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Full text of "Narrative of a five years' expedition, against the revolted negroes of Surinam, in Guiana, on the wild coast of South America; from the year 1772, to 1777: elucidating the history of that country, and describing its productions ... with an account of the Indians of Guiana, & negroes of Guinea"

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THE    LIBRARY   OF 
BROWN  UNIVERSITY 


THE  CHURCH 
COLLECTION 

The  Bequest  of 

Colonel  George  Earl  Church 

1835-1910 


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%l^  CAPTT   J.  (G„  STEBMA^N^. 


Vol.  I 


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V 


TO 
II  IS     ROYAL     HIGHNESS 

GEORGE 
PRINCE     OF     WALES, 

THIS 

ARTLESS     NARRATIVE 

IS 

WITH     ALL     HUMILITY, 

INSCRIBED, 

BY     HIS     ROYAL     HIGH  NESS'S 

MOST    DEVOTED, 
AND    MOST    OBEDIENT, 
HUMBLE    SERVANT, 


/.  G,  Stedmdn. 


Tiverton,  Devonftiire, 
January  1,  17S6. 


THE 


PREFACE. 


This  Work  being  perhaps  one  of  the  most  sin- 
gular productions  ever  offered  to  the  Public,  I 
think  it  right  to  give  the  Reader  a  short  sketch 
of  what  he  is  going  to  peruse. — I  have  endea- 
voured to  arrange  matters  in  some  degree  like 
a  large  garden,  where  one  meets  with  the 
sweet-smelling  flower  and  the  thorn,  the  gold- 
bespangled  fly  and  loathsome  reptile,  the  richest 
glowing  plumage  and  the  darkest  shades ;  the 
whole  so  variegated  as  to  afford,  I  hope,  both 
information  and  amusement,  without  racking  or 
depressing  the  spirits,  and  damping  the  mind; 
not  indeed  in  the  modern  pomp  and  brilliancy 
of  style,  but  in  a  simple  tale,  where  truth  is 
the  chief  ornament. 

Vol.  I.  b  Here, 


iv  PREFACE. 

Here,  in  the  different  characters  of  a  Com- 
mander—a Rebel  Negro— a  Planter,  and  a 
Slave — not  onlj  tyranny  are  exposed— but  be- 
nevolence and  humanity  are  unveiled  to  the 
naked  eye.  Here  the  Warrior — the  Historian — 
the  Merchant — and  the  Lover  of  Natural  Phi- 
losophy, will  meet  with  some  gratification; 
w^hile,  for  having  introduced  my  private  adven- 
tures, I  must  make  some  apology — but  none  for 
those  of  the  lovely  Slave,  who  makes  not  the 
least  interesting  figure  in  these  pages — as  female 
virtue  in  distress,  especially  when  accompanied 
with  youth  and  beauty,  must  ever  claim  pro- 
tection. 

Upon  the  whole,  perhaps,  some  allowance 
may  be  made,  when  the  Reader  considers  he 
is  perusing  no  romance  composed  of  fiction, 
but  a  real  history,  totally  unembellished  with 
the  marvellous; — the  production  of  an  Officer, 
whose  pen  and  pencil  have  alone  been  employed 
— and  ON  THE  SPOT,  a  circumstance  but  very 
seldom  met  with. 

As 


PREFACE. 

As  to  the  shocking  cruelties  that  here  are  so 
frequently  exposed,  let  it  suffice  to  say,  that  to 
deter  others  from  similar  inhuman  practices, 
and  teach  them  virtue,  was  my  sole  and  only 
motive  ;  w^hile,  on  the  other  hand,  it  must  be 
observed  that  Liberty,  nay  even  too  much 
lenity,  when  suddenhj  granted  to  illiterate  and 
unprincipled  men,  must  be  to  all  parties  dan- 
gerous, if  not  pernicious.  Witness  the  O'^ca  and 
Saramcca  Negroes  in  Surinam — the  Maroons  of 
Jamaica,  the  Canibs  of  St.  Vincent,  &c. 

While  the  Colony  of  Surinam  however  is 
reeking  and  dyed  with  the  blood  of  the  African 
negroes,  truth  compels  me  to  observe,  that  the 
Dutch  there  are  not  the  only  guilty ;  but  that 
to  most  other  nations,  and  particularly  the  Jews, 
is  owino'  this  almost  constant  and  diubulical 
barbarity. 

