perform. In Surinam the flaves are kept nearly naked, and their daily food confifts of little more than a few yams and plantains ; perhaps twice a year they may receive a fcanty allowance of falt-fifh, with a few leaves of tobacco, which they call /weety-muffo, and this is all: but what is pecu- liarly provoking to them is, that if a negro and his wife have ever fo great an attachment for each other, the woman, if handfome, muft yield to the loathfome em- brace of an adulterous and licentious manager, or fee her hufband cut to pieces for endeavouring to prevent it. VoL. II. Nn This 274 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. This, in frequent inftances, has driven them to diftrac- XXXVI. ‘ , tion, and been the caufe of many murders. It is in confequence of thefe complicated evils, that fo many alfo deftroy themfelves by fuicide, run away to the woods to join their countrymen in rebellion, or if they ftay, grow fad and {piritlefs, and languifh under difeafes, the effects of bad ufage; fuch as the ofa, which is a white {corbutic {pot that externally covers the body. The crafy- craffy, or itch, which with us comes from poornefs of diet, is of courfe very common with them. The yaws, a_ mott difagreeable diforder, by many compared to the ve- nereal difeafe, which renders the patient a fhocking {pec- tacle, all covered over with yellow ulcers. To this laft- mentioned loathfome malady moft negroes are fubjed, yet but only once in their lives, in which, and being’ very infectious, it refembles the {mall-pox: indeed if a fly which has been feeding upon the difeafed (and they are generally covered with them) lights upon the flighteft {cratch on a healthy perfon, it communicates this dread- ful diforder, which always confines him for feveral months. The moft general cure for the yaws in Suri- ‘nam, is falivation and fpare diet, with continual exercife to promote per{piration; and, during this procefs, the poor wretches abfolutely look like decayed carcafes. Still more dreadful is the doa/y, or /eprofy, which 1s deemed incurable: the face and limbs in this cgmplaint fwell, and the whole body is covered with fcales and ul- cers; the breath ftinks, the hair falls off, the fingers and toes EXPEDITLONY TO. SURINAM. toes become putrid, and drop away joint after joint. The worit of which is, that though the difeafe is hopelefs, the unhappy fufferer may linger fometimes for many years. The lepers are naturally lafcivious, and the difeafe being infectious, they are of neceffity feparated from all fociety, and condemned to a perpetual exile in fome remote cor- ner of the plantations. The clabba-yaws, or tubboes, is alfo a very troublefome and tedious diforder ; it occafions painful fores about the feet, moftly in the foles, between the {kin and the flefh. The ufual remedy in this cafe is, to burn out the morbid part with a red-hot iron, or cut it out with a lancet; and then the warm juice of roafted limes is introduced into the wound, though with great pain yet with great fuccefs. The African negroes are alfo fubje&t to many fpecies of worms, both extraneous and internal, owing to the wading much in ftagnated waters, and to the crudity of their diet. Of the former fpecies is the Guinea or tape- worm, which breeds between the fkin and the flefh, and is f{ometimes two yards in length, of a fhining filvery co- lour, and not thicker than the fecond ftring of a bafs- viol. It occafions dangerous and painful {wellings where- ever it inferts itfelf, which is moftly about the legs. The method of cure, is to feize the head of the worm when it appears above the fkin, and extract it by winding it gently round a ftick or card; this operation cannot be performed with too much caution, for if it breaks, the Nn 2 lofs 276 CHAP. XXVI. NARRATIVE OF AN lofs of the limb, or even of life itfelf, is frequently the fatal confequence. Some are infefted with feven or eight of thefe worms at a time. Befides thefe dreadful calamities, peculiar to them- felves, the negroes are fubject to every complaint com- mon to the Europeans; who, in their turn, are not ex- empt in Guiana from the afflicting and dangerous dif- tempers I have juft defcribed. It is therefore not to be wondered at if many of the plantations are crouded with miferable objects, left under the care of the drefy negro or black furgeon only, whofe whole {kill confifts in adminiftering a dofe of falts, or fpreading a plaifter. As tothe numbers who are exco- riated from their neck to their heel, by conftant whip- ping, they may cure themfelves, or do their work with- out a fkin, if they think proper. Thus from accumulated miferies, fome naturally fuc- ceeding from the climate and their poor diet, but more from the inordinate cruelty of managers, it muft follow that numerous flaves become unfit for work, many from weaknefs and depreffion of fpirits, and others from ex- treme labour becoming old before their time. But for all thefe evils, this plantation defpot finds an infallible re- medy, which is no other than to put them to death at once : the lofs does not affect him but his matter, and he is proud of fhewing only fuch negroes as are able to do their tafk, affuring the owner that they moftly died by the Hog EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 277 the venereal difeafe; and the word of the human carcafe- CHAP. : : : XXVE butcher is quite fufficient, as no negro is allowed to give , , evidence in any cafe whatever. «¢ Dictio teftimonii non eft fervo homini.”’ Yet fhould fome fair European by accident prove the murder, the delinquent efcapes, as I have obferved, by paying a fine of £.50 and the value of the flave, if the owner requires it; and for this price of blood he may flaughter the poor wretches whenever a temporary paf- fion or a habit of cruelty, which is too commonly gene- rated in this fituation, prompts his rage. They have moreover many ftratagems to evade the penalty, fhould even the magiftrates be prefent. I have known it happen when one of thefe fcourges of the hu- man race became tired of a negro, that he has taken him out with him a fhooting; and ordering him to difcover the game, the firft bird that ftarted he has {hot the poor man dead upon the fpot. This was called an accident, and no farther enquiry was made concerning it. Others have been difpatched by the following method :—A ftake being faftened in the middle of an open plain, the flave is chained to it, and expofed to the burning fun, where one jill of water and a fingle plantain is brought him daily, until he pines to death. But this is not called ftarving, as his mafter declares that he neither wanted victuals nor drink until he expired—thus he is Loxouradbly acquitted. Another 278 CHAP. XXXVI. Sr NARRATIVE OF AN Another plan of murdering with impunity has often _ been put in practice. The flave is faftened naked to a tree in the foreft, with his arms and legs extended, under pretence of ftretching his limbs; but here he is left, and regularly fed, until he is actually ftung to death by the mufquitoes and other infeéts—a moft infernal punifh- ment, and fuch as may be with truth afcribed to the in- {tigation of the devil! Drowning them, by kicking them overboard with a weight chained to their legs, is called accidental death. It has been known that by the orders of a woman, negro flaves have been privately burnt to death, miferably chained in a furrounding pile of’ flam- ing faggots. As to the breaking out of their teeth, mere- ly for tafting the fugar-cane cultivated by themfelves, flitting up their nofes, and cutting off their ears, from private pique, thefe are accounted mere fport, and not worthy to be mentioned. By fuch inhuman ufage this unhappy race of men are fometimes driven to fuch a height of defperation, that to finifh their days, and be relieved from worfe than Egyp- tian bondage, fome even have leaped into the caldrons of boiling fugar, thus at once depriving the tyrant of his crop and of his fervant. From thefe {ketches can it be a matter of furprize, that armies of rebels are affembled in the foreft, and at every opportunity thirfting for revenge? I fhall now conclude this dreadful fcene by one general 2 remark, EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. remark, fhewing how far population is affected by this moft infamous treatment. In Surinam there are, upon an average, about 75,000 negro flaves, as I have ftated; from which if we fubtract children, and fuperannuated men and women, there will not be found above 50,000 really fit for abour. There are from fix to twelve Guinea fhips, that import from 250 to 300 flaves each from Africa annually : we may there- fore compute the yearly importation at an average of 2,500, neceflary to fupply and keep complete the above 50,000; fo that the annual deaths exceed the births by the number of 2,500, though each man negro has a wife or two if he chufes, which is, upon the mafs, juft 5 per cent. and confequently proves that the whole race of healthy flaves, confifting of 50,000, are totally extinct once every twenty years. Truth and juftice however oblige me to declare, that the inhuman barbarities I have been juft defcribing are not univerfal. Compaffionate Heaven has ordained fome exceptions, as I fhall impartially fhew, by reverfing the picture: not, like fome writers who have treated this fubject, and carefully concealed the moft pleafing touches of goodnefs and humanity, whilft only the darkeft fhades have been expofed to the public eye, but by candidly exhibiting both fides with equal juftice and precifion and it is indeed with pleafure I can affirm, that the negro flaves on /ome eftates are treated, in my opinion, as mez ought 279 CHAP. XXVI. eee ad 280 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP, ought to be treated; and this mode of condu& might XXXVI. {till be more general, by amending the laws, which ought not corruptly to inveft human nature with what it is certain to abufe—an authority completely defpotic. No mafter furely ought to be entrufted with the dangerous power of taking away the life of his flaves with impu- nity; and it ought to be confidered an equal crime in the eye of the law to kill a negro or a white man, as it is equally murder in the fight of God. I fhall now introduce to the reader’s acquaintance a negro family in that ftate of tranquil happinefs, which they always enjoy under a humane and indulgent mafter. The figures in the plate are fuppofed to be of the Loango nation, by the marks on the man’s body, while on his bréaft may be feen ¥.G. S. in a cypher, by which his owner may afcertain his property. He carries a bafket with {mall fifh, and a net upon his head, with a large fifh in his hand, caught by himfelf in the river. His wife, who is pregnant, is employed in carrying different kinds of fruit, {pinning a thread of cotton upon her dif- taff, and comfortably {moking her pipe of tobacco. Be- ‘fides all this, fhe has a boy upon her back, and another playing by her fide. Thus, under a mild mafter and an honeft overfeer, a negro’s labour is no more than a healthy exercife, which ends at the fetting-fun, and the remaining time is his own, which he employs in hunt- ing, fifhing, cultivating his garden, or making bafkets and YG : 4 Ye ( Ly ae - bay : pacar ’ 68 ihe eae S IN \ ss SS Ss I Ss > g S 3 x 8 S 3 S S < &§ Sy = < iS Ss 3) x & S ro) IN S. S S 8 aS] Ss s S as g Ss Q EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 28r and fifh-nets for fale; with this money he buysa hog CHAP, or two, fometimes fowls or ducks, all which he fattens , XXVI. upon the fpontaneous growth of the foil, without ex- pence, and very little trouble, and, in the end, they afford him confiderable profit. Thus pleafantly fituated, he is exempt from every anxiety, and pays no taxes, but looks up to his mafter as the only proteétor of him and his fa- mily. He adores him, not from fear, but from a con- viction that he is indebted to his goodnefs for all the comforts he enjoys. He breathes in a luxurious warm climate, like his own, which renders clothes unneceflary, and he finds himfelf more healthy, as well as more at his eafe, by going naked. His houfe he may build after his own fancy. The foreft affords him every neceflary material for the cutting. His bed is a ham- mock, or a mat called papaya His pots he manufactures himfelf, and his difhes are gourds, which grow in his garden. He never lives with a wife he does not love, ex- changing for another the moment either he or fhe be- comes tired, though this feparation happens Iefs fre- quently here than divorces do in Europe. Befides the regular allowance given him by his mafter weekly, his female friend has the art of making many favoury difhes; fuch as draf, or a hodge-podge of plantains and yams boiled with falt meat, barbacued fith, and Cayenne pepper. Tom-tom is a very good pudding, compofed of the flour of Indian corn, boiled with fleth, - VoL. II. Oo fowl, 282 CHAP. XXVI. ee ened NARRATIVE OF AN fowl, fifth, Cayenne pepper, and the young pods of the ocra or althea plant. Pepper-pot is a dith of boiled fifth and capficum, eaten with roafted plantains. Géngotay is made of dried, and a/fofoo of green plantains. : Ve Ms x 3 f EXPEDLTION)TO-SURINAM. 297 “ to be kept alive?” Which fpeech, on feeing the Jew cHAp. ftare like a fool, this mangled wretch accompanied with a loud and hearty laugh. Next, obferving the foldier that ftood fentinel over him biting occafionally on a piece of dry bread, he afked him ‘“ how it came to pafs, that he, “ a white man, fhould have no meat to eat along with “Sit ??—s¢ Becaufe I am not fo rich,” anfwered the foldier. — Then I will make you a prefent, fir,” faid the negro; “ firft, pick my hand that was chopped off clean to the “‘ bones, next begin to devour my body, till you are Wee elutted ; when you will have both bread and meat, “as beft becomes you;”—which piece of humour was followed by a fecond laugh; and thus he continued, until I left him, which was about three hours after the dread- ful execution. Wonderful it is indeed, that human nature fhould be able to endure fo much torture, which affuredly could only be fupported by a mixture of rage, contempt, pride, and the glory of braving his tormentors, from whom he was fo foon to efcape*. Though I never recal to my remembrance, without the moft painful fenfation, this horrid {cene, which muft revolt the feelings of all who have one fpark of huma- nity, I cannot forbear exhibiting to the public the dread- ful fpectacle in the annexed drawing. If the reader, * At Demerary, fo late as O@lober, in the manner juft defcribed, with no lefs 178g, thirty-two wretches were executed _ fortitude, and without uttering one fingle in three days, fixteen of whom fuffered complaint. MOL: Il. Qq however, XXVII. NARRATVIV. ECORV AN however, fhould be offended with this fhocking exhibi- tion, and my dwelling fo long on this unpleafant fubject, let it be fome relief to his reflection, to confider this pu- nifhment not inflicted as a wanton and unprovoked act of cruelty, but as the extreme feverity of the Surinam laws, on a defperate wretch, fuffering as an example to others for complicated crimes; while at the fame time it cannot but give me, and I hope many others, fome confolation to reflect that the above barbarous mode of punifhment was hitherto never put in practice in the Britifh colonies. I muit now relate an incident, which, as it had a mo- mentary effect on my imagination, might have had a laft- ing one on fome who had not inveftigated the real caufe of it, and which it gave me no {mall fatisfaction to difcover. About three in the afternoon, walking towards the place of execution, with my thoughts full of the affecting fcene, and the image of the fufferer frefh in my mind, the firft object I faw was his head at fome diftance, placed on a ftake, nodding to me backwards and forwards, as if he ‘had really been alive. I inftantly ftopped fhort, and feeing no perfon in the favannah, nor a breath of wind fufficient to move a leaf or a feather, I acknowledge that I was rivetted to the ground, where I {tood without having the refolution of advancing one ftep for fome time; till reflecting that I muft be weak indeed not to approach this dead fkull, and find out the wonderful phenomenon, if poffible, I boldly walked up, and inftantly difcovered the natural caufe, by the return of a vwture to the gallows, § who A EXPEDITION. TO.SURIN AM. 99 who perched upon it, as if he meant to difpute with me CHAP. for this feaft of carrion; which bird, having already picked out one of the eyes, had fled at my firft approach, and ftriking the fkull with his talons, as he took his fudden flight, occafioned the motion already defcribed. I dhall now only add, that this poor wretch, after living near fix hours, had been knocked on the head by the com- miferating fentinel, the marks of whofe mufket were perfectly vifible by a large open fracture in the fkull. Vultures are compared by fome to the eagle, though thofe of Surinam poffefs very oppofite qualities. They are indeed birds of prey, but inftead of feeding on what they kill, like the other noble animal, their chief pur- fuit is carrion; wherefore they generally refort to burial- grounds and places of execution, which they difcover by their very acute {mell, fo much fo, that by the negroes they are called ¢/mgee-fow/o, or the ftinking bird. The Guiana vultures are the fize of a common turkey; they are of a dark-grey colour, with black wings and tail; the bill is ftraight with a crooked point, and very ftrong; the tongue is cloven, the neck without feathers, and the legs very fhort. Befides carrion, thefe birds will often deftroy and eat ferpents, and indeed every thing that comes in their way, until they are fo much gorged that they can hardly fly. | The bird called the Ring of the vultures is not very common in Surinam, though fometimes the Indians brine one or two to Paramaribo for fale, on account of its great Qqg2 beauty. XXVII. eed 300 CHAP, MX VIL. NARRATIY © OCOFCA NW beauty. ‘This is larger than any turkey-cock, with a naked head and neck, the fkin of which is partly brown, yellow, and {carlet: round its neck it has a dufky, long, feathered collar, in which it can at pleafure withdraw, and fo far hide its neck, that nothing but part of the head is perceptible. This bird likewife feeds on carrion, ferpents, rats, toads, and even excrements. Among the other birds of prey in the foreft of Surinam, is found the crefled eagle. ‘This is a very fierce bird, and alfo very ftrong; the back is black, but yellowifh at the bafe; the breait and belly white, with black {pots, as are its thighs, and even the feathers of its legs; the reft of the body is entirely brown, and the claws perfectly yel- low. The head of this bird is flat, ornamented with four feathers, two long and two fhort, which it can erect or. deprefs at pleafure. About this time the Hizd, an eae frigate, with her tender, were on the coaft, looking out for American prizes. The 24th, being the Prince of Orange’s birth-day, the whole corps of officers were entertained with falt beef, falt pork, barley puddings, and hard peafe, by Colonel Fourgeoud. And this day (poor Joanna being inflexible in her refolutions) I ratified the agreement with the good Mrs. Godefroy, in prefence of her mother and other re- lations, whereby the above lady bound herfelf ** never to ‘“ part with. her, except to myfelf alone, as long as fhe liv- ‘©eds; and that upon her death, not only her full liberty, but ne EXP#DIELON °F O .SUR LN AM, “ but a {pot of ground for cultivation, befides a neat houfe “ built upon it, fhould be her portion for ever, to difpofe 6 of as fhe pleafed.” After this fhe returned my remaining bond of goo florins, and gave Joanna a purfe with gold containing near twenty ducats, befides a couple of pieces of Eaft India chintz, advifing me at the fame time * to give in-a requeft to the court for little Johnny’s imme- ¢¢ diate manumiffion; which,” fhe obferved, “* was a ne- « ceflary form, whether I fhould be able to obtain the bail ¢ ufually required or not; and without which formality, “‘ even if I had the bail ready to appear, nothing would “ be done in the courfe of bufinefs.” : Having both of us thanked this moft excellent woman, I went to fup with the Governor, where being tranf- ported with joy, I gave him my requeft in full form, which he coolly put in his pocket with one hand, while he gave me a hearty {queeze with the other; and fhaking his head, told me frankly, “ that he would lay it before ‘the court; but at the fame time was perfectly con- ‘¢ vinced my boy mutt die a flave, unlefs I could find the -« neceflary bail, which he was at the fame time well per- « fuaded very few people would wifh to appear for.” Thus, after {pending fo much time and labour, befides the expence of above a hundred guineas already paid, I had {till the inexpreffible mortification to fee this dear little fellow, of whom I was both the father and the matter, expofed to perhaps eternal fervitude; as for Joanna, fhe was now perfectly fafe, to my heartfelt fatisfaction. One NAR R AY RY EO FP. YAR One confolation, however, in the midft of this difap- pointment, moft opportunely prefented itfelf. The fa- mous negro, Graman-Qwacy, formerly mentioned, who was juft returned from Holland, brought the news, that partly by 4s intereft a new law was there enacted, by which all flaves were to be free fix months after their landing at the Texel; which, indeed, on application of their mafters, might be extended to twelve, but not a fingle day longer on any account whatfoever.