Reader,  peruse  the  pages  annex'^d  with  im- 
partiality and  with  temper— sort  the  ilowers 
from  the  weeds— divide  the  gold  skilfully  from 

b  2  the 


vi  PREFACE. 

the  dross — and  perhaps  you  may  not  regret  the 
hours  you  have  thus  dedicated. — Let  it  how- 
ever not  be  understood,  that  I  ever  laid  claim 
to  excellence  in  writing  or  drawing;  but  if  the 
plain  and  manly  truth,  so  often  spoken  of, 
and  so  seldom  found,  are  of  any  avail— I  pre- 
sume to  hope,  that  these  Volumes  are  not 
entirely  unworthy  the  attention  of  a  British 
Public. 


LIST 


OF 


SUBSCRIBERS    NAMES. 


AUCKLAND  (Lord)  Britifli  AmbafTador  at  the  Hague. 
Ac K LAND  (Sir  Tho.  Dyke)  Bart.  Killerton. 
Anderson  (Lady)  York. 
AsHMEAD  (Wm.)  Efq.  London. 

B. 

Bute  (Rt.  Hon.  Earl  of). 

Bristol  (Rt.  Hon.  Earl  of). 

Bamff  (Rt.  Hon.  Lord)  6th  Dragoons. 

Barrington  (Rt.  Hon.  Lord  Vifcount). 

BoYDELL  (Rt.  Hon.  John)  Lord  Mayor  of  London. 

Baring  (Charles)  Efq.  Exon. — 5  Copies. 

Barwell  ( )  El'q.  London. 

Broadley  (R.  Cailifle)  Efq.  York. 
Broadley  (Ifaac)  Efq.  Branlingham,  Hull. 
Barker  (Thomas)  Efq.  Jamaica. 

Bain  ( )  Efq.  M.  D.  Batli. 

Burk  (Geo.)  Efq.  Waddon  Court,  Devon. 

Batt  (J.  F.)  Efq.  Richmond. 

Brown  (E.  H.)  Efq.  Richmond. 

Black  (John)  Efq.  of  the  Hon.  Eaft  India  Company's  Service. 

Besly 


SUBSCRIBERS    NAMES. 

Beslt  (Wm.)  Efq.  Tiverton,  Devon. 

Bates  (Ralpli)  Elq.  6th  Dragoons. 

Bastard  (John  P.)  Elq.  Kitley,  M.  P. 

Brown  (Wm.)  Efq.  Wiveiiicombe. 

Bush  (Baron  de)  Commandant  at  Curasao. 

Bolls  (And.)  Efq.  Capt.  in  the  Dutch  Navy. 

Bloys  de  Treslon  (Cor.)  Elq.  Capt.  in  the  Dutch  Na\'y. 

Brom'st  ( )  Elq.  Briftol. 

Bulguin  (Mr.  — — )  Briftol. 
Blake  (Mr.  Wm.)  London. 
BouDLER  (Mrs.)  Bath. 

C. 

Canterbury  (His  Grace  the  Archbiihop  of). 

Chichester  (Sir  John)  Bart.  Youllton. 

Chichester  (Mrs.)  Arhngton. 

Chichester  (Mils). 

Chichester  (Mifs  ]\Iary  Macdonald). 

Cholwich  (John  B.)  Efq.  Faningdon  Houfe. 

Cambridge  (R.  O.)  Efq.  Twickenham. 

Cholmley  (Nath.)  Howlham. 

Cowley  (John)  Efq.  London. 

Campbell  (Rt.  Hon.  Bay)  Edinburgh. 

Cholmondeley  (G.)  Efq.  London. 

Croft  (John)  Efq.  York. 

CooKSLEY  (J.  Sparkes)  Efq.  Alhburton. 

D. 

Dover  (Rt.  Hon.  Lord). 
Douglas  (Gen.  Robert)  Holland. 
DuNTz  (Sir  John)  Bart.  Rockbere  Houfe. 
Drew  (Richard)  Efq.  Exeter. 
Den'nys  (Nicholas)  Efq.  Tiverton. 
Dowce  (Francis)  Efq.  Richmond. 
Dan  by  (Wm.)  Efq.  Swinton. 
Drummond  (J.)  Elq.  M.  D.  Jamaica. 
DucARKfcLL  ^ )  Efq.  Exinouth. 


Delaval 


SUBSCRIBERS    NAMES. 

Delaval  (E.  Hufiey)  Efq.  London. 

Dickenson  (Benj.)  Elq.  Tiverton. 

DuNSFORD  (Mr.  Martin)  Author  of  the  Memoirs  of  Tiverton. 

De  Graav  (Gid.  And.  D.)  Efq.  Surinam. 

Des  Borgnes  (Col.  Brifeval)  Fourgeoud's  INIarines. 

E. 

Erving  (George)  Efq.  London. 

EuLER  ( )  Efq.  for  the  Library  of  his   Serene  Highnefs  the  Prince 

of  Orange. 

F. 
FiTZWiLLTAM  (Right  HoH.  Earl). 
Ferrier  (Col.  Ilay)  of  His  Majefty's  Scots  Brigade. 

Fredericy  ( )  Efq.  Governor  of  Surinam. 

Freeman  ( )  Efq.  Chute  Lodge. 

Freeman  (Mrs.  Elizabeth) 
Fitzgerald  (Mifs)  Grange,  Ireland. 
FoLLET  (Rev.  Mr.  John)  Tiverton. 
Fattet  (Mr.  Barth.  Francois). 
Flower  (Mr.)  London. 
Flower  (Mr,  Benj.)  Cambridge. 

G. 

Guildford  (Right  Hon.  Earl  of). 

Gordon  (Col.  Robert)  Deputy  Governor  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

Graham  (John)  Efq.  M.  D.  Jamaica. 

Grinstone  (Henry)  Efq.  Wefton. 

Grinstone  (Thomas)  Elq.  Kilnwick. 

Goodwin  (G.  R.)  Efq.  Bath. 

Godefrooy  (Mrs.  Eliz.)  Surinam. 

Gray  (Mil's  Jane)  Edinburgh 

H. 

Heathfield  (Rt.  Hon.  Lord). 

Habrowby  (Rt.  Hon.  Lord)  Sandon,  StafFordftiire. 

Hamilton  (Sir  Alexander)  Bart.  Retreat. 

HiLDYARD  (Sir  Robert  D'Arcy)  Bart.  Wineftead,  York. 

Hastings 


SUBSCRIBERS    NAMES. 

Hastings  (Warren)  Eiq.  late  Governor  General  of  Bengal. 
Hamell  (Colonel)  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Home  (Colonel  Alexander)  His  Majefty's  Scotch  Brigade. 
Hamilton  (Robert)  Efq.  of  the  Hon.  Eaft  India  Company's  Service. 

Hunter  ( )  Efq.  M.  D.  York. 

Hamilton  (Major)  Exon. 

Hilton  (William)  Elq.  Jamaica. — 2  Copies. 

Hecke  (C.  a.)  Efq.  Demerary. 

Harding  (Rev.  Mr.)  Barnftaple. 

Heathfield  (Thomas)  Efq.  Nutwell. 

Heneman  (Gylbert)  Efq.  Hague. 

Haringman  (John)  Efq.  Admiral  in  the  Dutch  Navy. 

Hogg  (Jof )  Efq.  Tiverton. 

How  (J.  M.)  Efq.  Wifcome  Park. 

Hartford  (Jof)  Efq.  Briftol. 

HoBROiD  (Mrs.)  Richmond. 

I. 

Incledon  (Robert)  Efq.  Pilton  Houfe. 
Incledon  (Capt.  T.)  sd  Regiment  of  Foot. 
Jermain  (Thomas)  Efq.  Briftol. 
Johnson  (J.  R.)  Efq.  Jamaica. 

K. 

Keates  (Rev.  Richard)  Tiverton. 

KiNCAiD  (Patrick)  Efq.  Exon. 

Knight  (Mr.  Charles)  Knightfbridge. 

Kennedy  (H.J.)  Efq.  Cleves. 

Knollaerdt  ( )  Efq.  Fourgeoud's  Marines. 


Lardner  (John)  Efq.  London. 
Lardner  (Richard)  Elq.  Tiverton. 
Lardner  (James)  Efq.  Axminfter. 
Louis  (Mr.  Jean)  Exon. 


M.  Macphebson 


SUBSCRIBERS    NAMES. 


M. 

Macphersont  (Sir  John)  Bart,  late  Governor  of  Calcutta. 

McQueen  (Dundas)  Eiq.  Edinburgh. 

Macallester  Loup  (Duncan)  Efq.  Hague. 

Wacauley  (Alex.)  Efq.  London. 

Macau  ley  (Angus)  Efq.  Bath. 