—Thus be- ing perfuaded that I fhould ove day joyfully carry both him and his mother over the Atlantic, my heart was greatly relieved. Of this Graman-Qwacy I will beg leave to give a fhort account, before I take farewell of the reader. Suffice it for the prefent to fay, that the Prince of Orange, befides paying his out and homeward paflage, and giving him feveral prefents, fent him back to Surinam dreffed in a fuit of blue and fcarlet, trimmed over with broad gold lace: on his hat he-wore a white feather, and looked upon the whole not unlike one of the Dutch generals; which goodnefs made this king of the negroes, however, | very proud, and even frequently very faucy. On the 25th, the Governor of the colony gave a very fumptuous feaft to feveral of his friends at his zudigo- plantation, which was fituated.but a few miles at the back of his palace, where I had the honour to be invited as one of the party, and had the pleafure of infpecting the procefs EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. procefs of making indigo, a detail of which will probably be acceptable. In the firft place, therefore, I fhall prefent the curious with a drawing of the ixdigo plant, which is a knotty fhrub produced from feed, which grows to about two feet from the ground, and comes to perfection in the {pace of two months. This plant requires a very rich foil, which befides ought to be kept perfectly clean from weeds. In the plate, 4 is the colour of the fprig; B, the leaves above; C, the fame below; D, the feed inclofed in fmall brown pods; £, the fize of the leaf as it grows; F, a piece of indigo ready made for ufe. The above fprig was defigned from nature on the fpot, but on a {mall fcale: it has fomething the appearance of the tamarind branch, principally in the fize of the leaf, which alfo grows in pairs, and is darker above than below; but at the extremity of each fhoot in ¢dzs fhrub, one leaf grows fingle, which is not the cafe in the other. The young fhoot in the tamarind-trees alfo appears at the extremity of the branches ; but in this they {pring forth, as may be feen, from the bafe. The mode in which this plant is converted into in- digo is as follows:—When all the verdure is cut off, the whole crop is tied in bunches, and put into a very large tub with water, covered over with very heavy logs of wood by way of preffers: thus kept, it be- gins to ferment; in lefs than eighteen hours the water feems to boil, and becomes of a violet or garter blue co- lour, extracting all the grain or colouring matter from the ~ Came 303 CHAP. XXVII. (cceeemn romania 304 CHAP. XXVII. ee] NAR RACTIVE + O26 + AN the plant: in this fituation the liquor is drawn off into another tub, which is fomething lefs, when the remain- ing trafh is carefully picked up and thrown away; and the very noxious {mell of this refufe it is that occafions the peculiar unhealthinefs which is always incident. to this bufinefs. Being now in the fecond tub, the mafh is agitated by paddles adapted for the purpofe, till by a fkilful maceration all the grain feparates from the water, the firft finking like mud to the bottom, while the latter appears clear and tranfparent on the furface: this water, being carefully removed till near the coloured mafs, the remaining liquor is drawn off into a third tub, to let what indigo 7¢ may contain alfo fettle in the bottom; after which, the laft drops of water here being alfo re- moved, the fediment or indigo is put into proper veffels to dry, where being divefted of its laft remaining moif- ture, and formed into fmall, round, and oblong fquare pieces, it is become a beautiful dark blue, and fit for ex- portation. The beft indigo ought to be light, hard, and fparkling. In Surinam but little of it is cultivated, for what reafon I know not, fince one pound is fold for about four florins, which is about feven fhillings in fter- ling money. oe It is faid this article was firft introduced by one Defirades, who called. himfelf a French officer, and muft have brought it from the ifland of St. Domingo very lately, fince I myfelf was well acquainted with this poor fellow, who fince fhot himfelf through the head with a piftol at Demeraryw—As the circumftances of his death ALLY T CHE « Tyley 0-4 ane. London, Published Dee 124791, by SF. Sohneon, SéPauls Church Yard. 72 ‘\ EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 205 death were fomewhat remarkable, I cannot refift the CHAP, temptation of relating them. Having involved himfelf cos in debt, he turned to ready money his remaining effects, and fled from Surinam: next fetting up in the Spanifh contraband trade, his all was taken. Deprived of every thing, he now applied for proteétion to a friend at De- merary, who humanely gave him fhelter: at this time an abfcefs gathering in his fhoulder, every affiftance was offered, but in vain, Mr. Deftrades refufing to let it be even examined; his fhoulder therefore grew worfe, and even dangerous, but he perfifted in not permitting it to be uncovered; till one day, having dreffed himfelf in his beft apparel, the family was alarmed by the report of fire-arms, when they found him weltering in his blood, with a piftol by his fide; and then, to their furprize, hav- ing {tripped him, the mark of V. for vo/ewr, or thief, was difcovered on the very fhoulder he had attempted to con- ceal.—Thus ended the life of this poor wretch, who had for years at Paramaribo fupported the character of a polite and well-bred gentleman, where he had indeed been univerfally refpected. Dinner being over at the Governor’s indigo-plantation, I now departed in his excellency’s coach to the water- fide, where a tent-barge and eight oars lay in waiting to row me down to the eftate Catwyk, in the River Come- wina, whither I was invited by Mr. Goefzee, a Dutch naval officer, who was the proprietor of this beautiful country-feat. In this charming fituation, no amufements VOL. II. Rr were NARRATIVE OF AN were wanting. ‘There were carriages, faddle -horfes, fail-boats, billiard-tables,; &c. all ready for immediate ufe. But what embittered the pleafure was, the inhu- man difpofition of Mr. Goetzee’s- /ady, who flogged her negro flaves for every little trifle. For inftance, one of the foot-boys, called Facky, not having rinfed the glaffes according to her mind, fhe ordered him to be whipped the next morning; but the unfortunate youth foon put himfelf beyond the reach of her refentment: for, having taken farewell of the other negroes on the eftate, he went up ftairs, laid himfelf down upon his mafer’s own bed, where, placing the muzzle of a loaded fowling-piece in his mouth, by the help of his toe he drew the trigger, and put an end to his exiftence. A couple of ftout ne- groes were now fent up to fee what was the matter; who, finding the bed all over befpattered with blood and brains, got orders to throw the body out of the window to the dogs, while the mafter and miftrefs were fo very much alarmed, that they never got the better of it*; nor would any perfon confent to lie in the fame apartments till I chofe it in preference to any other, being affuredly the moft pleafant room, and the very beft bed, in the houfe. What added much to the alarm of the family, was the circumftance of a favourite child lying faft afleep in the fame apartment where this fhocking cata- ftrophe happened. ‘They were, however, relieved from * The above unhappy people were poifoned by their flaves about fix years after this happened, 5 their EXPEDITION TO SURINAM... their alarms on this fcore, by being informed that it had not received the fmalleft injury. I had not been fourteen days on this plantation, when a female mulatto flave, called Yeztee, for having jocofely faid ** her miftrefs had fome debt as well as herfelf,” was ftripped ftark naked, and in a very indecent as well as inhuman manner flogged by two ftout negroes before the dwelling-houfe door (while both her feet were locked to a heavy iron bolt) until hardly any fkin was left on her thighs or fides. Five days after this I had the good for- tune, however, to get her relieved from the iron-bolt, which was locked acrofs her fhins: but a Mrs. Van Eys, alledging fhe had affronted her alfo by her /aucy looks, prevailed on Mrs. Goetzee to renew the punifhment the fame week; when fhe was actually fo cruelly beaten, that I expected fhe could not have furvived it. Difgufted with this barbarity, I left the eftate Catwyk, determined never more to return to 7¢: but I ftill accom- - panying Mr. Goetzee to vifit fome of his other plantations from curiofity, in Cottica and Pirica Rivers, at one of thefe, called the 4/a, a new-born female infant was prefented me by way of compliment, to give it a name, which I called Charlotte. But the next morning, during breakfaft, fe- ven negroes were here again tied up and flogged, fome with a cow-/kin, which is very terrible.—Hence I made my retreat to the eitate Sgraven-Hague, and there, meet- ing a mulatto youth in chains, whofe name was Doug/as, I with horror recollected his unhappy father, who had Rrra been 397 CHAP. XXVII. Cen ed NARRATEVE OF PAK been obliged to leave him a flave, and was now dead. Heartily tired of my excurfion, I was now glad to make hafte back to Paramaribo; where, as foon as I arrived, the firft news I heard was that Colonel Fourgeoud’s French, valet-de-chambre, poor Mon/fieur Laurant, had actually been buried before he was quite dead ;—and that, for hav- ing been found drunk in an ale-houfe, no lefs than thir- teen of our men had moft feverely run the gauntlet, and as many been terribly baftinadoed, the greateft number of which-no more fawEurope ;—alfo, thata Quaderoon youth and a Dutch failor were found murdered on the beach.— 1 was now proceeding to take a walk on the plain or efpla- nade, but here I was called in by Mr. St—k—r, who con- ducting me three ftories high: *¢ From this window (faid he) a * few days fince, leaped one of my black boys, to ef- ‘Scape a gentle flogging; however, having only fainted ¢¢ in confequence of his fall, we foon brought him to life ‘¢ again by a hearty fcouring on the ribs, fo he did not ‘€ efcape; after which, for having rifked himfelf, that is “¢ to fay his mafter’s property, and frightened my wife, fhe *¢ ordered him to be fent to Fort Zelandia, where he re- ‘<‘ ceived the intereft, that is a moft confounded /pan/o- ¢ bocko.” The punifhment called /pan/o-bocko is extremely fe- vere indeed, and is executed in the following manner :— The prifoner’s hands being lafhed together, he is laid down on the ground on one fide, with his knees thruft between his arms, and thefe confined by a ftrong ftake, which EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. which feparates them from his wrifts, and is driven per- pendicularly into the ground, infomuch that he can no more ftir than if he was dead. In this locked pofition, truffed like a fowl], he is beaten on one fide of his breech by a ftrong negro, with a handful of knotty tamarind branches, till the very flefh is cut away; he is then turned over on the other fide, where the fame dreadful flagellation is inflicted, till not a bit of fkin is left, and the place of execution is dyed with blood: after which the raw lacerated wound is immediately wafhed with le- mon-juice and gun-powder to prevent mortification, and then he is fent home to recover as well as he can. The above cruel and indecent punifhment is fometimes repeated at every ftreet in the town of Paramaribo, to men and women indifcriminately, which is a feverity abfo- lutely beyond conception; however, it is never ¢2us in- flicted without a condemnation from the court. But a. fingle /pan/o-bocko, without regard to age or fex, as I have juit mentioned, may be ordered by any proprietor, either at home, or by fending the victim to the fortrefs, with a note to the public executioner, to whom fome trifle in money is paid-as a fee of office. I next was addrefled by a Monfieur Rochetaux, whofe Coromantyh cook, having {poiled his ragour, had juft cut his own throat to prevent a whipping; and Mr. Charles Reyn/fdorp’s lately did the fame. | After thefe facts, can it be a matter of furprize, that *al the 309 CHAP, XXVII, NARRATIVE OF AN the negro flaves rife up in rebellion againft mafters who treat them with fo very much feverity ? | As Ido not recollect that I have defcribed in what man- ner thefe infurgents generally attack the eftates, I cannot introduce it on a more proper occafion. Having lain during the night lurking in the bufhes that furround the eftate, they always appear a little be« fore day-break, when unexpectedly falling on and maf- facring the Europeans, they plunder the dwelling-houfe, which they next fet on fire, and then carry off the negro women, whom they load with the fpoil, and treat with | the utmoft infolence fhould they make oppofition *. And now farewell, I hope, ye wretched objects, who have not made the leaft confpicuous figure in thefe bloody pages! for which I fhould be more ready to apo- ‘logize to the reader, had I not been induced to make cruelty afhamed of itfelf, and humanity gain ground: that at laft, in fome meafure, my motive may be crown- ed with fuccefs, I moft fincerely with, abhorring every aét of barbarity from the very bottom of my foul. “ Why, Chriftians, rage thine infolence and fcorn, «© Why burft thy vengeance on the wretch forlorn ? * For minute particulars I cannot do American Indians, which are almoft better than refer the curious to Mr. Be/- _perfedtly fimilar to thofe of the African knap’s Hiftory of New Hampfhire; where negroes. he defcribes the infurreclion of the «“ The | _ ie ot Ee 9 Ri 1 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. “© The cheerlefs captive, to flow death confign’d, “© Weigh'd down with chains, in prifon glooms confin’d “© Of hope bereft, who, by thy minions curs’d, « With hunger famifh’d, and confum’d with thirft, *¢ Withcut one friend, when Death’s laft horror ftung, “ Roll’d the wild eye, and gnaw’d the anguifh’d tongue.” I have already ftated that on the 24th of Auguft I gave in a hopelefs requeft to the Governor for my boy’s eman- cipation; and on the 8th of Odtober I faw with equal joy and furprize the following advertifement pofted up, “That if any one could give in a lawful objection why “ Yobn Stedman, a Quaderoon infant, the fon of Captain “¢ Stedman, fhould not be prefented with the bleffing of ‘* freedom, fuch perfon or perfons to appear before Ja- “ nuary ft, 1777.”—I no fooner read it, than I ran with the good news to my good friend, Mr. Palmer, who af- fured me, ‘that the above was no more than a form, put s¢ in practice on the fuppofition of my producing the bail «¢ required, which undoubtedly they expected, from my «¢ having fo boldly given in my requeft to the Governor of “ the colony.”—Without being able to utter one fyllable in reply, Iretired to the company of Joanna, who, with a {mile, bid me “ never to defpair, that Johnny certainly one “‘ day would be free;” nor did fhe ever fail in giving me fome confolation; whatever def{perate were my expec- tations. About this time we were informed, that in the Utrecht paper an impertinent //de/ had appeared againft the good Four- B12 CHAP, XXVIL. Veen some) f NARRATIVE OF AN Fourgeoud, ridiculing him for his embafly to the Owca and Serameca negroes: which gentleman, though he had no affiftance from thefe ales to expect, and his troops now melted down almoft to nothing, neverthelefs fcorned to keep thofe that could ftand upon their feet inactive. Thus, having provided the few remaining privates with - new cloathes (the jrfi they had received fince 1772) befides new fabres, bill-hooks, &c. he fent them all once more up, accompanied only by the fubalterns, to be encamped at the mouth of the Caffipore Creek, in the upper parts of the Cottica river; the ftaff officers and captains being ordered foon to follow: and on the 7th qe were treated by our commander, for the 77/7 time, with a firloin of good roaft-beef, which, however, was fent him from Amifterdam, prepared as I have already defcribed. At the deffert was a kind of fruit called in Surinam pomme de canelle, or cinnamon-apple: it grows on a fhrub in moft gardens at Paramaribo, and has fomething the ap- pearance of a young artichoke, being covered with a kind of green fcales. The {kin of this fruit is half an inch thick, and the pulp like clotted cream mixed with brown fugar: it is very fweet, but not much efteemed by many palates, being rather too lufcious ; the feeds, which are black; hard, and large, are contained in the pulp or creamy fubftance. Having now prepared myfelf once more for actual fer- vice, and again received a profufion of wine, fpirits, and refrefhments of every kind, to carry with me to the woods, ee oc EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. woods, from different friends at Paramaribo; I left my dear mulatto and her boy to the care of that excellent woman Mrs. Godefroy, in order the following day to fet out on my /eventh campaign, and help, if poffible, to compleat that bufinefs we had fo long and fo ardently un- dertaken, for the fafety and welfare of this valuable co- lony, and its /awful inhabitants of every denomination ; while happily my health and my fpirits were at this time once more juft as vigorous and as ftrong, with all my limbs as perfectly found, as the very firft day that I land- ed, with Colonel Fourgeoud and his regiment of marines, in Terra Firma. VoL. II, Sf CHAP. 354 NARRATIVE OF AN. CHAP... XXViIM. The Rebels fly for Protection to Cayenne—Tbird March to Gado-Saby—A fecond Re-inforcement of Troops arrive from Holland—Sbhipwreck of the Tranfport Paramaribo —March to Rio Comewina—Di/mal Picture of Diftre/s and of Mortality—The Peace of the Colony reflored. CHAP, N the roth of November, in company with feverab XXVIII. other gentlemen, I now once more fet out in a tent barge for the encampment at the Cafeepore Creek; and this day the whole colony was full of fmoke, the woods hav- ing taken fire near the fea fide by fome unknown accident. On our pafflage we met Colonel Zexzer, who came from the poft Vredenburgh, at the Marawina, with a detachment; and affured us, that fince the blow we gave to the rebels at Gado-Saby, they were moftly fled to the other fide of that great river, where they found refuge amongft the French who were fettled in Cayenne; he had, however, taken a woman, and heutenant Keez took two men, and killed two more, while the two new black volunteer companies fupported the honour of their colours, which they had received with fo much ceremony from the governor, by occafionally bringing in captives from the fea fhore be- hind Paramaribo, in which they were affifted by the In- dians, who had voluntarily fought and defeated the enemy. thefe,, EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. there, more than once. Thus every thing promifed fair to crown our endeavours with fuccefs, and finally to re- eftablifh fafety and tranquillity in the colony. On our paffage we ftopped at the eftate Saardan, the proprietor of which (by a late marriage) was our Licu- tenant Colonel Des Borgues. I found here an American failor who came to load molaffes, and having an inclina- tion to try the {kill of the new planter (and his overfeer) in rum, I defired the tar to colour a couple of gallons of kill-devil made at the very fame plantation, and bring them afhore as rum brought from dxziigua. He did fo, and they gave him in exchange for it a fix gallon keg of the very fame fpirits; declaring it was much better than their own, and then drank the contents in punch, to my very great entertainment. The failor faid he fhould colour the fix gallons alfo, and did not doubt of loading his boat to the water’s edge before he reached Paramaribo. —Such, in all countries, is the force of prejudice. Having been very well entertained at Saardan, we fet forward, and arrived fafe in the encampment at the Caffeepore Creek, in Cottica River, on the 13th; where, in ftepping afhore, being without fhoes and ftockings, I narrowly efcaped being bitten by a /and-/corpion. This infect is of the fize of .a fmall cray-fith, and has an oval body; its colour is like that of foot, and it is jointed in moveable rings: it has eight legs, divided by joints, and two jointed claws projecting from the head, appearing like part of the body, with fuch fmall eyes that they are Sf2 hardly 315 CHAP. XXVIHI. cena, sea) 316 CHAP. XXVIII. Snel, NARRATIVE: OF AN hardly perceptible : the tail is ‘formed by feven globular | divifions like beads, which terminate in a double fting; this it bends over its back, to protect its young ones from the attacks of other infects: for to the creature’s back the young refort, after being hatched from eggs like pin- heads, in a {mall web {pun by the female. The fting of the land-fcorpion is not accounted fatal, but occafions a violent pain, and throws the patient intoa fever: it is faid they change their {kins, as crabs do their fhells. The fcorpions generally frequent old trees and old furniture, and are often found amongft dry rubbith and faded gnafs. Almoft the firft accidents that I faw here was a poor fellow, a marine, going to bathe in the river, who was: inftantly fnapt away by a large a/izator. I no. fooner beheld him fink and difappear, than: having ftripped, I actually dived after the poor man, by the help. of a long oar, which a negro held: perpendicular under’ water for the purpofe, conftantly taking care to keep all my limbs in motion. However I found him not, and tugging the oar as a fignal to pull it up, the fellow, by mifcomprehen- fion, pufhed both it and myfe.f down. with fuch violence, that we did not rife again to the furface till near the: middle of the ftream, which carried down the oar, while I regained the fhore by {wimming and very great. exertion. On the zgoth, being now once more ordered’ to march on difcovery to Gado-Saby, I fet out at fix o’clock in the: morning, with two fubaltern. officers, three ferjeants, 4 feven EXPEDITION TO.SURINAM. feven corporals, and fifty privates, befides a furgeon, and the noted free negro Goufary (whom we loft for three or four hours) and encamped near the banks of the fame creek, not having been able to advance above fix miles due weft from its mouth. On the 2x{t we marched north for about feven or eight miles, without meeting with one drop of water to alle- viate our burning thirft, it being at this time in the very heart of the dry, feafon, which this year was more fcorch= ‘ing than I ever remembered it before. ' Hawing now changed my courfe to the north-eaft,. and paffed the quagmire, about noon the following day we marched dry through the late fatal marfh, and an hour after we kept due weft; when, falling in with a large field; of yams, we demolifhed it; then proceeding for= ward, I encamped in: the old fettlement Cofaay, almoft choked for want of water, not having met with any thing like it from the moment we fat out. Here, how- ever, the negro flaves found means to procure us fome, which, though ftagnant and itinking hke a kennel, we drank, ftraining it through our fhirt-fleeves, During this march, I neverthelefs took notice of the following trees, not yet defcribed, viz. the CANAVALEPY, andthe Jerk/ack, which are extremely fit for domettic ufe. The firft is beautifully ftriped, black and brown, and has much the appearance of that ufnally called brazil, while it diffufes a.