Macleod  (Colonel)  of  His  Majefty's  Scots  Brigade. 

Mackay  (John)  Efq.  London. 

Mackay  (Heftor)  Efq.  War  Office. 

Maddison  (Thomas)  Eli^.  M.  P. 

Mowbray  (Robert)  Efq.  M.  D.  Cocka3n-ny. 

Moore  (John  HartnoU)  Efq.  Cadeleigh  Court. 

Marshall  (Mr.  Robert)  Tiverton. 

Moens  (Mr.  Adrian)  Rotterdam. 

Medlaer  (George  Crawford)  Efq.  Fourgeoud'3  Marines. 

N. 
NoKTHCOTE  (Sir  Stafford)  Bart.  Pine's  Houfe. 
Nagle  (Jofeph)  Eliri.  Calverleigh. 
Nagle  (David)  El'q.  Bath. 
NiBBs  (J.  Langford)  Efq.  Beauchamp. — 2  Copies. 
Needham  (John)  Efq.  Gray's  Inn. 
NooT  (Captain)  Fourgeoud's  Marines. 
Nichols  (Rev.  INIr.)  Richmond. 
Newte  (Rev.  Mr.)  Titcombe,  Devon. 
Newte  (Thomas)  Efq.  late  Captain  in  the  Hon.   Eaft  India  Company's 

Sei-vice. 
Newbiggen  (Mifs  Jane)  Edinburgh. 

O. 

Owens  (George)  Efq.  Tiverton. 

P. 

Pepperel  (Sir  William)  Bart.  London. 
Palmer  (Thomas)  Efq.  Berkley  Square. 
Palmer  (William)  Efq.  London. 
Vol.  I.  c  Plidell 


SUBSCRIBERS    NAMES. 

Plxdell  (J.  M.)  Efq.  6th  Dragoons. 

Peach EY  (John)  Efq.  M.  P. 

Prince  (J.  D.)  Efq.  Holland. 

Perret  Gentilly  (Major)  Fourgeoud's  Marines 

Poi-SON  (Hugh)  Efq.  Exniouth. 

Popple  (Rev.  Mr.)  York. 

R. 

Ryder  (Right  Hon.  Dudley)  M.  P. 

RocKBY  (Right  Hon.  Lord)  Horton,  Kent, 

RiCKETTS  (Hon.  W.  H.)  Jamaica. 

RiCKETTS  (E.  Jarvis)  Efq.  Jamaica. 

RosENDAAL  (CouDtcfs  dc)  Holland. 

RoLLE  (John)  Efq.  M.  P.  Tidwell. 

RiDSDALE  (G.  W.)  Efq.  6th  Dragoons. . 

RoLLAND  (Adam)  Efq.  Advocate,  Edinburgh. 

Robinson  (William)  Efq.  Writer  to  the  Signet,'Edinburgh. 

Robinson  (Capt.  Thomas)  of  the  Hon.  Eaft  India  Company's  Service, 

RiGAUD  (P.)  Efq.  R.  A. 

Reynsdorph  (Andrew)  Efq.  Surinam. 

Reay  (Henry  N.)  Efq,  Blenliwell,  Durham. 

S. 

Spencer  (Rt.  Hon.  Lord  Henry). 

Strickland  (Sir  George)  Bart.  Bointon  Houfe,  York. — 2  Copies 
Strickland  (Lady  Eliza  Letitia). 
Strickland  (Mifp  Charlotte) 
Strickland  (William)  Efq.  York. 
Strickland  (Capt.  Geo.)  8th  Regiment. 
Sykes  (Sir  Chriftopher)  Bart.  York. 
Small  (Major  Charles)  Ifle  of  Man. 
Small  (Peter)  Efq.  Montreal,  Canada, 
Stuart  (Hon.  General  John). 

Sampson  (James)  Efq.  late  His  Majefty's  Conful  General  at  Morocco. 

Suttell 


SUBSCRIBERS    NAMES. 


SUTTELL  (G.)  Efq.  York. 
Sturgeon  (T.  W.)  Efq.  Trowbridge. 

Sm'ale  ( )  Efq.  London. 

Sheriff  (Mv.  Robert)  Leith. 
Stedman  (John)  Efq.  M.  D.  Edinburgh. 
Stedman  (Capt.  Wm.  George). 
Stedman  (Mil's  Catherine)  Edinburgh. 
Sharrat  (Mr.  John)  Wahkll. 
Sheldon  (MifsAnn)  Exon. 
SoMERViLLE  (Mlfs  Ehzabcth)  Edinburgh. 