{mell in working not inferior to that of a carnation. The fecond is a pale red or pink colour, and is equally 317 CHAP, XXVIII. \ acess tne)! 318 ©) AP. XXVIII. NARRATIVE-OF+AN . equally good for almoft every purpofe. I was this day ; , alfo prefented with a fingular kind of fruit, called here the marmalade box, being about the fize of a large apple, rather oval, and all covered over with down. This fruit in the beginning is green, and when ripe it turns to a brown colour: the hufk is hard, and by a certain motion opens in halves lke a walnut, when the pulp appears like that of a medlar, being a {weet brown fubftance, and adhering to large kernels, which the inhabitants fuck off with avidity; and from this it derives the ‘above name. As I took no particular notice of the tree, I am forry not to have it in my power to give any account - of it whatfoever. The 23d I marched eaft. from Cofaay, with a view of obtaining fome frefh accounts of the rebels; and pro- ceeded by a path of communication through cultivated — fields, but fell in with nothing, fome delightful views, and a large herd of warree hogs, excepted, which from the enafhing of their teeth and their ftamping the ground before we faw them, we had actually miftaken for a ftrageling party of the enemy, and had confequently frefh-primed, and prepared to engage them. About noon we returned to Gado-Saby, where, fitting down to reft from our fatigue, a tall o/d rebel negro ap- peared fuddenly in the very midft of us, with a long white beard, a white cotton fheet tied about his fhoulders, and a broken cutlafs in his hand. Seeing this venerable apparition, I inftantly ftarted up, and forbidding my people EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 319 people to fire at him, I civilly defired him to approach CHAP. me, pledging myfelf that no perfon under my command eae fhould dare to hurt him; but that he fhould have every thing for his relief that I could afford.—He anfwered, «No, no, maffera!” with the utmoft deliberation, and fhaking his head in an inftant difappeared; while two of my men (contrary to my orders) fired after him, at the diftance of perhaps fix paces only, yet both miffed their object, to my great fatisfaction, he being a poor for- faken creature, that had been left behind the reft, glean- ing a precarious fubfiftence from his own deferted fields which we had formerly deftroyed. What renders the negroes fo difficult to hit with a ball is this, that they never run itraight forward, but z7g-2ag, like the forked lightning in the elements. I now, to fulfil my orders, once more ranfacked Cofaay, with its adjoining plains, though with a fore heart, on account of the poor lonely old rebel. Here, having cut down feveral cotton and plantain-trees, okeor or althea, pigeon-peafe, maize, pine-apples, and fome rice, moft of which had fpontaneoufly fprung up again fince our laft devaftation, I could not help leaving, before @ “ttle foed, where was fome frefh afhes and banana fhells, a few rufk bifcuits and a good piece of fait beef, as alfo a bottle of ne:v rum, for the unfortunate folitary old man, this® being his retreat; after which we once more en- camped in the fields of Cofaay. Having fo frequently mentioned rice, it may be ex- pected chat CHAP. XXAVIL. Keeeeeeny aercmreecd NARRATIVE \OF AN pected that I fhould fay fomething concerning its srowthy and cultivation. It rifes to the height of four feet, with furrowed ftalks, and in appearance is not unlike wheat, but the {talks are knotted by intervals, and ftronger ; the leaves are like thofe of reeds: the feeds are produced fomewhat like barley, and grow on each fide of the {pikes or ears alternately. The oryza or rice is cultivated in a warm and marfhy foil; the grains are oval, and if good ought to be white, hard, and tranfparent. As for the ufe of this commodity for food, it is fo well known, that I fhall only fay, that without this grain our poor marines muft long ago have all been ftarved, particularly in Au- guft 1775; when, for all allowance, they got per day one rufk bifcuit, and three {pikes of maize or Indian corn, for five men; rice alone fupplying, as I have intimated, the reft of the allowance. | Having now fully compleated my commiffion, I, with my detachment, marched back for the Caffeepore Creek, direfting my courfe through the ruined fields of Gado- Saby, which were at prefent choked up to a perfect wildernefs. Hence we kept firft to the fouth-weft, and then due fouth, after which we flung our hammocks near a former encampment. It is to be obferved, that at this time all the marfhes were nearly dry, on account of . the hotteft feafon I ever remember; while the fcetid fmell _ occafioned by the quantities of dead warrapa fifh, that had been deferted by the water, was an intolerable nui- fance. From amongtft thefe putrid fifhes, our negro flaves EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. flaves neverthelefs felected the moft tolerable, which, fried in the evening, ferved them for a delicate morfel. The morning following we again marched fouth-weft by weft, when we {flung our hammocks not above four miles from the Caffepore Creek; and on the 26th (keep- ing fouth-fouth-weft) we arrived in the evand camp, much fatigued and emaciated, myfelf with a {welled face or eryfipelas; when I gave in my journal to Lieutenant- Colonel de Borgnes, who commanded *: and I believe, upon my honour, that had we been ordered to remain twenty years on this expedition, with a poflibility of faving our lives, the different difeafes, plagues, and torments, would ftill have accumulated and varied without end. A detachment of fifty men was next fent out to recon- noitre at Jerufalem, &c.; and on the 6th of December the long-expected re/ef, confifting of three hundred and fifty men, arrived in the river Surinam from Holland, after a voyage of nine weeks and three days, of which they {pent a fortnight at Plymouth. By thefe the unfortunate account was brought, that, Captain Yocbem Meyer (who had on board a confiderable fum of money for our troops) was taken by the Moors, and carried with his crew to Morocco, where they were condemned to be flaves to the emperor+; and that the * See the above route, and all the others + The above captain and his crew to Gado-Saby, in Plate LVI. where they —_ were fince fet at liberty, having been ran- are by different lines diftinétly marked. fomed by the Dutch: V0. Tt dip 322 CHAP. AXVIl. NARRATIVE OF AN fhip Paramaribo, Captain Spruyt (being one of the veffels that carried over the fick in the beginning of Auguft) was wrecked and entirely loft in the channel, on the rocks of U/bant ; but that, by the exertions of fome French fifhing- boats, the crew and troops had all been faved, and carried into Breft, whence they had taken a frefh paflage for the Texel; after which the Prince of Orange (who was ever diftineuifhed for benevolence, and doing good and hu- mane actions) ordered the officers and private men, above one hundred in number, to receive the following fums, by way of defraying their lofs, vzz. each marine. received about four, the fubalterns thirty, the captains forty, and Major Med/ar, who commanded, fifty pounds fterling, However, by this fhipwreck, I loft all my three chefts of {weetmeats and pickles, befides parrots, butterflies, monkies, &c. intended as prefents to my friends in Eu- rope, which indifcriminately went to the bottom, to Wy no fmall mortification. Having now for above a month been lodged in a paltry hut, beaten by the wind and fhowers of rain (which began ~ to fet in unexpectedly); and being informed, that not- withftanding the arrival of the relief, we were {till to fiay fome time longer in the woods, which broke many hearts; I; on the 12th of December, earneftly fet about building for myfelf a comfortable houfe, and which was finifhed, without either nail or hammer, in lefs than fix days, though it had two rooms, a piazza with rails, and a {mall % EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 323 fmall kitchen, befides a garden, in which I fowed, in CHAP. pepper-creffes, the names of Joanna and John; while my next-door neighbour, who was my friend Captain Bolts, made fhift to keep a goat, and thus we lived not alto- gether uncomfortably. Others kept hens and ducks, but not a cock was to be feen in the camp; for thefe, having firftt had all their tongues cut out to prevent their crow- ing (though to no purpofe) had been fince condemned to lofe their heads. In fhort, our gentlemen built a row of very curious houfes indeed, all projecting from the beech ; while, on the oppofite fide, above a hundred green huts being conftructed to receive the new-come troops, the whole together formed no contemptible ftreet, though it muft be confeffed its inhabitants were little better than {care-crows. What was moft remarkable in my own habitation, yowever, was its entry, which was not by the door, nor yet by the window, but only by the roof, where I crept in and out, allowing abfolutely no other admittance ; and by this contrivance alone I was effectually guarded from thofe frequent vifitors who {melt my pancakes, and ufed to make too free with my eggs and bacon, befides inter~ rupting me while I was drawing, writing, or reading. ' Upon the whole, I muft acknowledge, that this encamp- ment was agreeable enough (more fo as being on elevated ground), had it not been for the peftilential damps and mephitic vapours that-exhale conftantly from the earth, and had already fent numbers to the other world. fae During XXVIII. en ame 324 CHAP. XXVIIT. Ve NARRATIVE OF AN 7 During this fhort fpace of tranquillity I conftruéted in | miniature my cottage in which | lived at the Hope, on an oblong board of about eighteen inches by twelve, which being entirely made of the manicole-tree and branches, like the original, was efteemed a mafter-piece; and this I fent as a prefent to my friend Mr. de Graaff at Paramaribo, who fince placed it in a cabinet of natural curiofities at Amfterdam. As I am upon this fubject, I am tempted to prefent the reader with a view of two of my habita- tions, the one that at the Hope, where I fpent fuch happy days; andthe other temporary, fuch as in the woods we con{tructed to be fheltered from the weather:—the firft may be confidered as the emblem of domettic felicity, the fecond of ruftick hardfhip and fatigue. The troops of the Soczety of Surinam, who had been encamped at the Wana Creek (the rainy feafon. prema- turely fetting in) now wifely broke up, and on the 26th paffing by us, rowed down the river Cottica on their way to the plantations in the Pirica Creek; but as for us, we were as ufual condemned to linger in'the Caffipore campy. while Fourgeoud ftill kept {nug at Paramaribo. With the above officers we received intelligence that a few more rebels had been taken at the Marawina; while we ourfelves daily continued to fend out patroles to the right and left, but met with nothing to capture. HRI At lait, on the 29th, fix barges came to an anchor before our encampment, with part of the frefh troops that were arrived from Holland for our relief; which I could not help London, Published Dee 14791, hy SA. Sohnson, IPauls Church Yard. : 73 4 i EXPEDITION 'TO SURINAM. help viewing with compaffion, and not without a caufe, many of them being already attacked with the fcurvy, and other loathfome difeafes. We however fent for bricks, -and built an oven to. bake frefh bread, &c. and did all that was in our power to comfort them: having received alto a fupply of wine for my own ufe, I gave a hearty welcome to all the officers, to cheer their fpirits; but this ill-fated liquor had an effect far different from what I in- ¢ by name, who, tended on one of our captains, P from fome mifunderftanding, challenged me to fight him inftantly. Having retired to fome diftance from the camp, and drawing our fabres, he burft out into am im- moderate fit of laughter, and throwing away his weapony. defired me “ to cut away; but that for his part he had « fuch a real regard for me, that he felt it was impoffible ‘¢ for him to make any refiftance :” after which, catching me in both his arms, he gave me fo hearty an embrace, that he had nearly ftifled me, and I could not without the greateft difficulty get difentangled. Being recovered from my furprize, I could not help fmiling in my turn; and after a friendly reprimand re-conducted my valiant opponent to the company, where we clofed the year with the greateft mirth and conviviality.. A confounded tumble. through my hammock having. ufhered in the morning of 1777, we went to the com- - manding officer of the camp, to pay him. the compli- ments of the feafon; where I was. fhown the philandery. er 325 GQ Hy AvP. XXVIII. | ule) NARRATIVE OF AWN CHAP. or Mexican oppoffum, here called awaree, which had beén BORVEAL, p= : : : juft taken alive, and with all its young. I have already mentioned the murine oppeffum; thus {hall now only defcribe fuch peculiarities as I was able to remark, and which were indeed but few in number, the animal being in the bottom of an empty hogfhead when I {aw it, its biting preventing me to take it in my hand.— In the firft place, it was much larger than the former,- this being the fize of an over-grown Norway rat: the colour was a yellowith grey all over, and the belly and limbs a dirty white; the muzzle was more blunt than that of the murine oppoffum, with long whifkers; its eyes not black but tran{parent, with a black ring round the iris; the tail extremely long, thick, and hairy, par- ticularly near the root, and its {mell was very offenfive. This oppoffum had a pouch under its belly, formed by the folding of the fkin, which is hairy within as well as without; from this pouch I faw the young ones (five or fix in number) feveral times run out, when the mother was not difturbed, and as often run into it upon the {malleft noife, or fhaking the hogfhead.—As I pitied the poor creature, after its having been fo long tormented, I fuddenly kicked up the hogfhead, when the oppoffum with all its young efcaped, and ran {wiftly up a very high tree before Colonel Seyburg’s cottage, and there it hung by the tail to one of the branches; but ‘as it is a dread- ful deftroyer of poultry, and the Colonel apprehended that v] | it i EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. S77 it would kill every one of his fowls, he ordered it, to my CHAP, forrow, to be fhot down, with all its young ones.—The Virginian oppoffam I never faw; and my only further remark on this fhall be, that its aétivity very much fur- prized me, as many writers have denied it this quality. For further particulars, I refer the reader to the murine or moufe oppoffum above-mentioned, as in moft circum- ftances thefe two animals perfectly acree. Among the deftroyers of poultry, there is another ani- mal in this country, known by the name of quacy-quacy: fome call it the racoon, but which properly is the coa/i- mondi, or Brafilian weafel; though many people, with fome degree of propriety, compare it to a fox, as it is -often able to carry away a goofe or a turkey, and is alfo extremely cunning. -This creature is fometimes near two feet long, the body fhaped like that of a dog, and com- monly black, or rather dark brown, though many are of a bright bay colour: the tail is long, hairy, and annulated with black, and a deep buff; the breaft and belly area dirty white; the head is a light brown, with long jaws, and a black fnout that projects upwards for near two inches, and is moveable like that of the tapira; the eyes are {malli, the ears are fhort and rounded, while on each fide a curved ftripe connects them and the muzzle; the legs of the coati are fhort, efpecially the foremoft; the feet are very long, with five toes on each, and long claws, while the animal, like the bear, always walks on the heel, and ftands on thofe behind. No quadrupeds (the mon= kies XXVIII. 325 CrH AP XXVIII. Qe steed NARRA TLV E OF AN eR kies not excepted) are better climbers on the trees, where thefe creatures commit dreadful ravages amongtft birds- nefts, every fmall animal which they can conquer be- coming their prey. In the poultry-yards in particular they commit great devattations, on which account every contrivance that can be invented is put in practite to deftroy them. As Iam upon the fubject ef animals, before I leave the woods I muft defcribe another creature, which inhabits them, and which (though more than twice the fize of the lait) lives chiefly on.ants 5. this is the great ant-eater, or ant-bear, called alio the zamanoir, and by the Spa- niards the 0/a palmera. The body of this animal is-co- vered over with very long fhaggy hair; on the back and belly it is black, and on the neck and ‘fides a grey or ellewifh white; the head is extremely long and flender, of alight bay colour, with very fmall eyes; the ears are fhort and round, and the mouth (which has no teeth) juft large enough to admit its tongue; the tail is of an enor~ mous fize, with very long black hair, fomething like that of ahorfe: with this extraordinary tail, when afleep (which is generally in the day time, or during a hard fhower of rain) the animal covers itfelf like a fquirre]; at other times he trails it along, and fweeps the ground. The limbs are’ flender, but covered with long hair; the hindmoft legs being fhorteft and black, with five claws; thofe before are of a dirty white, with but four claws, the two middle claws being of an extraordinary length. The D : London, Published Decl24 7040) SF. Sohnvort, S' Pauls Church Yard . i 74 rd EXPEDITION ToO°sURIN AM. 329 The great ant-eater is a very bad walker, refting always cpap. on the heel of his awkward long feet, like the coati and XXVIII. bear; but he is a better climber, and fo good a fighter, er that no dog will hunt him, fince whatever animal he catches between his fore claws (nay even the jaguar or tiger) he will not releafe while he has life. His food, as I have faid, confiits of ants, which he takes in the follow- ing manner:—when he comes to an ant-hillock, he unfolds his flender tongue, which is about twenty inches long, moft exactly refembling a worm; this being covered over with a clammy matter or faliva, the ants get upon it in great numbers, and by drawing it into his mouth, he {wallows thoufands all alive, and renews the operation, till no more are to be found, when he marches in queft of another mountain, and in the fame manner deftroys the unwary inhabitants. He alfo climbs in queft of wood- lice and wild honey; but fhould he meet with little fuc- cefs in his devaftations, he is able to faft a confiderable time without the {malleft inconvenience. It is faid that the great ant-bear is tameable, and that then he will pick crumbs of bread, and {mall pieces of flefh; alfo that when killed, he affords good food to the Indians and ne- groes, the laft of which I have feen devour his flefh with pleafure. Some ant-bears meafure, from the {nout to the tip of the tail, no lefs than eight feet.