T. 


Todd  (Mr.  John)  York.— 2  Copies. 

TozER  (Aaron)  Ei'q.  of  the  Hon.  Eaft  India  Company's  Service. 

V. 

Vance  Agnew  (Robert)  Efq.  Edinburgh. 
•Van  Coeverde  (Colonel)  Fourgeoud's  Marines. 

W. 

WiLLOUGHBY  DE  Broke  (Rt.  Hon.  Lord). 

Westerloo  (General)  Holland. 

Wemyss  (Major)  nth  Regiment  of  Foot. 

Wierts  (Francis)  Efq.  Captain  in  tlie  Dutch  Navy. 

Winsloe  (Thomas)  Efq.  CoUiprieft. 

WooLERY  (R.  p.)  Efq.  Jamaica. 

Williams  (Jof)  Efq.  Jamaica. 

Wyville  (Rev.  Chrillopher)  York. 

White  (James)  Efq.  Counfellor,  Exeter, 

Wray  (G.  Lewis)  Efq.  Spence  Farm. 

Wood  (Bevis)  Efq.  Tiverton. 

Worth  (John)  Elq.  Worth  Houfe,  Devon. 

Worth  (Mrs.  Mary)  Tiverton. 

Wray  (Mrs.)  Richmond. 

c  3  Watt 


SUBSCRIBERS    NAMES. 


Watt  (Mr.)  London. 

Ward  LAW  (Mrs.  Sufan)  Edinburgli. 


York  (His  Grace  the  Archbifliop  of) 
YoRKE  (Hon.  John). 


mKHOBBCSKVra 


CONTENTS. 


CONTENTS  of  the   FIRST  VOLUME: 


Chapter     I.     Page,  l , 


NTRODUCTioN. — Rcvolt   among    the    Negroes   in   Dutch 


I 

Guiana — An  Expedition  sets  out  from  the  Texe^ — Short 
Account  of  the  Voyage — The   Fleet  arrives  in  the  River 
Surinam — Reception   of   the    Troops    in    that   Colony- 
Sketch  of  the  Lihahitants,  Sfc 

C  n  A  p  T  E  K     II.     Pas;e  36. 

•I? 

General  Description  of  Guiana — of  the  Colony  of  Surinam 
in  particular — Accounts  of  its  earliest  Discovery— is 
possessed  by  the  English — hy  the  Dutch — Murder  of  the 
Governor,  Lord  Somelsdyk — The  Settlement  taken  by  the 
French  and  ransomed. 

Chapter     III.     Page  59. 
First   Revolt   of  the  Negroes;   Causes   thereof — Distracted 
State   of  the  Colony — Forced  Peace   concluded  zcith   the 
Rebels — Mutiny  of  Sailors,  Soldiers,  ^-c. 

Chapter 


xvi  CONTENTS  OF 

Chapter     IV.     Page  8 1 , 

Short  Interval  of  Peace  and  Plenty — The  Colomj  plunged  in 
new  Distress  hy  a  fresh  Insurrection,  and  nearly  ruined — ■ 
"Review  of  the  Troops  for  its  Defence — An  Action  zvith 
the  Rebels — Gallant  Behaviour  of  a  Black  Corps — The 
Arrival  of  Colonel  Fourgeoud's  Marines. 

Chapter     V.     Page  93. 

The  Scene  changes — Some  Account  of  a  beautiful  Female 
Slave — The  Manner  of  travelling  in  Surinam — The  Co- 
lonel explores  the  Situation  of  the  Rivers — Barbarity  of  a 
Planter — IVr etched  Treatment  of  some  Sailors. 

Chapter     VL     Page  114. 

Account  of  a  dreadful  Execution — Fluctuating  State  of 
political  A  fairs — aS7?o;-^  Glimpse  of  Peace — An  Officer  shot 
dead;  his  whole  Party  cut  to  Pieces,  and  the  general 
Alarm  revived  throughout  the  Colony. 

Chapter     VII.     Page   1 40. 

Armed  Barges  are  sent  up  to  defend  the  Rivers-~-Description 
of  the  Fortress  New  Amsterdam — A  Cruise  in  the  upper 
Parts  of  Fvio  Cottica  and  Patamaca — Great  Mortality 
among  the  Troops — View  of  the  Military  Post  at  Devils 
Ilarwar. 