—See the two laft- defcribed animals in the plate annexed. A fmall fpecies of ant-bear, called the tamandua, is alfo found in Surinam, though not very common. This Vou. II. Uu differs 330 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. differs from the former in having twenty toes, the head XXVII. being thicker in proportion, and the tail fmaller, which is variegated with bands of black and yellowifh white.— A leffer fpecies ftill is called the fourmiller, which, how- ever, never came within my obfervation.—But to pro- ceed. | On the 3d, fix more barges with troops came up from Paramaribo, which compleated the number of three hun- dred and fifty men arrived from Holland. Amongft thefe, being informed there was a Captain Charles Small, come from the Scots Brigade, this gentleman having exchanged with poor Enfign Macdonald (who was fent over fick) I inftantly {culled down the river alone in a canoe to meet him, and offer him my affiftance. I had no fooner got on board his barge, than I found him fufpended in a hammock with a burning fever. He, not knowing me on account of my drefs, which was no better than that of the moft ragged failor, afked me what I wanted; but when he faw in me his poor friend Stedman, changed from a ftout fprightly young fellow, to a miferable debi-_ litated tatterdemallion, he grafped me by the hand, with- - out uttering a word, and burift into tears: which agitation, while it increafed his illnefs, fhewed the goodnefs of his heart to me, more than any thing he could have uttered on the fubjeét.—* D—n your blubbering, Charles!” faid I; “turn out of this ftinking cockle-fhell: Ill prefently “ cure thee ;’—and getting him hoifted into my canoe, I brought him on fhore to my own habitation, but with § the EXP RDP VON “TO eS UR IN AM, the greateft difficulty, being obliged to thruft him through a crevice made on purpofe, as the hole in the roof was not calculated even for any healthy perfon’s admittance, myfelf excepted. Having here flung his hammock near to my own, and boiled fome water, I _ treated him with warm grog and a toafted bifcuit, and he became much better from that very moment. He now acquainted me tat one of his men was drowned on the pafflage; and that Colonel Fourgeoud having en- tertained the officers with a ball after their landing, at which one of his cooks, and a couple of meagre marines, had been the fidlers, he concluded his illnefs to be the confequence of too much dancing. A little after this, Co- lonel Fourgeoud himfelf appearing in perfon in the camp amoneft us, he foon, however, entertained us with mufick of a different kind; which was no lefs than the difcourag- ing news, that by the newly-arrived corps of officers fe- veral of us had loft our rank (both in the regiment and in the army) after parching above four years in a burning fun, toiling ourfelves almoft to death, and fubfifting upon ftinking meat and black rufk. To add to this grievance, while the above gentlemen ufurped our preferment, we were, inftead of being relieved, ordered to continue in the woods, in order to’teach them their duty. During the above unpleafing probation, the major’s duty again fell to my fhare; which was at this time ex- tremely difagreeable, being obliged daily to chaftife the men, many.of whom pilfered the magazine to alleviate Uu2 « hunger, 331 CHAP. XXVIII. Ee amend 322 NA BRR APTVE OO fF AN CHAP. hunger, having been without the article of bread for AXVILE, : Jeven days, the oven being dropped to pieces. Amoneft others, one poor fellow was nearly flogged to death for having Jorrowed one of the colonel’s Bologna faufages ; for, let it be remembered, that our commander in chief, whatever might be the diftrefs and hardfhips of the reft, never forgot to fupport 47s own dignity, by at leaft half ' a dozen of {tout negroes loaded with bacon hams, Bo-= logna faufages, bullocks tongues, tea, coffee, fugar, Ma- deira wine, Holland’s gin, &c.— Courage may prompt, but, ebbing out his ftrength, Mere unfupported man muft yield at length: Shrunk with dry famine, and with toils declin’d, The drooping body will defert the mind ; But buile anew with health-conferring fare, With limbs and foul untam’d, he tires a war. At length, on the 8th, a barge arrived, not only with a fupply of falt beef and rufk, but a bullock and two hogs, as a prefent from Mr. Fe/man, who, accompanied by his lady, &c. came actually onavifit to Fourgeoud, inthis very {trange encampment. The above animals being immediately killed, they were diftributed among four hundred people; fo that it may well be conceived the fhares, though {weet, were not very large, after which the company walked about to view our different habitations. Being arrived at my dwelling, Fourgeoud led them round and round, but feeing no door to get in, he called out, ** Nobody at home?” When I in= ‘ EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. Tinftantly thruft my head through the thatch, with a pan- ~ cake in my hand, and offered to haul in the ladies; but this they civilly declined. I never faw Fourgeoud laugh fo much in my life. As foon, however, as he was able to re- cover his gravity, he exclaimed, “ Sacre Dicu ! I/ faut étre “ Stediman,—i! faut étre original comme lui;” and re-con- ‘ducted the company to his own apartment, where he gave me an invitation to follow them. Indeed, when Captain Small and I went out, we generally fpent our time in a beautiful favannah, where we had erected a green fhed, to be free in converfation, and called it Ranelagh; here we caroufed and cracked a bottle in private, till we could crack no longer, having lived fo well that in a little time more than a week my cheefe and bacon hams quite difappeared, and not a.drep of wine or rum was left in the flafks.—A fter this he, as well as I, were obliged to live on fhort allowance; while Small had the fatisfaction, however, to fee his fhip- mates do the fame: who, not being acquainted with the ceconomy neceffary in a foreft, had made all their flour into plum-pudding, and were already obliged to break their teeth on a piece of rye rufk. In fhort, fo early as the 12th, one hundred and fifty of thefe newly-arrived people were already ordered to march; when, by the way of feafoning them, befides heavy ac- coutrements and a hammock, they had orders each man to carry a ftuffed knapfack on his back. Of this party, my friendSmall happened to be one, who being as corpulent as Sir Fohn Faliaf, and | having accoutred him in the above manner, 333 C.H AP. XXVIII. ey amend 334 Cr'H AcP; XXVIII. ee] NARRATIVE OF AN manner, the poor fellow could hardly walk at all; till declaring to Fourgeoud that I muft roll him along like a hogfhead, he got leave to be difengaged from a part of his unweildy encumbrances. Every thing being ready, this loaded detachment now faced to the right, and fet out, with Colonel Fourgeoud at their head, for the river Marawina: and while I muft here acknowledge that this chief was now become to my- felf as civil as I could expect or defire, yet juftice compels me to add, that to all others he remained juft as inflexible a tyrant as ever I had known him; which character he unhappily feemed to think incompatible with his rank. During their abfence, I croffed the water, and cut down a cabbage-tree on the other fide of the river Cottica, not only for the cabbage, but for the fake of the groe-groe worms, with which I knew it would {warm in about a fortnight. Straying here through the woods with my black boy Quaco, I met with the following trees, ftill left for de- {cription, viz. the cedar, the brown-heart, and the du/- let-tree. The firft, though it bears that name, is different from the cedars of Lebanon, which grow in a pyrami- dical form. The Surinam cedar, however, grows alfo to a great height, but is principally efteemed becaufe the wood is never eaten by the worms or other infects, on account of its great bitternefs; it has alfo a moft agree- able {mell, and is therefore ufed in preference to moft others for making chefts, cupboards, lockers, and all forts of EXPEDITION) PO; SURINAM. 335 of joinery ; ‘befides which, it is employed in making the CHAP. tent-barges and other boats. The colour of the timber ey is a pale orange: it is both hard and light, and from the trunk exudes a gum (not unlike the gum Arabic) which is tranfparent, and diffufes a moft agreeable flavour. The drown-beart is in hardnefs of the fame confiftency as the purple-heart, and the green-heart already men- tioned, and is fhaped into heavy timber for the fame purpofes, fuch as conftruGing fugar-mills, &c.: the co- lour of this wood is a beautiful brown.—-The other is the bullet-tree; this tree grows fometimes to fixty feet, but is not fo thick in proportion as many others: the bark is grey and fmooth, the timber brown, variegated or pow- dered with white f{pecks. No wood in the foreft is equal to this in weight, being heavier than fea-water, and fo very durable, that when expofed to the open air neither rain or fun have any effect on it; for this reafon, befides its other various ufes, it is fplit into /Aimgles to roof the houfes, inftead of flates or tiles, which, as I formerly men- tioned, would be too heavy and too hot. Thefe fhingles are fold for £.4 fterling a thoufand at Paramaribo, and ‘continue fometimes twenty-four years before they are renewed. I ought to mention alfo a kind of mahogany, which is found in the woods of Guiana, called the ducolla-bolla, and which is of a fuperior quality to any which is im- ported here, being of a deeper red colour, and of a iiner, more equal, and compact grain; alfo of greater hardnets and 336 CHAP. XXVIII. Ce peed : NARRATIVE VOE' AN and weight, and thus capable of receiving a more elegant polifh. About this period the whole camp was infefted with a kind of wood-lce, fo called in Surinam, but with more propriety they might be termed white ants, refembling them almoft in every particular, except that the ants dwell in the ground, and thefe build their nefts on the trunks of trees: thefe nefts, being black, round, and ir- regular, are not unlike the woolly head of a negro, but fometimes as large as the half of a hogfhead, and com- pofed of a ruft-coloured incruftated earth, which is ex- tremely hard, and impenetrable to the weather. In this mafs, which internally confifts of innumerable crofs roads, each the fize of a goofe-quill, they live together in myriads, whence they fally forth, and commit their depredations, unequalled by any other infect in Guiana, piercing through the hardeft wood, leather, linen, or whatever comes in their way. They alfo frequently get 3 into the houfes by an incrufted covered road made againft the wall, refembling the half of a fliding pencil, which is with its windings fometimes feveral hundred feet long: if this is not deftroyed upon its firft appearance (which muft be done by arfenick or the oil of turpentine) as they crumble every thing to duft, whole dwellings will be entirely demolifhed, and come down to the ground in rubbifh. Thefe infects (notwithftanding their fetid abo- minable {mell) are reckoned a very good food for poultry, who are faid to thrive on them even better than on In- dian EXPEDITION T-O SURINAM. 337 dian corn. J ought not to forget their extreme induftry CHAP. in repairing their habitation when injured, and their gba, wonderful power of propagation, which (let ever fuch numbers be deftroyed) brings them in a very fhort time to their former unaccountable multiplicity. To another peft we were alfo frequently fubjected in this camp, and this was no lefs than clouds of flying lice, which covered our clothes fometimes fo thick, that they abfolutely gave them the appearance of grey cloth. This was owing to the fhedding of their wings, which, being four in number; they generally left behind them after they alighted, and being thus without the means of fly- ing off again, they remained on our jackets; except however thus covering us all over, they caufed us no other inconvenience. It is the opinion of fome natura- lifts, that thefe flying lice are no other than the above- mentioned wood-lice, which when they become old get wings, leave their neits, and fly about, like fome other ants, both in Europe and in America. About this time the difcipline was peculiarly ftrict in the camp, fo that. whoever made the very leaft noife was moft feverely puniihed, nay, threatened to be fhot; and even the fentinels were ordered to challenge rounds and patrols by no other found than wéi/ling, which was anfwered in the fame manner. On the 18th, one of thefe being condemned to be flogged for {peaking loud, I however found means (Four- geoud not being yet returned) to get him pardoned, after VoL. II. XX he NARRATIVE OF AN HAP. he was already ftripped. The following day, neverthelefs, XVII, evinced that I could punifh when things were carried too far; for fecing a large piece of boiled pork (about two pounds weight) flying paft me with great velocity, and finding it was thrown by one marine to another, while they had got a quarrel, I inftantly ordered them to pick it up, and (having cut it in two) I ftood over them my- felf till they {wallowed every morfel of it in my prefence, fand and all, without either bread or drink: which they fince declared was fuch a punifhment as furpafled my conception, and they fhould remember it to the end of their lives. On the 23d, I received from town a well-timed fupply of wine and frefh provifions; and the fame day Colonel Fourgeoud, with his detachment, arrived from the Mara- wina. During this trip, our active commander had again difcovered and deftroyed fifty-nine houfes, befides three fields of provifions. This certainly gave the finifh- ing blow to the rebel negroes, fince, having no further fupply on this fide the water, they entirely abandoned it, and went to fettle in the French colony-Cayenne. In this hard though neceffary fervice the men had fuffered pro- digioufly, efpecially thofe newly arrived; numbers of whom were carried in hammocks on poles, while near thirty were left fick at the Marawina, and my friend ~ Small was at leaft one ftone lighter. At this time, in the camp hofpital, above one hundred were alfo dangeroufly ill, Nothing was heard but fighs and EX PED LE coOW) TDs SOCK VN. A M. and the fhrieking of the /77x or Guiana owl, which for ever kept them company during the difmal nights. Cramps, fo common in Surinam, alfo infefted thofe that were able to do duty; and there reigned a general melan- choly all around. “ The circling fky, «© The wide enlivening air, is full of fate; “ And, ftruck by turns, in folitary pangs “ They fall, untended and unmourn’d.” Here one man was to be feen covered over with bloody boils from head.to foot; there another led along by two of his comrades in a deep lethargy, who, in fpite of pinch- ing and pricking, dofed into eternity; a third, {welled by the dropfy, and imploring the furgeon in vain to tap off the water (who generally anfwered that it was too late) was left to expire by fuffocation. In.the hofpital fome were obferved clafping their hands, and praying aloud to God to be relieved; while others lay at their fide in a frenzy fever, tearing their hair, blafpheming Providence, and curfing the day that they were born.—In fhort, all was dreadful beyond defcription, by the pen of a Mi/tox excepted. — “ Sad noifome dark, “ A lazar-houfe it feem’d, wherein were laid & Numbers of all, difeas’d: all maladies al « Of ghaftly fpafm or racking torture ; qualms Of heart-fick agony, all feverous kinds, XX 2 * Convulfions, ee | 340 CHAP. XXVUI, NARRATIVE OF AN “ Convulfions, epilepfies, fierce catarrhs ; “ Demoniac frenzy, moping melancholy, “© And moon-ftruck madnefs; pining atrophy, ** Dropfies, and afthmas, and joint-racking rheums: “* Dire was the toffing, deep the groans; defpair * 'Tended the fick, bufieft from couch to couch. ‘« And over them triumphant Death his dart ‘* Shook, but delay’d to ftrike, though oft invok’d “© With vows, as their chief good and final hope.” From day to day mortality now gained ground, while by fome accident, to compleat the diftrefs, part of the camp got on fire; but this was fortunately extinguifhed without any material ill confequences, by the activity and exertions of the poor negroes. On the 26th zy mifery, however, drew towards an end, when, to my aftonifhment, and without my afking it, Colonel Fourgeoud gave me a leave of abfence, if I chofe it, to accompany him, and {tay henceforth at Paramaribo ; which, without hefitation, I moft joyfully accepted. Thus, having made my friend Captain Small a prefent of my house, my Ranelagh, and all my fre/h provifions, befides entertained him and fome other officers on a dith of mountain-cabbage, and my groe-groe worms, which were juft come to perfection, befides a hearty glafs of wine, I took my laft adieu from them all; and at midnight, with Colonel Fourgeoud, rowed down the River Cottica in an. elegant barge with ten oars, in company with two more of his officers.—And now farewell once more, ye fhady woods, EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 341 woods, thou pleafing gloomy foreft, pregnant with fo CHAP, | : XXVIII. many wonders, and fo many plagues, and which, inthe , ;, opinion of fo many fufferers, even furpafied the sez plagues of Egypi !* —< I have fent among you the pettilence after the “* manner of Egypt: your young men have I flain with the fword— ** T have made the ftink of your camps to come up unto your “ noftrils : yet have ye not returned unto me, faith the Lord.” The boat being fhoved off, Colonel Fourgeoud now declared to us, that having ranfacked the foreft in every direction, and driven the rebels over the Marawina in Cayenne, he was determined no more to return to the woods, but in a few weeks to draw the long and painful expedition to a conclufion. Now, reader, it remains with you to acknowledge that I have not led you about the bu/h, but through it, with in- defatigable perfeverance : the more fo, when it is to be confidered that in the middle of the above hurry and diftrefs, under which fo many have funk, I have often been deprived of pen, ink, and paper to make proper an- notations ; which laft defect I have even more than once fupplied by writing with a pencil on my cartridges, or on a bleached dome: had this not been unavoidably the cafe, more accuracy and many more remarks might with ‘oes Should it be remarked that during geons and even cooks, though both of lit- this expedition fome unchriftian-like ex- tle ufe, had been provided, nothing like preffions have efcaped, let it be at the a par/on was ever feen amongft us, from fame time recollected, that while fure — the day we failed from the Texel. juftice 34% CHAP, AXVIII. NAR ER ATV EO fw juftice have been expected, which one need never be at @ , lofs to make in a country fo replete with different ob- jects for fpeculation. Having rowed all night, and breakfafted at the new cordon (which was begun to be cut not far from our former poft Devil’s Harwar) on a dram and a bifcuit, we came about noon to the eftate Lapaix, where we dined with the planter, Monfieur Rivieres; after which | Fourgeoud, with his adjutant, proceeded on their voyage to town, while I with another officer went to the fea-fide | at the back of the plantation to fhoot {nipes and curlews. On our march thither and back again, pafling two pofts of the Society, the flag was hoifted, refrefhments offered us, and every other civility fhewn us that was in the power of the commanding officers. In fhooting, however, we had very little fport, except that of killing fome /nipes, which flew in fuch clouds that they almoft darkened the fky; fo that by only firing from time to. time above our heads at random, we brought down fcores at every fhot, but they were of fuch a diminutive fpe- cies, that they were fcarcely worth the picking up. We might have here killed birds of greater fize, fuch as fpoon-bills, cranes, red curlews, and wild ducks of many kinds, had we not unluckily been cut off from the banks on which they were fcattered, by the fea over- flowing the quickfands betwixt us and them. They afforded us, neverthelefs, a moft delightful view, the beech appearing at a diftance like a fheet of fcarlet and purple, embroidered with every other colour. : The 14 oe Cis see = : , . re 7 : : ¥ es = 7 . : 7 an 4 ; - YQ fe s ae " VheJtalr “tlh, OF CPANE Of GUAM: j a London, Published Dec. “47.91, by J. Johnson: SPauls Church Fard. 75 « ‘ . EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. | 343 The fooveler or fpoon-bill (which has fome affinity to € BATE. the cranes) is about the fize of a goofe: thelegs are not W414 very long, and it is web-footed but for. a little way be- tween the toes: the feathers are a beautiful rofe-colour, though they are white when young; but the bill is truly remarkable in this bird, being flat, much broader before than at any other part, and circular, in fome degree re- fembling a f{poon, from which it takes its name. They are {aid to feed on frogs, rats, and lizards, yet fifh is evi- dently their principal nourifhment, from their frequent- ing the fea-fide, and having a fifhy tafte when they are ‘killed. , ! ‘The crane or jabiru of Surinam, I can beft compare to a ftork, of which it has much the appearance, but is larger. The body of this bird is milk white, but the prime feathers of the wings and tail are black: the limbs and toes are exceffively long; but l obferved one pecu- - liarity which diftinguifhes it from all other birds, v7z. that it frequently fits upon the heel: the neck and bill are of an uncommon length, the latter being ftrong, and a little hooked at the point. The head of the crane or jabiru is perfectly black, on account of which, among the Dutch, it obtained the appellation of a megro-cop. It fre- quents the coaft, like the others above mentioned, and lives entirely on fifh: this bird is eafily tamed. 1 have feen a couple of them in the poultry-yard belonging to Colonel Fourgeoud.—(See both thefe {pecies of fea-fowls in the plate annexed, where the lait is reprefented fitting in the pofture I have defcribed.) 4 To 54 CHAP. XXVIII. een dime ed apx NARRATIVE OF (A'N To delineate the different fpecies of wild ducks that are in Surinam with any degree of accuracy, is a tafk which I acknowledge to be far beyond my reach. Suffice it therefore to fay, that in general they are not very large, but adorned with the moit fplendid tints and moft beau- tiful plumage that can be imagined, particularly thofe they call the cawercerkee, the /ookooroorkee, and the anna- kee, which laft are the fmalleft. No water-fowl of any kind, without exception, can be more delicate eating than all thofe I have juft mentioned; while fome of them are tameable, and frequently feen amongft the poultry on the plantations. Having the following day the opportunity of a boat, I profecuted my. voyage down the Cottica River till I came to Paramaribo, where in fine fpirits and perfect health (however ftrange) I arrived that very fame evening, and where I was moft heartily welcomed by my many friends with the warmeft congratulations on my ftill exifting, after having efcaped fo many dangers, and been fo long deprived of every.comfort—torn by thorns, {tung by in- feéts—ftarved, tormented, emaciated, and wounded—often 3 without clothes, health, reft, money, refrefhments, medi- cines, or friends ;—and after having loft fo many of my brave companions, who lay buried in the duft.——Thus ended my feventh and /a4# campaign in the foreft of Guiana. | GHA P. EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. Cott, AvcRe (sXe, Some Account of a remarkable Negro.—The Troops prepare for Europe.—De/cription of a Coffee Plantation.—Plan of Reform for the Increafe of Population, and univerfal Happine/s.—One more Infiance of horrid Barbarity; and Example of Humanity.—The Regiment embarks. EING now once more arrived in town, and wifhing to be no longer troublefome to any body, I hired a very neat fmall houfe by the water-fide, in’ which we lived nearly as happy as we had done at the Hope. The firft perfon that vifited me here was the American Captain Lew7s, of the Peggy, who, to my great concern, toid me, that poor Macdonald, the grateful failor, had died on the homeward paflage, after being twelve days at fea; and defired him in his laft words to return me, with his good wifhes, the mother-of-pearl cork-fcrew I had formerly given him. He farther acquainted me alfo, to my forrow, that three Englifh veffels had been captured by the American Revenue privateer floop, which lay at this time, with her prizes, in the road before Paramaribo; one of which, belonging to Ireland, was valued at above £. 50,000 fterling. Having been waited on by a number of planters and » VoL. II. My others 345 eascts: 346 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP, others with congratulations on our fuccefs againtt the re- XIX. els ; amongft the reft appeared the celebrated Gramman Quacy, who came to fhew me his fine coat, gold medal, &cc. which he had received as a prefent from the Prince of Orange, in Holland. This man, being one of the moft extraordinary characters of all the negroes in Surinam, or perhaps in the world, I cannot proceed without giving fome account of him; the more fo, as he has made his appearance once or twice already in the courfe of this hiftory.—This African (for he was born on the coaft of Guinea) by his infinuating temper and induftry, not only. obtained his freedom from a ftate of flavery, but by his wonderful ingenuity and artful conduct found the means of procuring a very competent fubfiftence. ; Having got the name of a /ockoman, or forcerer, among the lower flaves, no crime of any confequence was com- mitted, efpecially at the plantations, but Gramman Quaty, which fignifies Great-man Quacy, was inftantly fent for to difcover the perpetrators, which he fo very feldom miffed, owing, in fact, to their faith in his forceries, added to his penetrating look * and authority among them, that he has often prevented farther mifchief to their mafters; and, for thefe fervices, occafionaliy received very capital rewards. ‘The corps of rangers, and alk fighting free negroes, are under his influence ; to whom he fells his od/as or amulei/s, in order to make them in= * See in Chapter XXV. the manner in which I myfelf difcovered a thief. , 4 vulnerable, Se Wek aia EXPEDITION. TO SURINAM. vulnerable, and, of courfe, to engage without fear: by which deceit he has moft certainly done much good to the colony, and at the fame time filled his pockets with no inconfiderable profit to himfelf; while his perfon by the blacks is adored and refpected like a God. The trafh of which his amulets are made cofts him in reality no- thing; being neither more nor lefs than a collection of {mall pebbles, fea-fhells, cut hair, fifh-bones,. feathers, é&c. the whole fewed up together in {mall packets, which are tied with a ftring of cotton round the neck, or fome other part of the bodies of his credulous votaries. But‘ befides thefe, afid many other artful contrivances, he had the good fortune, in 1730, to find out the valuable root known by the name of Qyacie bitter, of which he was actually the firft difcoverer, and from which it took its name: and, notwithftanding this medicine is now lefs in repute in England than formerly, it is highly efteemed in many other parts of the world for its efficacy 347 GrTAar P, XXIX. in ftrengthening the ftomach and reftoring the appetite. _ It has, befides this valuable property, that of being a powerful fedrifuge, and may be fuccefsfully ufed when the bark is naufeated, as is frequently the cafe. In 1761, it was made known to Linnaeus by Mr. d’ Ablberg, formerly mentioned; and the Swedifh natura- lift has fince written a treatife upon it. By this drug alone Quacy might have amaffed riches, were he not entirely abandoned to indolence and diffipation ; the con- fequence of which is, a complication of loathfome dif- Yy2 tempersy 348 CHAP. XXIX, Cem pomnmaasd NARRATIVE OF AN tempers, of which the leprofy is one: and that diforder is, as I have already ftated, abfolutely incurable. Never- thelefs his age, though he could not exaétly afcertain it, muft have been very great, fince he ufed frequently to repeat that he acted as drummer, and beat the alarm on _ his mafter’s eftate, when the French commodore, ¥acques Caffard, put the colony under contribution, in the year 7.1.25 : Having taken a portrait of this extraordinary man, with his grey head of hair, and dreffed in his blue and fcarlet with gold lace, I, in the annexed plate, beg leave to introduce it to the reader. This very fame week we had indeed a frefh proof of the good effects of Gramman Quacy’s animating obias or amulets, a captain of the rangers, named Hannibal, bringing in the barbacued hands of two rebel negroes, which he had himfelf encountered and fhot; and one of thefe hands proved to be that of the noted rebel Cupido, formerly taken, in 1774, and brought to Colonel Four- geoud in the foreft, but from whom he had fince that time,. though loaded with chains, found means to run away. : In returning the vifits of my friends, I paid one to Mr. Andrew Reynfdorp, who fhewed me the loop and button of his hat, which being diamond, had coft him two hun- dred guineas—fuch is the luxury of Surinam. But even this is exceeded by the magnificence of M. d’ Ablbergh, whoa, when I waited on him, befides a gold {nuff-box fet with fs LEE. Y cere Kacy. (6 (4 London, Published Deeley, 703,0V F. Totaevetv, S Paul. Church Yard . 7e EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 349 with brilliants, value fix hundred pounds fterling, made CH ap, me remark two filver bits (fmall pieces of money) fet in gold, and furrounded with diamonds, with this infcrip- tion :. “ Soli Deo Gloria. Fortuna beaticum, &c.’” Having fignified my furprize at this peculiar attention — and refpect to two fixpences, he declared to me that they were all the money he had in the world when he firft came to Surinam from his own country, Sweden.— Did Ai you work ?” faid I.—** No.”-—** Did you beg ?”—* No.” —<“< You did not fteal, fir?”—“ No: but, enzre nous, ‘whined and acted the enthufiaft, which fometimes is “very neceffary, and I found preferable to the other “6 ¢hyree.”—To which I anfwered, “ Sir, your candid con- “¢ feffion brings back to my remembrance your ufage of «‘ your negro flave, Baron, after having promifed him his “ manumiffion in Amfterdam, and fully proves what «you have juft afferted.”.—-One inftance more of the ex- travagance and folly of the inhabitants of this colony, and I have done: Two of them difputing about a moft elegant and expenfive carriage that was imported from Holland, a law-fuit enfued immediately, to determine who was to poffefs it, during which time the coach was left uncovered in the ftreet till it fell to pieces, and was totally deftroyed. | On the roth of February, moft of our officers being now arrived at Paramaribo from the camp, Colonel Fourgeoud XXIX. NARRATIVE OF AN Fourgeoud entertained the whole with a feaft, as he was pleafed to call it, at the head-quarters; an old ftable lan- thorn, with broken panes of glafs, hanging over our heads, which I expected every moment to drop into the foup. And here he acquainted us, with evident marks of fatis- faction, that he had at laft put a final end to the expe- dition ; having, notwithftanding there was fo little blood- fhed, perfectly accomplifhed his aim in rooting out the rebels, by deftroying TWENTY-ONE TOWNS or VILLAGES, and demolifhing Two HUNDRED FIELDS with vegetables of every kind, on which they depended for fubfiftence : alfo, that the intelligence was now confirmed, that the negroes were to a man fled over the River Marawina, where they and their friends were fettled, and protected by the French colony of Cayenne, who not only gave them fhelter, but fupplied them with every thing they wanted. On which good news we all heartily congratu- lated him, and drank further profperity to the colony of Surinam with three cheers; the future fafety of which now depended on the new cordon or path of circumval- lation, defended by the troops of the Society, and the corps of black foldiers or rangers. In Dr. Firmyn’s works, Colonel Fourgeoud and his troops are twice mentioned as the faviours of the co- lony; and by the Abbé Reynal they are noticed as a very brave and valiant corps: compliments to which they are with truth entitled. And what cannot but redound to his honour, is, that at the time he impofed fuch hard- | fhips EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. oct fhips on his own troops, he never dehberately put a CHAP. rebel negro captive to death, nor even, if he could i avoid it, delivered them into the hands of juftice; well knowing, that while it was his duty to expel them, nothing but the moft barbarous ufage and tyranny had driven thefe poor people to this laft extremity. Indeed I myfelf, whom during the firft three years he perfe- cuted with unremitting feverity, muft do him the juf- tice to fay, that he was indefatigable in doing his duty; and that, though confufed, I believe him at bottom to have been an undaunted and very BRAVE OFFICER. He further acquainted us, that the veffels, with a frefh fupply of provifions from Holland, had been caft on the lee-fhore in the Texel Roads, one of them having her upper cabin ftove away, with the fecond mate and three of her men wafhed overboard; he added, however, that part of the ftores had been faved, and loaded on board two bilanders, which were this very day arrived in the River Surinam. And now, fo much in particular was I become his favourite, that he even made me his confi- dant; and declared, that he propofed keeping the laft ar- rived troops, however fait they were dying away (and who had lately loft a man by ftraying in the woods) en- camped for many months after our departure. He then began to tell me what officers he meant, if poffible, to ruin on their return, and which, by his recommendation, he intended to promote: but here I took the liberty to ftop him fhort, by declaring, upon my honour, that thofe very gentlemen fhould be apprifed by myfelf of their im- pending NARRATIVE OF AN pending dangerg if he perfifted in carrying this cruel plan in execution. This at leaft had the effect to end the dif= agreeable converfation: when, in my turn, I added, ‘¢ Sir, permit me farther to put you in remembrance of “ thefe very troops you have juft mentioned, in regard to “their truly diftreffed fituation at the Caffeepore Creek; ‘‘ while their furgeon is gaining gold watches and dia- “mond rings by curing fafhionable difeafes among the ‘¢ oentry at Paramaribo.” To which he replied, * Vous “ éres un brave garcon;” and promifed to take my hints into confideration. I was now invited once more by Captain: Mackneal to fpend a few days on his coffee eftate, Spork{gift; but though I was prevented on this occafion from accepting the invitation, I will take this opportunity to defcribe that ufeful berry, which, not being a native of Guiana, it is faid was firft planted in Surinam by the Count de Nea/e, though others afcribe it to one Han/bach, a filver-{mith, in 1720*, ; The coffee-berry is the produce of an elegant tree, which is feldom allowed to grow higher than a man can reach, in order to facilitate the gathering of it. The bark of this tree is light brown, and the leaves like laurel, having a beautiful polifh; with thefe it is thickly co- * In 1554, the coffee berry firft came troduced in London; and in 1728, by to Conftantinople from Arabiaa—About Sir Nicholas Laws, it was planted in the the middle of the 16th century it was in- _ifland of Jamaica. vered, i SS s a3 . ’ = *eelfledtait tite techleae ad hea eeeey einige BO ea pom ncayin ’ ; = : A Op Surig of: totifen London, Published Deca 701, by SL Sohnson, SEP auts. Church Yard. ; 77 EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 353 vered, the branches diverging from near the furface of CHAP. the earth to the fummit. The berries, which are oval, are firft green, and gradually change their colour, till they are ripe, when they acquire a bright crimfon hue, like that of acherry. In each of thefe berries are two kernels » refembling beans, lying flat upon each other. Of thefe a good tree is faid to produce three or four pounds weight at each crop; for this tree, like moft other vegetable pro- ductions in this luxuriant climate, bears two crops every year. To give the curious a better idea of this ufeful plant, I prefent him with a fprig of it, copied from nature in the annexed plates;—in which the figure 4 refers to the wood, where it was cut off; B is the upper fide of the leaf; C the lower fide of the fame; D is the berry juft beginning to change; Ethe fame in full perfection, being of a beau- tiful crimfon; and F the kernels or beans as they appear when they are divefted of their hufk, and ready for ex- portation. ; The buildings on a coffee eftate are, firft, the dwelling houfe, which is ufually fituated for pleafure near the banks of a river; and for convenience adjoining to it are erected the outhoufes for the overfeer and book-~ keeper, with ftore-houfes and {mall offices: the other neceflary buildings are a carpenter’s lodge, a dock and boat-houfe, and two capital coffee-lodges, the one to bruife and feparate the pulp from the berries, the other to dry them; the reft confift of negro-houfes, a ftable, hofpital, VOL. Il. hie ot and XXIX. eee mammal 354 -NARRATIVE OF -A'N “ CHAP. and warehoufes, which altogether appear liké a fmall vil- XIX, en Gite lage. The coffee-lodge alone fometimes cofts five thoufand pounds fterling, and fometimes more. But to givea more complete idea of the whole apparatus, I muft refer to the plate, where all the. buildings, fields, paths, gardens, floodgates,.and canals are marked, and explained by the neceflary references. The plan, as exhibited in this plate; is intended to wnite at once elegance, convenience, and fafety. It is elegant, as being perfectly regular; conve= nient, as having every thing at hand and under. the planter’s own infpection ; and fafe, being furrounded by a broad canal, which by floodgates lets;in the water frefh from the river, befides a draw-bridge, which during the might cuts off all communication from without. , I fhall now, proceed to the planting-ground, which is divided into large fquare pieces, in each of which are ge- nerally two thoufand: beautiful coffee-trees, growing at eight or ten feet diftance from each other. Thefe trees, which begin to bear at about the age of three years, are in their prime at fix, and continue to produce fruit till they are thirty; the manner of fupplying them. being from good nurferies, which no coffee eftate is ever with- out, having already mentioned that they afford twa crops every year, which is about Midfummer and Chrift- mas.25ob 6 ds ise) et | dillind. vy : At the times of harveft, it is not unpleafing to fee the negroes picking the crimfon berries among the polifhed green, where all ages and fexes are employed to fulfil their [I tafk OED OES fo 572 10! ap PP 8 pp > Poe hoot ol kt cake a Monel Wey References to the Plan. L.The Dwelling House 2.The Overseers Dwelling 3.The hook-keppars Oftice 4..The Kitchen 5.The Storehouse 6.The Poultry -house 7.The Hogs-sty 8.The Boat-house or small Dock I.The Gapenters & Coopers Lodge 10. The Diving Lodge tor the Cotice LL .The Bruasing Lodge tor do 12.The Negro -houses 13 .The Horse Stables L4.The Fold tor Sheep & Bullocks L5.The Great Guard house L6.The Hospital 17.The Pigeon -house L8.The Corn-house or Granary L9.The Necessary houses 20.The Sentry Boxes tor Watchmen 21.The Floodgates 22.The Great Draw - bridge 23.The Landing Place 24..The Great Canals 25.The River or Creck 26.The Gravel walke 27. The Drving Floor tor Cotiee 28.The Negro Gardens 29.The Pasture tor the Horses 30.The Pasture tor the Sheep & Bullocks 31.The Poultry -vard 32.The Hogs -vard 33 Uhe fKitcha Gardens 34.The Flower do 35 .Lhe Plantain Trees 36.The Groves of Orange Trees 37.The Dams & Gutters tor Praining 38.The Path to enter the Fields 39.The Bridges over the Gutters 40.The Gates, Barriers, &e. 4 i) 7 / De Wa , QD : Vian Ve a yoyulay Cyffee' Vlanlalione . T. Conder Sculpsi’ London, Published Dee!1 "9791, by J. Tohnson, StPaule Chirch Yard. “R satalcian Caavnd ame stn ae ae > > EXPEDITION -TO SURINAM. tafk with ardour, when the youth who having firft filled their, bafkets, ‘wantonly run naked, and play amongit the luxuriant foliage... v I will now conduct them before is overfeer’s prefence, where, all the bafkets being infpected, the flogging com- mences,which is moftly inflicted with impartial feverity on all who have not fulfilled their tafks,whether from idlenefs or incapacity. This. ceremony concluded, the berries are carried home into the bruifing-lodge, and the flaves re- turn home to their houfes. The berries being bruifed in a mill for that purpofe, in the above lodge, to feparate the kernels from. the hufks or pulpy fubftance, they are next {teeped in water one night to cleanfe them, and then fpread on the drying-floor, which is expofed to the open air, and is conftruéted of flat ftones; after which they are {pread on garrets made for the purpofe, to let them evaporate and dry internally, during which time they muft be turned over every, day with wooden fhovels : this done, they are once more dried in large coolers” or drawers, that run eafily. on, rollers, in and out of the win- dows, to prevent them from being. overtaken by fhowers of rain: then, they are put into wooden mortars, and beaten by candle-light with heayy wooden peitles, like the ,rice at Gado-Saby,. to diveft them ofa thin coat or pellicle that unites the two kernels in the pulp. . At this exercife the negroes wonderfully Keep time, and always fing a chorus... Being next feparated. from the chaff through a bunt-mill, once more thoroughly dried on the fae) caolers, NARRATIVE OF AN coolers, and the whole beans picked from the bruifed, which laft are confumed in the colony: they are finally put into cafks or barrels, of about three or four hundred weight each, for exportation. I fhall only farther obferve, that in Surinam fome coffee plantations produce above 150,000 pounds weight per annum, and that, as I have already mentioned, in the year before our arrival no lefs was exported to Amfterdam alone than 12,267,134. pounds of this valuable article, the prices of which have fluctuated, from three-pence half- penny to eighteen pence; but which, calculated at the average price of eight-pence halfpenny, produces a yearly income of not lefs than 400,000 pounds fterling 5 (which is no defpicable revenue) befides what goes to Rotterdam and Zealand. ee This is fufficient to prove that the cultivation of coffee is highly worthy the attention of the planters: and as , for the virtues of this excellent berry, without entering into particulars, 1 will only refer the reader to that highly- approved pamphlet, entitled ** A Treatife concerning the s¢ Properties and Effects of Coffee; by Benjamin Ma/ely, « M.D. Author of Obfervations on the Dyfentery of the *¢ Weft Indies;” from which I cannot refift the temptation of extracting the following paflage:—* Bacon fays, coffee “comforts the head and heart, and helps digeftion. 