Chapter 


THE  FIRST  VOLUME.  xvii 

Chapter     VIII.     Page  187. 

Three  Estates  burnt,  and  the  Inhabitants  murdered  by  the 
Rebels — Real  Picture  of  Misery  and  Distress — Specimen 
of  a  March  through  the  fVoods  of  Sui'inam — Colonel 
Fourgeoud  and  the  remaining  Troops  leave  Parama- 
ribo. 

Chapter     IX.     Page  203. 

Some  Diseases  peculiar  to  the  Climate — Groupe  of  Negroes 
newly  imported  going  to  be  sold — Reflections  on  the  Slave 
Trade — The  Voyhgefrom  Africa^ — Manner  of  selling  them 
in  the  Colony — Description  of  a  Cotton  Plantation. 

Chapter     X.     Pao;e  225. 

Colonel  Fourgeoud  inarches  to  the  JVana  Creek — Harasses 
the  Enemy — Account  of  the  Manicole  Tree,  with  its  va- 
rious Uses — March  to  the  Mouth  of  Cormoetibo  River — 
Some  Rebels  taken — Shocking  Treatment  of  a  wounded 
captive  Negro. . 

Chapter     XI.     Page  268. 

The  Troops  march  back  to  the  JVana  Creek — The  Rebels  pass^ 
near  the  Camp — Pursued  without  Success — Great  Distress 
for  JVaitt  of  Water — Mineral  Mountains — The  Troops 
arrive  at  La  Rochelle,  in  Patamaca. 

Chapter.. 


xviii  CONTENTS.~VoL.  I. 

Chapter.     XII.     Page  £98. 

Description  of  the  Town  of  Taramariho  and  Fo?'t  Zelandia 
— Colonel  Fourgeoud's  March  to  the  River  Marawina — A 
Captain  wounded — Some  Privates  shot — Strange  Fjxecu- 
tion  in  the  Capital — Account  of  Fort  Somelsdi/k — Of  the 
Hope  in  Rio  Comewina. 

Chapter     XIII.     Page    324. 

A  Sugar  Plantation  described — Domestic  Happiness  in  a 
Cottage — Further  Account  of  Fourgeoud's  Operations — 
Dreadful  Cruelties  inflicted  by  some  Overseers — Instance 
of  Resentment  in  a  Rebel  Negro  Captain. 

Chapter     XIV.     Page  351. 

Colonel  Fourgeoud  at  Paramaribo — Example  of  Ignorance 
in  a  Surgeon — of  Virtue  in  a  Slave — of  Ferocity  in  a 
Commander — The  Troops  re-enter  the  Hoods — Account 
of  Loango  Dancing — Uncommon  Proof  of  Fidelity  in  a 

Nes:ro. 


"O" 


Chapter     XV.     Page  393. 

Description  of  the  Indians,  Aborigines  of  Guiana — Their 
Food  —  Arms — Ornaments — Employments  —  Diversions — 
Passions — Religion — Marriages — Funerals,  <^'C.  Of  the 
Caribbee  Indians  in  particular — Their  Trade  mth  the 
Europeans. 


/.on,i.u,J't,/'/i.fAt.//iirrQfi;oAMJJr/,ii.--,nX'/Ui,/'t/u.n-/,i:u-,t. 


NARRATIVE 


OF    AN 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM. 


CHAP.    I. 

Introduction.-  -^R^Yift/^  nmnng  the  Negi-oes  in  Dutch 
Guiana — An  Expedition  sets  out  from  the  Texel — Short 
Account  of  the  Voyage — The  Fleet  arrives  in  the  Hiver 
Surinam — Reception  of  the  Troops  in  that  Colony- 
Sketch  of  the  InhahitantSy  <^-c. 