6 Doctor Willis fays, being daily drunk, it wonderfully “clears and enlivens each part of the foul, and difperfes “all the clouds of every function. The celebrated pis Fee « Doctor EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. ¢ Doctor Harvey ufed it often. Voltaire lived almoft en- “tirely on it; and the learned and fedentary of every « country have recourfe to it to refrefh the brain, op- “¢ preffed by ftudy and contemplation.” With the above defcription I muft conclude the obfer= vations which I have been able to make on fuch of the vegetable productions of this colony, as have offered themfelves to my examination. But fo abundant is the variety, and fo extraordinary the properties, of the trees, plants, roots, &c. of this country, that by far the greater number are as yet perfectly unknown to the oldeft inha- bitants of this fettlement, and to all the world befides. A few years ago a Count Genfelly, an ingenious noble- man, travelled through the defarts of Guiana with fome _ Indians, and had acquired confiderable knowledge in this his favourite ftudy. But alas! his labours, which pro- mifed fair to be of material benefit to the Botanic So- «ciety, and to mankind in general, were interrupted by a fever, which, owing to his exceffive fatigue, he caught at the River Correntine, and cut him off in the midft of his ufeful and entertaining refearches. Having now concluded my account of the different productions of the colony, particularly cotton, fugar, ca- cao, indigo, and coffee, to which it is indebted for its riches ; and having once more repeated that the different trees, fhrubs, plants, roots, gums, and perfumes, are equally as innumerable as they are excellent; I cannot have a fairer opportunity of fulfilling my promife of : fubmitting 357 CHAP. XXIX. nero pomee NARRATIVE OF AN: fubmitting to the reader a few confiderations, by an at- tention to which I cannot help thinking that not only Surinam, but the Weft India colonies in general, might accumulate wealth to themfelves, and promote the per- manent happine{s of the flaves that are under their fub- jection, without having recourfe to the Coaf of Guinea to fuppiy the almoft hourly confumption of that unfortu- nate people.. But before I proceed, it will be neceffary to {tate the manner in which the negro flaves are diftri- buted and treated, by the cuftoms of this fettlement only, without adverting to the diftribution or govern- ment of them in other colonies; from which, however; thofe may equally derive fome profit ;—and then I fhall endeavour to point out how, in my opinion, they ought to be diftributed and treated, according to the laws, not only of humanity but of common fenfe. I have before obferved that in Surinam there are fup- pofed to be on an average about 75,000 negro flaves of all — denominations, which (allowing them, for the fake,of a round number, to amount to 80,000) are here diftri- buted in the following extraordinary manner, viz. The plantations, being about 800 in number, though fome have but 24 negroes, and others 400, we will fuppofe them to poffefs 100 flaves each, which complement is exactly the above number of 80,000 people. Thefe are employed in this fettlement as follows; the firft column of figures alluding to ove eftate, the fecond ditto to eghz bundred. é ae ; f EMPLOY- s % EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. EMPLOYMENT S. Four boys or male fervants to attend about the houfe - - - - - - - Maids or female fervants to wath, few, iron, &c. - A cook for the planter, overfeer, &. - - - A fowler, or huntfman, to provide game for the faster UAL . a S : AA fifhing negro to provide fifh for ditto - - A gardener to provide the table and the flower garden - = - - = - : To attend the bullocks and horfes on the eftate - To attend the fheep on the eftate = - - - To attend the hogs on the eftate - - - To attend the poultry that is on the eftate - -~ Carpenter negroes, to build houfes, boats, &c. + Cooper negroes, to make and repair hogfheads_ - A mafon, to build and repair the brick foundations At Paramaribo, fome to trades, others for fhew - A negro furgeon, to attend the fick negroes - - Sick and incurable, that are in the hofpitals - - A nurfe for the negro children that cannot be with their parents - - - 2 a E Children under age, that can do no work of any kind - - = co = 2 s Superannuated negroes, worn out by flavery - To work in the fields no more than 25 miiferable wretches aif U - = - - Total, or compleat number of flaves in the colony On One Eftate, no ON & 15 To On 800 Eftates, NARRATIVE OF AN By this it appears, that no more than 20,000, or only one-fourth of the whole number, are condemned to do all the labour of the fields) on whom it may be. faid chiefly falls the dreadful lot of untimely mortality that I have formerly mentioned. Now it is evident, that if the 50,000 able-bodied flaves that are in the colony of Surinam were put to equal drudgery, the mortality, which is now at the rate of five per cent. would then increafe to at leaft the number of twelve out of every hundred, and would compleatly extirpate the whole mafs in little more than eight years time. Having thus at an average demonftrated how they are diftributed, I mutt briefly obferve, that while full 30,000 live better than the common people of England, and near 30,000 are kept in idlenefs, and do no work in the fields ; the remaining 20,000 may be claffed (that is in general) among the moft miferable wretches on earth; and are worked, ftarved, infulted, and flogged to death, without being fo much as allowed to complain for redrefs, with- out being heard in their own defence, without receiving common juftice on any occafion, and thus may be con- fidered as dead-alive, fince cut off from all the common privileges of human fociety. I will now proceed, by candidly afking the world, If the above is not an improper and fenfelefs mifapplication, not only of wealth, but of human life and labour; which, only by a proper diftribution and management, might -accumulate the one and relieve the other? Now EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. Now would this inconfiderate colony but give up their habits of pride and luxury, nay, in a moderate degree, 20,000 negroes at leaft might be added to thofe now la- bouring in the fields, which (providing the whole were treated with lefs feverity) muft at the fame time keep the above fuperfluous number of idlers employed; and by affifting the others in their neceffary occupations, could not but tend greatly to prevent that fhocking mor- tality, to which they are at prefent expofed by unbound- ed ill-ufage and barbarity. But every reform mutt begin at that which is the fource of manners as well as of juflice; and thofe therefore who are entru{ted with the executive government fhould have no temptation to overlook the breaches of a /aw, while it ought to be a facred and invariable rule never to allow either the governor or the magiftrates of fuch a colony to be the proprietors of more flaves than merely a limited number, to attend on their perfons, according to their ranks: fince more than once, even to #y obfervation, it has occurred that thofe wha made, and thofe who were appointed to enforce the laws, have been the firft that broke them, for the paltry benefit of caufing their ne- groes to work on a Suriday, or to follow the bent of their unbounded paffions ; from which fhameful example from the magiftrate, the contagion muft neceflarily fpread among the individuals. Let the governor and principal magifrates, there- fore, be fent out from Europe; let them be gentle- men of fortune and education; and, above all, men VoL, II. - 2K of 361 CHAP. XXIX. Se) 362 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. of liberal minds, men that are firm and proof againft XXIX. the allurement of a bribe, or the glittering of gold, and whofe paffions are reftrained by fentiment and manly feelings. Let thefe men be handfomely rewarded by that nation whom they fo materially ferve, and the co- lony which they fo confpicuoufly protect; but let their falaries be afcertained, without depending on the blood and fweat of the miferable Africans. Then let fuch men enact impartial regulations, by which the negro flaves are to perform no more than their fair tafk and labour a rea- fonable number of hours in the twenty-four: let thefe be followed by protecting laws, and let them be no longer racked, tormented, wantonly murdered, or infamoufly rob= bed of all that is dear to the human affections, their wives: and daughters. Let regulations be adopted, by which: they may be properly fed, and attended to when fick or indifpofed; and, above all, let equal juftice be adminif- tered; fuffer them, when outraged or plundered, to obtain a hearing; permit them to complain, and enable them to prove by evidence the grievances by which they are op- prefied. Even give them what we fo much value our- felves,; AN INDEPENDANT JUDGE, and AN IMPARTIAL JURY, nay, partly compofed of their own fable compa- nions. Thus, would you have them work and act like men, firt fuffer them to be /ucd. | When regulations conform to thefe fhall be adopted and enforced, then I venture to fay, that nations will feel the benefit of their colonies—then planters will become rich, andtheiroverfeers become honeft; then flavery will be little more EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 363 more than a name; and fubjects will, with pleafure, fulfil cH AP. their limited taik: then, and not till then, will population fufficiently encreafe for the neceffary work, and the exe- crable Guinea trade be totally abolifhed, which is now too frequently carried on with barbarity and unbounded ufur- pation. Then the mafter will with pleafure look on his fable fubjetts as on his children, and the principal fource of his happinefs, while the negroes will blefs the day their anceftors did firft fet foot on American ground. Having thus, according to my opinion, pointed out the way, and the only way (if well confidered) to redrefs the grievances of this and many other colonies, I would alfo recommend to p/anters and over/eers in general, to perufe with attention a {mall work, entitled “ Letters to «¢a young Planters or Obfervations on the Management “ of a Sugar Plantation: to which is added, the Planter’s “‘ Calendar. Written on the Ifland of Grenada, by an old “ Planter,” and publifhed in London in 178s, 8vo. price One Shilling and Sixpence, and fold by Strachan. Let them next take an example by that incomparable woman Mrs. Godefroy, by Mr. Thomas Palmer, anda few others, who confider their flaves as their fellow-creatures, without paying the fmalleft regard either to their paga- nifm or complexion; and who increafe both their wealth _and their happinefs by their humanity.—I will now once more proceed with my narrative. . On the 16th, being invited to dine with his excellency the governor, I laid before him my collection of draw- B.dh 2 ings, XXIX. (corns ppl’ NARRATIVE OF AN ings, and remarks on the colony of Surinam, which I had the fatisfaction to fee him honour with the higheft approbation. I then returned him my thanks, not only - for the material affliftance he had afforded me in com- pleting this work, but for the unlimited marks of regard and diftinction with which he had treated me from firft to laft, during the whole time I refided in Guiana. |, Availing myfelf of his friendfhip, I ventured, two days after, to give him the following very uncommon reque/, praying him to lay it before the court; which, with a fmile on his countenance, and a hearty fhake by the hand, he actually promifed me to perform; vz. « J, the under-fubfcribed, do pledge my. word of honour, *« (being all I poffefs in the world befides my pay) as dail, ‘“‘ that if my late ardent requeft to the court for the emanci-. “© pation of my dear boy Jounny StepmMan be granted, the: “€ faid boy fhall never to the end of his life become a charge “© to the colony of Surinam. (Signed) ‘“ Joun G. STEDMAN.” “ Paramaribo, «“ Feb, 18th, 19776 Having now done the utmoft that lay in my power, I for feveral days waited the refult with anxiety, but with-. out meeting with the fmalleft hopes of fuccefs; thus,, with a broken heart, I was obliged at laft to give him ({weet fellow), over for loft, or take him with me to Europe, which muft have been plunging a pict in the. bofom of his mother,. While: EXPEDITLON--TO,SURIN AM. While I.remained in this fituation, the tranfport fhips were put in commiffion on the 26th for our depar- ture, and I myfelf ordered as one of the commiffaries to fee them-wooded and watered; the officers were alfo cleared their arrears, and thirteen men difcharged at their own defire, to pufh their fortune at Paramaribo. I onght here not to omit, that the induftrious Colonel Fourgeoud once more paid us all in paper, by which, as ufual, we loft ten per cent.; which, by letting the Jews have the gold and filver, he prudently lodged in his own pocket; and while the many hundreds of florins allowed us by government to defray excife duties, taxes, &c. were never brought to. account, or, rather, we were forbidden to enquire after them at all. Thefe were trifles indeed, when divided among io many gentlemen; but, in one folid mafs, they were no contemptible picking. , On the 1ft. of March a ferjeant arrived from. the camp at the Caffeepore Creek, in Rio Cottica, where the laft-arrived troops were hourly dying away ; and brought the almoft incredible account, that the man I mentioned to have been. of in the woods. on the roth of February, was. actually returned, after having been miffing /ix-and-twenty days, nine of ' which he fubfifted on a few pounds of rufk bifcuit,, and feventeen on nothing at all but water. He added,, that he had entirely loft his voice, and was reduced to: a perfect fkeleton: however, by the care taken of him: ‘by the officers, there were ftill hopes of his life. Should: any NARRATIVE’ OF*2AN any perfon hefitate to believe this extraordinary fad, let them read Monjfieur Godin’s well-authenticated letter to his friend Monfieur de la Condamine, wherein he gives an account of the dreadful fufferings of his lady during her route from Rio Hamba to Laguna, through the woods of South America, in October 1769; where a delicate woman, after being deferted by the Indian guides, and after both her brothers had fallen martyrs to their hard- fhips and mifery, fubfifted #ez days alone in a wild foreft without food, without knowing where fhe was, and fur- rounded with tigers, ferpents, and dangers of every de- {cription: I fay, let them only read the narrative of this lady’s fufferings, and their credulity will no longer be ftaggered at what I myfelf have related. I have, in- deed, even omitted facts, which, on account of their fingularity, muft in the eyes of fome have appeared to border on the marvellous. But in the forefts of South America fuch extraordinary realities are to be found, that there is affuredly no need to have recourfe to fiction or the leaft exaggeration. Who, for inftance, would believe, that almoft a whole detachment of eighty marines, one day marching through a thick wood, imagined to a man that they were ftepping one after another over a large fallen tree, that ob{ftructed their way; till at length it began to move, and proved to be no other than a full grown ferpent of the ¢doma kind, meafuring, according to Colonel Fourgeoud’s computa- tion, between ¢2irty and forty feet in length? yet this is EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 307 is an indubitable truth. The above animal was neither CHAP, killed nor hurt; the Colonel ordering the remaining ane , party to form in a half circle and march around it, in order that they themfelves at the fame time might ef- cape every danger from the monfter’s matchlefs ftrength. In this place I fhall mention another extraordinary circumftance, which is, that one morning Colonel Four- geoud refting in his hammock, with one hand carelefsly leaning over the fide, a large ratt/e-/nake that lay coiled up among the long grafs which was under it, was actually fevered in two by the fentinel, during the very moment of action that it made a fpring to bite him: of which the foldier, whofe name was ‘fobu Kiefhaber, had been apprifed firft by the found of its rattle, and next by feeing the {nake’s head erected, while it was brandifhing its forked tongue. As I am treating of thefe reptiles, I cannot refift the temptation of inferting a fact, which I learned from Mr. Francis Rowe of Philadelphia, a refpectable old man; who informed me, that riding out ene morning to vilit a friend, his horfe refufed to go forward, being terrified at a large rattle-{nake that lay acrofs the road. Mr. Rowe having heard of its power of fafcination, in which he was a believer, alighted to lead the animal round it; but during that time the fnake, having coiled himfelf up, founded its rattle, and ftared him fo full in the face, and with fuch fire in its eyes, that the ccld fweat broke out upon him; thus, whilft he durft neither retreat or advance, od he 368 CHAP. XXIX. ee) NARRATIVE OF AN he imagined himfelf gradually rivetted to the fpot. <¢ However,” continued he, “* my reafon remained; and *¢ my refolution getting the better of my alarm, I fud- *¢ denly approached him, and with one ftroke of my *¢ cudgel knocked out his brains.” On the 3d of March my friend de Graaf failed for Hol- land, but firft for St. Euftatia, where his brother was governor; and to my great fatisfaction took with him Joanna’s youngeft brother, Hezry, for whom he has fince obtained his freedom. I failed with them down the river as far as Bram’s Point, and wifhed them a fuccefsful voyage. As Ihere went afhore in a fifhing- boat, I was tempted to leap into the fea, and enjoy the cooling and healthy pleafure of fwimming in the At- lantic ocean. The fifher-men having caught a quantity of large fifth, I difcovered one among them not yet men- tioned in my narrative, this was the yel/ow-back, between two and three feet long, thus called from its colour, which almoft refembles that of a lemon, but the belly is white: the head is very large, with two long barbs; but the body is fmall, and without fcales, like the cod; it is, however, not near fo good, being coarfe and infipid eating. ‘Two other {mall fifhes I alfo faw in the boat, the one called here the weepee, refembling a whip-lath ; he other waracod, which is‘ a delicate eating, but has nothing in its form or habits pe a particular defcription. The 8th of March, being the Prince of Orange’s birth- day, EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. day, it was celebrated at the head quarters; where, after dinner, in the court ledge, hearing Captain Bo/fs in an undeferved manner cenfured by the colonel’s adjutant, for recommending one of the young volunteers of an ex- cellent character, but who had no friends to fupport him’, 1 broke through the ring that furrounded them in a paf- fion, and not being able to reftrain myfelf, publicly re- proved the agereffor, even in Fourgeoud’s prefence, when a furious altercation and very high words immediately enfued; the confequence of which was, that next morn- ing at fun-rife we