'  I  HIE  exploring  of  foreign  countries  having  of  late    c  n  a  v 

"*•  years,  and  particularly  since  the  recent  discoveries 
of  the  immortal  Captain  Cook,  so  generally  been  the 
object  of  persons  both  in  private  and  pubhc  situations ; 
and  the  histories  of  their  labours  and  pursuits  being  so 
interesting  to  the  curiosity  of  the  Public,  I  have  ventured 
to  offer  such  observations  as  1  have  had  an  opportunity 
of  making  in  a  very  singular  part  of  the  Globe,  on  which 
few  Englishmen  have  been  thrown,  either  by  accident 
Vol.  I.  B  or 


NARRATIVE  OF  AN 
or  curiosity.  The  colony  of  Surinam,  in  Dutch  Guiana^ 
so  far  as  it  is  inhabited  and  cultivated  by  Europeans  near 
the  sea-coast,  has  indeed  been  known  for  many  years 
past.  But  the  deep  inundations,  with  the  impenetrable 
tliickness  of  the  Avoods,  have  been  such  constant  discou- 
ragements and  obstructions  to  discovery,  that  but  very 
little  true  information  concerning  that  country  hath  as  yet 
been  obtained,  except  what  relates  to  such  objects  of  com- 
merce as  are  common  to  most  of  the  tropical  settlements. 
This  publication,  therefore,  is  chiefly  intended  to  particu- 
larize such  circumstances  and  events  as  the  necessity  of 
penetrating  into  the  interior  parts  of  the  country  have 
enabled  me  to  make,  and  forced  on  my  observation. 

The  feeling  part  of  my  readers,  I  must  hope,  will  re- 
ceive with  some  indulgence  a  work  proceeding  from  an 
officer,  who,  from  his  early  3^outh,  was  debarred  in  ac- 
quiring perfection,  either  as  a  writer  or  a  painter,  by  his 
military  and  maritime  profession.  I  nevertheless  humbly 
flatter  myself  that  whatever  may  be  found  wanting  in 
style  and  elegance,  is  in  some  degree  compensated  by  that 
fidelity  and  correctness,  wliich  can  alone  be  the  work  of 
a  pen  and  pencil  employed  on  the  spot.  With  respect 
to  a  few  quaint  expressions,  and  even  oaths,  as  spoken  by 
common  soldiers^,  sailors^  &c.  that  sometimes  unavoidably 
occur  in  the  narrative  of  this  wonderful  expedition,  1 
must  humbly  request  the  world  not  to  be  startled  at 
them,  not  only  because  the  shades  of  black  and  white 
1 1  enlivea 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM. 

enliven  the  picture,  but  because  I  am  determined  to  write 
truth  only,  and  expose  rzce  and  f oily  in  their  native  colours. 
— Come  then,  7111/ friends — 

"  Together  let  us  beat  this  ample  Jield, 
"  Try  what  the  open,  what  the  covert  yield ; 
"  The  latent  tracts,  the  giddy  heights,  explore 
'  ".  Of  all  who  blindly  creep,  or  sightless  soar : 

"  Eye  Natures  zvalks,  shoot  Folly  as  it  flies, 
"  And  catch  the  manners  living  as  they  rise ; 
"  Laugh  where  we  must,  be  candid  where  we  can ; 
"  But  vindicate  the  ways  of  God  to  man." 

POTE. 

I  WILL  now  boldly  launch  out  on  the  difficult  task.— f 
As  the  nature,  however,  of  these  transactions  can  only 
be  understood  by  a  reference  to  the  occasion  Avhich  call- 
ed me  thither,  I  feel  myself  under  the  necessity  of  still 
premising  a  few  words  upon  that  subject. 

Every  part  of  the  World,  where  domestic  slavery  is 
established,  may  be  occasionally  liable  to  insurrection 
and  disquiet,  more  especially  where  the  slaves  constitute 
the  majority  of  the  inhabitants ;  but  the  colony  of  St^ 
r'inatn,  in  Dutch  Guiana,  has  been  peculiarly  unfortunate 
in  this  respect.  Whether  from  the  shelter  which  is  af- 
forded to  the  fugitives  by  the  immense  forests  which 
overspread  the  most  considerable  part  of  this  country,  or 
whether  the  government  of  this  settlement  be  radically 
defective,  it  is  a  certain  fact,  that  its  European  settlers 

B  2  are 


NARRATIVE  OF  AN 
are  constantly  exposed  to  the  moft  violent  ravages,  and  the 
most  desperate  outrage.  Of  these  circumstances  this,  is 
not,  however,  the  place  for  a  minute  detail.  Let  it  suffice 
therefore  for  the  present,  only  to  observe,  that  these  re- 
peated revolts  and  insurrections  demanded  at  length  the 
most  vigorous  measures  for  the  restoration  of  a  general 
peace ;  and  that  the  accounts  transmitted  to  Holland,  in 
the  year  1 772,  that  a  considerable  body  of  armed  people 
of  this  description  had  assembled  in  the  forests,  and  be- 
came extremely  formidable  to  the  colony,  determined  their 
High  Mightinesses  the  States  of  the  United  Provinces  to 
send  out  a  sufficient  maritime  force  to  oppose  the  insur- 
gents, and,  if  possible,  to  quell  the  insurrection. 