walked to the favannah without fe- conds, where, near the gallows, we drew our {mall fwords, and after making a few pafles at each other, Captain Van Geurick’s point met my fhell, which having nearly pierced, his blade {napped in two pieces, and the fortune of war put him entirely in my power. Difdaining, how- ever, to take a mean advantage, I inftantly dropped my {mall fword, and defired him to fitep home and re- place his own, in order to renew the battle: but this propofal he was pleafed to call fo generous, that taking me by the hand, he requefted a renewal of friendfhip ; thus acknowledging we had been too hafty on both fides, we went to vifit poor Bolts, who knew nothing of our morning’s walk, and was (though not without difficulty) perfuaded alfo to enter into the amicable treaty: by which a fecond rencounter was happily prevented, and a ge- neral reconciliation took place. * A Mr. Sheffer, already named, to laft, on the pay of a private foldier, who had ferved with honour from firft during this painful expedition. VOL. II. 3B On Pigf®) os CHAP. XXIX. NARRATEIV B. OF AN On the toth, having fpent moft of the day with the governor, I in the evening went on board the fhips with Captain Bolts, to infpect the preparations for the voyage $ where we found that the mice and rats had made fuch havock among our provifion, with which we were mow very well ftocked, that I was under the neceflity of pro- curing half ‘a dozen cats to deftroy them, which ufeful animals are in Surinam neither fo plenty, nor fo good, as in Europe, being lazy and indolent, on account of the climate. I obferved they were alfo fmaller and ranker, with remarkably long muzzles and fharp ears. The following day I was fhocked and furprifed be- yond the power of expreffion, at feeing a Mi/s Fettee de la Mare, daughter to the lately deceafed gentleman of that name, a lovely mulatto girl, aged fourteen, who had been chriftened in 1775, and educated as a young lady, dragged to court in chains, with her mother and a few more of her relations, the whole furrounded by a mi- litary guard. I had almoft attempted a refcue, when, having enquired the caufe, fhe called out to me herfelf, weeping moft bitterly ; and informed_ me, that * fhe was ‘6 going to be tried by Mr. Schouten, her mother’s matter, «¢ for refufing to perform the work of a common {flave, “ which fhe was utterly unable to perform, and could «‘ never have expected, from the footing upon which fhe “had been educated till that unhappy moment.” By the laws of the country, however, fhe was not only obliged to fubmit, but at is defire was condemned, for difobedience, together with her poor mother, and all her § relations, ~ EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. relations, who had prefumed to fupport her claim to li- berty, to be privately whipped; and had it not been for the humanity of Mr. Wickers, who was at that time the fifcal or town clerk, and fince was governor, this infamous fentence would moft certainly have been put in execu- tion. The unfortunate Mifs Jettee de la Mare was, from this period, neverthelefs forced to fubmit to the tyranny of her unmanly mafter, while pitied by all her acquaint- ance, and lamented by every ftranger that was a witnefs to the inhuman tranfaction. Such were the fatal confequences of not having been timely emancipated; and fuch were they indeed, that they made me tremble for my little boy. Happily my uneafinefs was not of long duration; for, however impro- bable and unexpected, I was furprized on the very fame day with a polite meflage from the governor and the court, acquainting me that, “having taken my former “¢ fervices into confideration, together with my humanity “and gallantry, in offering my Jovxour as bail to fee my ¢ child, before I left him, made a free citizen of the world; * they had unanimoufly decreed, without farther cere- “mony or expence, to compliment me with a letter, “¢ which was at the fame time officially prefented to me, *¢ containing HIS EMANCIPATION FROM THAT DAY, FOR “EVER AFTER.” No man could be more fuddenly tranfported from woe to happinefs than I was at this moment; while his poor mother fhed tears for joy and gratitude; the more fo, as _we had loft all hopes, and the favour came perfetly un- 25 2 expected, 372 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. expected, and while near forty beautiful boys and girls XXIX. | were left to perpetual flavery by their parents of my ac- quaintance, and many of them without being fo much as once enquired after at all. What is moft extraordinary indeed is, that while the well-thinking few highly applauded my fenfibility, many | not only blamed, but publicly derided me for my paternal affection, which was called a wetknefs, awhim. So extra- vagant was my joy on this day, however, at having acted the reverfe part of In&/e to Yarico, that I became like one frantic with pleafure. Inot only made my will in his favour (though, God knows, I had little to difpofe of) but I appointed my friends Mr. Robert Gordon and Mr. Fames Gourlay to be my executors and_his guardians during my abfence, in whofe hands I left all my papers fealed, till I fhould demand them again, or they fhould be in- formed of my death: I then ordered all my fheep, poul- try, &c. which had prodigioufly encreafed, to be tranf- ported, and put under their care; and making a new fuit of cloaths for the occafion, which coft me twenty guineas, I waited on a Mr. Suyderbans, one of the clergymen at Paramaribo, to appoint a day when my boy, my obuny Stedman, fhould be made a Chriftian*. On * I fhould not here omit to mention _—_ defending the fettlement againft all home: that in the colony of Surinam aJl eman- and foreign enemies. cipated flaves are under the following No emancipated flave, male or females, reftriCtions, viz. can ever go to law at all againft their. They are (if males) bound'tohelpin — former mafter or miftrefs.. And EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 273 On the .18th Colonel Fourgeoud’s remaining troops CHAP. at laft came down from the encampments at Caffeepore eS Creek, and every preparation was made for our departure. At the fame time, the extacy of the few furviving ma- rines at their quitting this country was fo great, having now alfo received part of their clearance, that fuch intem- perance, riot, and diforder enfued as produced the mott formidable quarrels between them and the troops of the Society, till, fome being wounded and fome being flogged, peace was finally, though with difficulty, re-eftablifhed. This fame day a poor failor, while I was on board, was drowned in my prefence, who fell from the gunwale into the river, with the fheet anchor, which had been neg- lected to be lafhed to the ringbolts. I inftantly leaped into a boat to try to fave him, but could only get his hat; the man went to the bottom, and never more was feen. The day of our departure now approached faft, and I gave up my houfe; when, at Mrs. Godefroy’s preffing in- vitation, I fpent the few remaining moments in that which fhe had prepared for the reception of Joanna and her boy, in her beautiful garden, charmingly fituated under the fhade of tamarind and orange trees; which houfe fhe alfo had neatly furnifhed with every accommo- dation that could be defired, befides allowing Joanna a negro woman and a girl to attend on her for life. Thus . fituated, how bleft fhould I have been in this {pot to end my days!—But fate ordained it otherwife. And finally, if any emancipated flave; in that cafe one quarter of the property male or female, dies in the colony, and alfo goes to his former owners, either leaves behind any pofleffiens whatever, male or female, On 374 NARRATIVE OF AN CHAP. On the 22d, I made it my bufinefs with Captain Small eae , (who was come down with leave-of abfence) to wait on the Reverend Mr. Snyderhans, according to appoint- ment, but who, to both our great furprize, peremptorily refufed to chriften the boy; alledging for his reafon, that as I was going to Holland, I could not anfwer for his chriftian education. We replied, that he was under two very proper guardians: the blackfmith’s fon (for fuch was this divine) perfifted, and we remonftrated, but to no purpofe, for he was juft as deaf as his father’s anvil, and 1 believe, upon my foul, quite as empty as his bellows; till at length, wearied out with his fanatical impertinence, I fwore that I would fooner fee the boy die a heathen, than chriftened by fuch a blockhead; while my friend Small could not help beftowing on him a hearty curfe, and, flapping the door with a vengeance, we departed. Feafting and conviviality now prevailed once more at Paramaribo, as on our firft arrival. Grand dinners, fup- pers, and balls were heard of in every quarter. But I only vifited a few of my felect friends, amongft which number had conftantly been Governor Nepveu, and where, for the laft time, I made one of the company at a truly magnificent entertainment, which ended the fcene of liberality and hofpitality, for which the inhabitants of Surinam are fo juftly confpicuous; and on the 25th the baggage was fhipped on board the veflels. Numberlefs, indeed, were the prefents for the voyage, with which I in particular was now overftocked from every quarter; and my provifions of live cattle, poultry, wine, EXP EDA TION TiO. SURINAM. wine, rum, &c. &c. were almoft fufficient to-carry me round the globe: amongft the reft, in a {mall bottle cafe, containing liquors, I found a cryftal phial filled with effential o/ of orange, anda parcel of what they called here fonquin beans.—The firft is extracted from the rind or peel of the oranges: which is done here by the tedious and laborious method of fqueezing it between the finger and thumb. .A few drops of this on a fmall piece of fugar, is faid to be an excellent remedy to ftrengthen the ftomach, create an appetite, and help digeftion; and one fingle drop fmells fo ftrong, that it is fufficient to per- fume a whole apartment. The tonquin beans are faid to grow in athick pulp, fomething like a walnut, and ona large tree. I never faw them otherwife than dried, when they bear fome refemblance to a prune or dried plumb, and are made ufe of to fcent {nuff and tobacco, to which they impart a moft agreeable odour. On the 26th, we took our laft leave of his Excellency the Governor, ¢” corps, as affuredly was his due; after which all the officers of the ‘Society troops waited on Colonel Fourgeoud, at the head quarters, to wifh us a profperous voyage to Holland, and the day was fpent by aregale, en militaire, vig. a dinner, as ufual, of falt pro- vifions; but I muft acknowledge, accompanied with as much good liquor of every kind, as Surinam could fur- nifh, and a very hearty welcome. I believe that now a hundred times Fourgeoud fhook me by the hand, declaring, ** That there was not a young s¢ man 375 CHAP. XXI1X. ee 376 XXIX. Ra meee NARRATIVE OF AN *‘ man he loved better in the world; that had he com- ‘© manded me to march through fire as well as water, he ‘¢ was convinced I fhould never have left it, without ac- *¢ complifhing his orders ;” with many other fine com- pliments. But I muft candidly acknowledge, that though I had a heart to forgive, my mind would never per- mit me to forget the many and unneceffary difficulties and miferies to which I had been too wantonly expofed. At the fame time he informed me, that 4e did not pro- pofe to depart with us, but intended to follow the regiment very foon, with the remains of the laft-come relief, when he would render me every fervice in his power. What- ever ‘were his 7ca/ motives for fuch a fudden change in his difpofition towards me, fuffice it to fay, that few peo- ple at this time were better friends, than were the old Colonel Fourgeoud and Captain Stedman. | In the evening I went to take a fhort farewell of my moft valuable acquaintances, fuch as Mrs. Godefroy, Mr. and Mrs. Deme/ley, Mr. and Mrs. Lo/kens, Mr. and Mrs. Gor- don, Mr. Gourlay, Captain Mackneal, Do&tor Kifam, &c. who had all (befides Mr. Kennedy and Mr. de Graaf, now gone to Holland) treated me with the moft conftant and diftinguifhed civility fince I had been in the co- lony: but my foul was too full of a friend that was ftill dearer, to be impreffed with that fenfibility on feparating from them, that it muft have felt on another occafion.— And here I cannot in juftice omit remarking, that while I gave the moft impetuous vent to my feelings, not the fmalleft expreflion of poignant re le or even of dejec- tion, EXPEDITION. TO SURINAM. tion, efcaped from Joanna’s lips ; while her good fenfe and fortitude even reftrained the tear from {ftarting in my afflicted prefence.. I now once more earneftly preffed her to accompany me, in which I was feconded by the ineftimable Mrs. Godefroy and all her friends; but fhe remained equally inflexible, and her fteady anfwer was as before—* That, dreadful as appeared the fatal feparation, «‘ perhaps ‘never. more to meet, yet fhe couldsnot but “‘ prefer remaining in Surinam: firft, from a confci- ‘¢ oufnefs that, with propriety, fhe had not the difpofal “of herfelf; and, fecondly, from pride, wifhing in her- “¢ prefent condition rather to be one of the firft among ‘¢ her own clafs in America, than a reflection or burthen ‘©on me in Europe, as fhe was convinced muft be the “cafe, unlefs our circumftances became one day more “‘independent.” Here Joanna fhewed great emotion, but immediately retired to weep in private. —What could I fay or do ?—Not knowing how to anfwer, or fufficiently to admire her firmnefs and refignation, which fo greatly exceeded my own, I determined, if poffible, to imitate her conduct, and calmly to refign myfelf to my fate, pre- paring for the fatal moment, when my heart forebode me we were to pronounce the LAST ADIEU, and feparate FOL CVer. . ** Zaire, il eft trop vrai que Phonneur me l’ordonne, “* Que je vous adorai! que je vous abandonne ! © Que je renonce a vous! que vous le défirer ! ** Que fous un autre loix Zaire vous pleurer.” Vou. Il: aC The 378 CHAP, AXIX, NARRATIVE OF /AN The whole corps being ordered, at feven o’clock on the morning of the 27th, to wait on Colonel Fourgeoud at the head quarters, I tore myfelf away from all that was dear to me in this world without difturbing them, in order to. prevent the tender {cene of parting. He then conducted us to the water-fide, where the boats lay in-waiting ; and we- were immediately embarked, under a general falute, and colours flying, from the fortrefs and the veffels in the roads.. The whole corps now having dined on board the ftaff-fhip- with Lieutenant Colonel de Borgnes, Colonel Fourgeoud politely invited me to accompany him back to town till next morning ; but which, with a broken heart, I thought beft to decline. He then took his final leave, and wifhing, us all a fafe and profperous voyage to Europe, he returned,. under a falute of nine guns and three cheers, with Cap- tain Van Geurike, his adjutant, back to Paramaribo. On the 29th of March, at midnight, the fignal-gun being fired, the two fhips got under way, and dropped down till. before the fortrefs New Amfterdam, where they once more came to an anchor. Here my friends Gordon and Gourlay, the guardians of my boy, after the convivial Colonel Seyburg (for fuch he certainly was) had entertained them on board his veffel, the Hollandia, affeftionately coming to vifit me, they did no lefs than actually prevail.on me toaccompany them back’to Paramaribo. My foul could not refift this fecond invita-. tion of once more beholding what was fo dear to me.—- TL went, and, muft I fay it ?—found Joanna, who had dif- z played. EX PED PY TON TO SUREN AM. played fo much fortitude in my prefence, now bathing in tears, and fcarcely alive, fo much was fhe become the victim of melancholy and defpair. Nor had fhe partaken of food, or fleep, fince my departure, nor {poken to any living creature, indeed not ftirred from the fpot where I had left her on the morning of the 27th. The fhips not being quite ready to go to fea till two days after, I was prevailed upon to {tay on fhore a little longer, with poor Joanna and her boy, which feemed to chear her: But, alas! too dear we paid for this too fhort reprieve! fince, but few hours had elapfed, when a failor abruptly came in, with the meffage that the fhip’s boat lay in waiting that minute to carry me on board.—At that inftant—Heavens! what were my feelings !—Joanna’s mother took the infant from her arms, the all-worthy her brothers and fifters hung around me, crying, and invoking Heaven Mrs. Godefroy fupporting herfelf aloud for my fafety — while the unfortunate Joanna (now but nineteen) gazing on me, and holding me bythe hand, with a look ten thoufand times more dejected than Sterne’s Maria,—was unable to utter one word! ! !——I perceived fhe was diftracted— the hour was come—I ex- changed a ringlet of their hair, and fondly prefled them both to my bofom:—the power of fpeech alfo forfook me, and my heart tacitly invoked the protection of Pro- vidence to befriend them.— Joanna now fhut her beau- teous eyes—her lips turned the pale colour of death—fhe bowed her head, and motionlefs funk in the arms of HER ADOPTED MOTHER :—Here I roufed all my remaining 2G 2 fortitude, 280 CHAP. XIX, ed NARRATIVE OF AN fortitude, and leaving them furrounded by every care and attention departed, and bid Gop BLEss THEM!!! The boat ftill delaying a few moments, I now ftepped up to poor Fourgeoud, furrounded by my friends, and grafp- ing his veteran hand, I could not, for my foul, but for- give him all the hardfhips he had ever occafioned me.— He was affected. — This was a debt he owed me. —I wifhed him every good, and finally rowed down the river Surinam. At this time the fhips were riding off Bram’s Point, where Mr. Texier, the deputy governor, came on board to wifh us a profperous voyage; and, after dinner, under a falute of feven guns, together with Captains Small and Fredericy, who had accompanied me hither, he returned back to Paramaribo. CHAP. EXPEDITPVONY TOA SURINAM. Gt Ar Pew XXX. The Ships weieh Anchor, and put to Sea—Review of the Troops— ~ Seth Sees Blake Sculpt ? . GC) UV ON vofporlal by Vrwcuw Je SPTUHCM. London, Published Dec! az92, by J. Johnson, §Lauls Cuurch Yard. do EXPEDITION, TO:SURINAM. they may henceforth and to all eternity be the props of each other. I might have included Afia, but this omit- ted, as having no connection with the prefent narrative : we only differ in colour, but are certainly all created by the fame Hand. Thus, if it-has not pleafed fortune to make us equal in rank and, authority, let us at leaft ufe the fuperiority we poffefs with moderation, and not only proffer that happinefs which we have to beftow on our equals, but let us extend it with chearfulnefs to the loweft of our deferving dependants. / On the 25th of Auguft I repaired to the palace of Loo, in Guelderland, where, by the Colonel of the regiment, I was introduced to his Serene Highnefs the Stadtholder; who not only was pleafed to give me a gracious recep- tion, remarking, that by my looks I muft have fuffered much, but foon after promoted: me to the rank of Major in the fame Scottifh regiment. . As [had now the pleafure alfo to fee a few ieliers of my fellow fufferers recompenfed after their hardfhips, I had reafon to think the lefs of our former troubles; thus, in- ftead of indulging in cenfure, I found a more folid confo- lation in the triumph of ¢ruth, which was brought to Jight without my farther interference. . “ Magna eft veritas & prevalebit.” On the 24th of September I went to the Hague, where I prefented his Serene Highnefs with eighteen freures in wax, made by myfelf, for his mufeum, which were moft 3E2 gracioufly NARRATIVE OF AN gracioufly accepted. They reprefented the free Indians of Guiana, and negro flaves of Surinam, engaged in dif ferent occupations, on an ifland, fupported by a cryftal mirror, and ornamented with gold. I now alfo, with bis own confent, made a prefent of my faithful black boy, Quaco, to the Countefs of Ro/en- daal, to whofe family 1 was under very great obligations ; and who fince, on account of his honefty and fober con- duct, not only chriftened him, by the name of Stedman, at my defire, but promoted him to be their butler, with a promife to take care of him as Iong’as he lived; which was particularly grateful to me, being fuch advantages as I could never have procured for him myfelf. Here I cannot omit an anecdote of attachment in this boy :—Having fet out by myfelf on a fhort ‘journey, I found a crown-piece more than I expected in my purfe, and for which I was at a lofs.to account; till on my return, when I queftioned Quaco, he faid, “that fearing I might * be fhort of cafh,. where people feemed fo fond.of it, he “ had put: his. five-fhilling piece in my pocket.”—This action was the more generous, not only in the manner it was done, but being at that time the only crown poor Quaco poffeffed in this world. About the latter end of October, I was 5 offered by the directors of the fettlement to be fent over as a lieutenant governor to the colony of Berdicé,. fituated next. to, Suri- nam. In.confequence, I immediately went to m/lerdams to wait:on them; and-hear the propofals, in which they | indeed EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 397 indeed offered me a higher falary, and greater advantages, CHA P, than they had ever offered to any other gentleman in that , Ate ‘ fituation; but I infifted on having either the govern- ment if 1 furvived, or a decent penfion after a certain number of years at my return ; which being out of their power, they faid, to grant, I declined accepting of the offer altogether, judging it more prudent to recover my health and vigour in Europe with a Scottifh company, than to parch any longer under the Torrid Zone, with- out a profpec& of fettling at home with honour and a competent fortune. Nor was. it long before I perfealy recovered, and became as ftout and healthy as I had ever been in all my life: a happinefs of which not one among one hundred of my late fhip-mates could boatt. Among others, poor COLONEL FourRGEoupD did not long enjoy his good fortune; for he was fcarcely arrived in Holland, with the remaining few who ftayed fome time. behind us, than his beloved p7i/an having failed him, he was one morning found dead in his bed, attended only by anegro, and buried with military honours at the Hague. Not long after this, expired alfo in Surinam Four- geoud’s mortal enemy, the GovERNor of the colony; which vacancy was moft worthily filled up by Colonel: Zexier, and finee by the deferving Mr. Wichers *, From this. period nothing worth recording occurred: * This gentleman having alfo refigned, mentioned in.this narrative) and who had T have the pleafure to acquaint my read- fome time before re-entered into the fer-. ers, that in the year 1792, that gallant vice of the Society troops, was appointed: officer, Mr. F. Fredericy (fo frequently Governor of the colony of Surinam. § | | till 598 * CH A’ P3 XXX, Keer roencd NAR RABUN. EO > pac till the year 1782, when the Emperor of Germany hav- ing retaken the barrier towns from the States of Holland, General Stuart’s regiment was the laft that evacuated the city of Namur, and on the fame day the Imperial troops marched in to take poffeffion: after which the Emperor ordered, in the year 1783, all the fortifications to be de- molifhed. Soon after this, the Scotch brigade, the pri- vates of which now confifted of all nations, was natura- lized by the States of Holland, that is, formed into three Duich regiments, on account of the war with Great Bri- tain; and this circumftance induced myfelf and moft of the principal officers immediately to refign—as we refufed to ferve again{t our King and Country. Having thus left the Dutch fervice, on which day, by the Prince of Orange, I was complimented with the rank of leutenant-colonel, the above gentlemen went to Eng- “land, where, in confequence of their loyalty, they were taken under his Britannic Majefty’s protection; and, on the 18th of June, eleven of them, of which number I was fo happy to make one, were, by General Conway, introduced at St. James’s, where we had the honour to kifs his Majefty’s hand. On the 27th of the fame month, the half-pay was voted for them all by the Britifh Houfe of Commons, accord- ing to the rank in which each individual had actually served while abroad *.—But, that the reader may have * The above gentlemen, who were _ vival of that old and honourable corps in looked upon as being the real reprefenta- _ Britain, which was fince re-embodied un- tives of his Majefty’s Scotch brigade, had der the command of General Francis their loyalty further rewarded by the re- Dundas, and fent to garrifon Gibraltar. fome EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. fome idea of what is meant by the ScorcH BRIGADE, and of what they formerly confifted, I will beg leave to infert the following particulars : | ~ & In £570 this ancient corps firft landed in Holland, as «independent companies, commanded by fome of the “ firft noblemen in Scotland. ‘In the year 1578 their gallant behaviour, together «* with the Englifh, at the battle of Reminat, near Mech- “Jim, is mentioned particularly by Strada. “In 1579 Menin was furprifed, and the Spanifh and “Walloon guards taken prifoners by Colonel sit te ‘¢ with his regiment alone. “In 1588, at the memorable blockade of Bergen-op-~ “ Zoom by the Prince of Parma, the Scots, under the «6 command of General Balfour and Colonel Scott, made “¢ a fortie, and demolifhed the greateft part of the Spanifh ‘¢ Jines, by which the enemy were forced to break. up the “ fiege, with confiderable lofs.of men and ammunition. - “In 1590; at the fiege of Zutphen-Deventer, Nimeguen “and AHu/f, their bravery is well known. ‘‘ In 1593 they fhared fo much of the glory at the “taking of Gertrudenberg, that both General Balfour and his regiment were highly diftinguifhed by Prince &* Maurice. ‘The general: he made governor to command “the garrifon, inftead of his brother Prince Henry ;. and “the regiment he appointed, as the moft {pirited corps, *6 to defend it. 66 In: 599 CHAP. XXX. Neen aon. 400 CHAP. XXX. Ccraneen minced) NARRATIVE OF AWN “In 1599, at the taking of Bommel, the Scots fuffered *¢ moft confiderably. ‘In 1600 two field officers, eight captains, with above «¢ fix hundred private men, were left dead on the field, ‘¢ after the famous Batzle of the Downs, near Nieuport, “ where both they and the Englifh behaved with the fs greatett gallantry; and to the valour of thefe united “‘ bands was attributed the fuccefs of the day. “In 1601, at the fiege of Offend, which lafted three “ years, and at which was levelled the whole power of 6‘ Spain, nothing could equal the valour and courage “ both of the Scotch and Englifh, the firft commanded «“‘ by Generals Balfour and St. Clair, the latter by Lords “ Willoughby and Vere; who, after a great flaughter of “‘ the Spaniards (including all their beft officers) forced “‘ the affailants to raife the fiege, and retreat with great “ {hame and confufion. *‘ During the government of the three firft Princes of “ Orange, William, Maurice,and Frederick-Henry, the Scotch «¢ behaved with fo much bravery, honour and reputation, “that by the lait prince (befides many other marks of « diftinction which he conferred on them) they were “ called the dulwarks of the republick. “ The neceffary limits of this chapter compel me ta “omit many memorable fervices which were rendered “ by this diftinguifhed body of men to the provinces of 6¢ Holland; but I cannot overlook the laft fiege of Bergen- «6 op-Zoom by the French, in 1747; where, while others “ fhame- EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. “ fhamefully ran away, one regiment of Scots in the ‘¢ middle of the town, having twice repulfed the enemy, “¢ fought alone till they were nearly cut to pieces, leaving “¢ fifteen officers and above five hundred privates on the “¢ field.”—-Such is the hiftory of the late Scotch brigade in the Dutch fervice; and fuch were the outlines of its military character, till the day of its diffolution, in 1783. I muit now draw this narrative to a conclufion, by once more mentioning the name of Joanna, and ac- quaint the reader, that, alas! MORE!!!—— — JOANNA IS NO In the month of Auguft 1783, I received the melan- choly tidings from Mr. Gourlay (which pierced me to the foul) that on the fatal 7/tb of November this vir- tuous young woman departed this life, as /ome fuf- pected by poifon*, adminiftered by the hand of jea- loufy and envy, on account of her profperity, and the marks of diftinétion which her fuperior merit had fo juftly attracted from the refpectable part of the colony. But fhe is no more! — Reader ! — the virtuous Joanna, who fo often faved my life, is no more! !!—Her adopted mother, Mrs. Godefroy, who bedewed her beauteous body with tears, ordered it to be interred with every mark of refpect, under the grove of orange-trees where the had lived. Her lovely boy was fent to me, with a bill of near two hundred pounds, his private property, by inheri- tance from his mother.—Soon after which expired both his very faithful guardians, * Her emancipated brother Henry underwent the fame melancholy fate. NOm ITS" * ai : This NARRATEVE OF AWN This CHARMING YOUTH, having made a moft com- rnendable progrefs in his education in Devon, went two Weitt India voyages, with the higheft character as a failor 3. and during the Spani/b troubles ferved with honour as a midfhipman on board his Majefty’s fhips Soutbazpton and Lizard, ever ready to engage in any fervice that the advantage of his king and country called for.—But, Oh! —he alfo is no more, having fince peri/bed at fea off the ifland of Famaica. The effect which the following lines had on the fym- pathetic and ingenious Mrs. Cow/ey, could alone induce me to intrude them on the Public.— Let this be my apology~-—-Oh ! more than bitter tafk ! ! !—— An @legp on uy SAILOR. Lown founds the tempeft !~peals of thunder rear ; Tremendous lightnings flafh from fhore to fhore : Seas dafh the fhaking rocks—feas mount the flaming fky, And elements convuls’d, {peak diffolution nigh. Such fcenes as thefe (while toffing on the waves, - True to his duty ftill) the manly failor braves; Sucu was My Bov—(whofe eyes could never weep’ But for his neighbour’s wees) now f{wallow’d in the deep» Oh! agonizing pain—pain never felt before— My manly boy—my Fobna—my Sailor is no more; Still let me mourn with hope— and Gop adore: With hope, to fee my failor once again Floating on feas of blifs, thro’ th’ azure main:: Till then a fhort farewell—my lovely boy, Thy fhipmates darling, and thy father’s joy. 6 Yet EXPEDITION TO SURINAM, Yet one fmall comfort foothes (while doom’d to part, Dear gallant youth !) thy parent’s broken heart ; No. more thy tender frame, thy blooming age, Shall be the fport of Ocean’s turb’lent rage : No more thy o/tve-beauties on the waves Shall be the fcorn of fome European flaves ; Whofe optics, blind to merit, ne’er could {py That fterling worth could bloom beneath a weftern fky. ‘No more, my dear—no more—(while fuch were fcar’d) Unpauntep fhalt thou rock upon the yard ; There, while the filver moon gleam’d thro’ the gale, With manly fkill and courage hand the fail. When Fame, who fcann’d the value of her Tar, Did make thee fhine on board a man-of-war With honor *——while, with equal glory fir’d, To pleafe a parent, brother, friend, thou e’er afpir’d ; Till Death—relentlefs Death—none can withftand, To eut thy cable gave the LasT comManD !! 1 Soar now, my angel, to thy Maker’s fhrine, There reap that prize, due to fuch worth as thine. Fly, gentle fhade—fly to that bleft abode, There view thy mother—and adore thy Gop: There, Oh! my Boy} on that celeftial fhore, Oh! may we gladly meet—and part no more! ! ! * Since the above Hines were written, the laft of his commanders, the gallant Captain Fohe Hurt, loft his life in the memorable aftion, fought under Admiral Lorp Hows, againft the French, on the A PARENT. tf of June 1794.—This officer loved my Sailor well; nor was he lefs efteemed by Captain Rickard Keates, from whom he had the honour to receive his firft naval education, 4 And 404, NARRATIVE, &c, CHAP, And now farewell, my friends, who have been pleafed | XXX. to perufe this narrative of my diftreffes with fympathetic fenfibility; particularly thofe whofe goodnefs of heart can forgive my inaccuracies and foibles.—I fay, farewell: claiming no other merit whatever throughout thefe pages, than that of having {poke the /imple truth; which, if I wilfully have violated, may thefe volumes perifh, and be forgotten with their author!—But fhould this treafure, TRUTH, fo rarely to be met with, be found in this performance :— “* Tet one poor fprig of bays around my- head «© Bloom while I live; and point me out when dead,” NS Deo TO- THE x Sob ero. ND yy Oude vi Ee A. A CCOREE negroes, P- 255 Agate, ftone - - 6 Agouti, rabbit - 153 Ajurucurra-bird = 3A Ambulinary leaf - 92 Amphifbcena fnake 196 Ammodites fnake - 263 Annamoe bird = 33 Ants (fire) - - gt o— large - - 137 —— hillocks - 164 Angola peas - - 97 Ant bear (great) - 328 —fmall’- - 329 Anana, fruit - - 214 Anaca, bird - - 218 Arnotta + 2s 20 Arlacacca turtle - 164 Arrowouka Indians 189 “Aloe (American) - 234 B. Bat of Surinam - 142 Baboon (howling) - 235 Vor. II. Bee-bee wood - p. 115 Beautiful landfcapes 166 Bourracourra tree - 18 Bognara, fhrub - - 235 Boafly, difeafe - ~- 274 Black cabbage-trée 164 Blue dipfas fnake - 196° Blue parrot - = 3i Brooms (natural) ~ 115 Brown heart tree Bes Brazil wood - - 18 Butterfly (blue and red) 22 — green - 197 Butter of palm-worms 115 of piftachio nuts 11§ Bufh worms - 183 Bullet tree = = 335 Bercklack tree = 317 C. Cameleon, lizard 19 Capficum, pepper - 72 Cabiay, animal - 135 Caps (natural) - - 115 Caliebafh tree - - 119 Cavey ({potted) - - 152 Carrots - - 230 3G Cammewary - Pp. Cabbage tree = - Cabbages - - Cacao tree - = Caffia tree - - Canavatepy tree = Cacatoo parrots - Cat (tiger) - = Cats - - - Cica pepper: “=i. - Coflowee tree - - Cow-itch > - 182 66 230 206 225 317 30 50 37° 72 20 28 Confaka weeree-weeree 29 Couguar tiger - - 50 Coney (Indian) - - 153 Coatiimondi - - 327 Coffee tree - - 352 Craffy wocdo - - 28 Crabbo dago Tat Crombeck bird - 152 Cro-cro bird - - 182 Craffy-crafly - - 274 Crefted eagle - - 300 Crane - - 243 Cucumbers - - 230 Curuma fifh - 186 Cutty weeree-weeree 29 Clabbo Clabbo yaws - Cedar tree - Coffee tree - Corks e D. Dago-feefee - Date tree - Devil of the woods Dogs = as Dipfas fnake _ - Dea weerce-weeree Ducks (wild) - Ducolla bolla tree Dung fifth = E. Eagle (crefted) - F. Flying dog, bat — lice = — fquirrel Fennel - Female papaw tree Fig tree ~ Fourmilier - Fruit (foreign) - G. Gado Saby town Galinas bird - Goats - - Gourd tree = Golden rod - Gold mines = Ginger iiaes i] 344 335 172 300 Ba Na Dick, oe Guava tree - Groe groe worms Griffon, animal Green butterfly Grafs {parrow - Gulph weed - Grampus fifh - Green perroquet Guinea worm - Guill (herring) - Gralshopper - Grapes - - H. Hare (water) - Haddock, fifh Hippopotamus - Humming bird - Herring gull - Hippocampus - Howling baboon I. Jabiru crane - Jaguar tiger = Jagacaretta tiger Jew Savannah Indigo plant - Iron ore - —— wood tree Indian rofes - Jeffamine tree. - fhrub K. Kook, difeafe - I 180 King of vultures p. 299 L. Latta cacca pepper - 72 Land fcorpion - 315 Lettuces, fallad - 230 Leprofy, difeafe - Lizard (agama) - - 274 19 -—falamander - 19 ——- devil of the woods 19 Lime tree - -, 92 Lice (wood) - - 336 ——— (fying) ee ae Locuft, reptile - - 172 Locus, tree - - 165 M. Maureecee tree - 67 Mammee apple a ag Manatee - - 175 Mattakee tree - - 182 Markooreetree - - 182 Marmalade box - 318 Mahogany tree - 335 Mermaids - | Se Mexican oppoflum - 325 Medlar tree - - 168 Mineral ores = - 6 Mint, fhrub = - - 212 Monkey (faccawinkee) 12 wanacoo - 12 quatta. - 10 baboon - 235 Mountain cabbage - 66 Mompee tree - - 168 Monbiara tree = - 181 Murine Murine oppoffum p. Mufk melon - - N. Naey-naey-feffee - Negroes (African) - ; white - - two-fingered Coromantin Loango x Gangoo” - —— Nago - - Kiemba_ - —— Nfocco - - ——— Pappaw- - Nightowl - O. Ouro wifee fifh - Oppoffum (moufe) - —- Mexican Orlean tree - - Owl (night) - = - Orifa rice Offa palmira - = - Orange cil Onions = = - P Parrots (green - - — blue - - caccatoo- Partridge 2 S Pafletiee fih, = 4 Pacca, fpotted cavey 144 213 172 250 25 255 254 254 267 268 285 285 268 239 172 144 325 20 239 318 328 37 5 230 31 31 30 33 1§6 152. EN Do Bo, Pacarara coney - p. Pattakee fifh - = Papayatree - - Papaw fnake - - Pampus, bar -— - Palm-tree (cabbage) - date - - -eta - - - maureecee Palm wine - - Palm-tree worms - Perroquets - = greens = Pepper creffes - - Piftachio nuts, pinda Pigeon peas - = Pilot-fith - - Philander - - Phyfick nut tree = - Poifon tree ~ + Pomme de canelle - Potatoes - - - Provooft fifh - - Plantation (cacao) - ~—n—e——— Indigo = Porpoife fifh - - Praree-praree fifh - Purflane (wild) - - Purperheart tree - Q. Quata monkey - Quacy Quaciz, bitter - - 3G2 coffee - uacy - =) R. Rattle fnake - p. Rats and mice - = Rat, coney-coney - Radifhes - - Rhemora fifh - - Red-breatt, bird - -— lilies - - -— forrel - - River horfe - - Rice ~ - /- Roucow arnotta - Rofemary - - Rofes (Indian) - - Rock-cod fifh - - So: Saccawinkee monkey Salamander lizard - 1*Salt of afhhes -.. ~ Sand box tree - - Sapadilia tree - - Sage - - - Sea cow ie = Seven boom - s Senfitive plant - - Seeparee fith - - Seve jars boontie —- Sea {nails - = — COW = = = — weed - - — horfe - - = — women = Siliba fith 2 é Silver mines Even Soete boontie - U3 153 230 218 25% 230 212 23 Sokay fiflh - — p. Sour faptree - - fmall - Sorrel (red) = ~ = Sunffh - - - Spaanfe jaffer - - Scarefleep - - .Snake-fifh - e Spotted-cat fifh - Spider (bufh) - - Shades (human) - Spectre of Guiana - Scolopendra reptile - Snake (ooroocoocoo) —- two-headed - whip - - dipfas - - rattle - - papaw - - Snails (fea) - - - Snake-root (Virginia) Strix, owl - - - Scorpion (land) - - Snipe ' =, 4 - Spoon-bill fhoveler - Shark — st Squirrel, .:=.%- white - - flying - - Tr. Taibo, wood rat ~ 229 242 24.2 230 40 ENG DB aX: Tapira, j= (= - p. Tayers root - = - Tarpoen fifh - - Tape-worm - - Tamanoir - - Tamandua Spe Tea - - Tiger Sis, = = —— red - - - Gat = tails Timpany, difeafe - Tingee fowlo - - Toecoema worms - Tomate = 7 Tobacco - - Torro-torro fifh = T okay-galinas - Tonquin beans - Turtle (land) - - Two-headed fnake - Two-fingered negroes Tubboes, difeafe- - Tree- frog . a Trochilus, bird 2 U. Urk Ifland Ligne age Vampier bat - - Vanillas - Vielleur, infect - Vultures - king of W. Wanacoo monkey Walking-leaf - Waracoo fifh - Water fnake - —-— hare B —--— melon - W eepee*iailh yc Wine (palm-tree) Wild duck ~ Whip fnake - White negroes = Wood-pecker - Wood-loufe, bird - infect Woodcock, bird Worms (groe- groe) Wood'‘rat) 2a Worms (tape) - Y? Yaws, difeafe - Yellow-back fith Z. Zurzacka fruit - St 299 299 242 Dir eftions Plate | | i Ler lat Dire&tions for placing the Plates. XLI, XLII. XLII. XLIV. XLV. XLVI. XLVII. XLVIII. XLIX. Vio ue’ IE IEW of the Hope and Clarenbeck, in Comewina » a facing Page The Quato and Sarcawinkee Monkeys — Sprig of the Arnotta or Roucou Tree — The blue and crimfon Butterfly, and Palm-tree Worms — ~— — = The Anamoe and green Parrots of Guiana — The Wood Rat, and Crabbo-dago or Griffon — The Dago Fiffee, and the Newmara Fifh — The Jaguar and Tiger Cat of Surinam — A Surinam Planter in his Morning Drefs — The Mountain Cabbage and Maureecee Tree — View of Magdenberg and Calays, in Cofaweenica Limes, Capficum, Mammy Apple, &c. — A rebel Negro armed, and on his Guard — Manner of Bufh-fighting, and Gradation of Shades — nae ai ak March through a Swamp in Terra Firma — Plan of the principal Field of Action — — The Murine Oppoffum and Vampier Bat = =— The Agouti and {potted Cavey — — LIX. 4 10 20 104, 142 152 ‘Lhe Plate rx. el stele, | ala Phe —— LXXVI. — LXXVII. — LXXVIII. LX. LXI. LXII. LXIII. LXIV. LXV. LXVI. LXVII. LXVIII. LXIX. LXX. LXXI. LXXITI. LXXIII, LXXIV. LXXV. LXXIX. LXXX. Direttions for placing the Plates—Vou. il. The Hippopotamus and Manati of Guiana, | Jacing Page The Camp at Java Creek, and Encampment at Jerufalem — — the Indian Female of the Arrowauka Nation — Green Butterfly and Rattle Snake, &c. — — Sprig of the’'Cacao Tree — -— — Mufk and Water Melons, and Pine Apple — The Humming Bird, with its Neft, &c. — Manner of catching Fifh by the Spring Hook, &c. The yellow Woodpecker, &c. _ — A Family of Loango Negroes —_ — Mufical Inftruments of the African Negroes — View of the Jews Savannah, and Mount Blue Bergh a — — — Execution of breaking on the Rack — — Sprig of the Indigo Plant —_ — Manner of fleeping in. the Woods—the. Cottage The Tamandui and Coati Mondi —— pus The Spoonbill and Crane of Guiana — — The celebrated Graman Quacy — = Sprig of the Coffee Tree Sy a ee Plan of a regular Coffee Plantation — = The Shark and Remora fifh = cea Europe, fupported by Africa and America — Boke a. 2 1 UA, V°O LE... Tl, read Ptifan. Page 16, line 7, for Tifan, - - 28, — 15, — Siliqua-hirfuta, - - — Siliqua hirfulx. 31, — 13, — Ajuriicuraa - - = -—= Ajurucura, 51, — 10, — Jaguanettaa - - - = Jjaguaretta, 59, — 22, — Godfrey, - - - - — Godefrooy. 127, — 13, — dele and as was mentioned. 141, — 6, — thighs, - - - = — feet, 153, — 8, — warrabofena, - - = = warrabocerra. 174, — 12, — de Cabaines, - - = — de Cabanus, 186, — 4, — Leekflied, - - = — Beekvlied 186, — 10, — Paflary, - - - - — Paffefly. 214, — 19, — Hemmet, - - - - — Hamell. 235, — 10, — the back, - - = - — the bark, 315, —= 4, — Saardan, - - = - — Saardam. —_ — Okero. 19, — Okeor, - = = = 319, Nan ae ? ‘ ue? ‘, if is ay LT ) I . i ‘i r kc i / 1 Ww if . a : 4 ‘7 ‘ ¥ \ if ? 4 ah" ir: ome 1 ge a ae i \ i i ‘ Bai iw. uy! t A : fase ¢ ‘ a i 5: Bb ih y . 7 uF a rae , hy ‘ We ‘J rae ee . f , ’ x ‘“ ’ ‘ Y i 4 ‘ ‘ . a, " x 7 Node ae A eR elf tobe nina tiie * 4 ‘ i ‘ . } ‘ : . *, x a iM - 1 3 i : ; 4 > iF = , | fy . ris DMBLE RE " ry ; etl era Loa ff i ; 1 1 ed \ Bee i | ae: a) : a” re ‘ ; rt : 1 . 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