The  British  navy  had  ever  been  my  choice  and  am- 
)>ition,  in  which  I  Avas  well  recommended ;  but  the 
fmall  hopes  of  preferment  I  had  naturally  to  expect  in 
time  of  peace,  and  my  paternal  estate  being  lost  just  after 
my  birth,  by  accidental  misfortunes,  induced  me  to  relin- 
quish the  hopes  of  advancement  in  the  sea-service,  and 
to  accept  an  ensign's  commission,  presented  me  without 
purchase,  in  one  of  the  Scots  brigade  regiments  in  the 
pay  of  Holland,  where  Siy  Joseph  York  (late  Lord  Dover) 
at  that  period  was  ambassador  from  the  British  court; 
before  which  nobleman  1  had  the  honour  to  take  the 
usual  oaths  of  abjuration  and  allegiance  to  my  King, 
and  Country,  as  registered  at  the  British  war-office. — • 
This  point  I  have  also  thought  it  right  to  premise,  as 

a  duty 


EXPEDITION  TO  SURINAM, 
a  duty  owing  to  myself,  to  shew  the  world  in  general  that 
it  was  necessity  not  choice  that  compelled  me  to  enter 
into  a  foreign  service;  though  perhaps  a  more  ancient 
and  distinguished  corps  does  not  exist  than  the  above 
brigade  has  proved  to  be,   both  in  this  island  and  on  the 

« 

continent,  for  above  two  hundred  years. 

At  the  time  of  the  above  insurrection  I  M'as  Lieutenant 
in  tlie  Honourable  General  Jolin  Stuart's  regiment;  when, 
impressed  by  the  hopes  of  traversing  the  sea,  my  favour- 
ite element,  and  in  som€  measure  gratifying  my  curio- 
sity, in  exploring  a  part  of  the  world  not  generally 
known;  still  more  by  the  prosped;  of  that  preferment 
which  might  be  consequent  on  so  dangerous  an  expedi- 
tion; I  instantly  solicited  admission  into  a  corps  of  volun- 
teers which  was  preparing  to  sail  for  Gniana,  and  had 
the  honour,  by  his  Serene  Highnefs  William  V.  Prijjce 
OF  Orange,  to  be  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Captain  by 
brevet*,  under  Colonel  Loins  lienrij  Fourgeotid,  a  Swiss 
gentleman,  from  the  Alpine  Mountains,  Avho  was  ap- 
pointed our  Commander  in  Chief. 

Having  taken  the  oaths  of  fidelity  on  the  12  th  of  No- 
vember to  the  new  corps,  and  prepared  what  was  neces- 
sary for  the  voyage,  I  bade  farewell  to  my  old  regi- 
ment, and  immediately  sailed  to  the  island  of  Texel, 
where  several  of  our  gentlemen  were  already  assembled ; 

*  Each  officer  was  permitted  to  re-      Europe,  a  vacancy  being  there  pre- 
enter  his  former  reg-uieiU,  if  he  fur-      ferved  for  hiui  during  his  abfence. 
^jved  the  expedition;  and  returned  to 

and 


G  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

CHAP,    and  where,  on  going  ashore,  I  had  nearly  perished  by  the 
boat's  shipping  a  sea,  and  sinking  in  the  surf. 

The  island  of  JViej-higen  was  however  the  spot  of  ge- 
neral rendezvous:  here  Colonel  Fouigeoud  arriving  on 
the  7th  of  December,  the  volunteers  were  all  assembled, 
to  the  number  of  five  hundred  fine  young  men;  and  on 
the  morning  of  the  8th  we  were  formed  into  seven  com- 
panies, and  embodied  as  a  regiment  of  marines.  Besides 
the  Boi'eas  and  IVeJieUingxDerf  men-of-war,  commanded 
by  Captains  Van  de  Velde  and  Crufs,  three  new  frigate- 
built  transports  were  put  in  commission,  carrying  ensign, 
jack,  and  pennant,  and  armed  with  from  ten  to  sixteen 
guns,  as  sloops  of  war;  on  board  ihefe  vessels  we  embarked 
the  same  afternoon  under  a  general  salute,  then  took  the 
command,  and  did  the  duty  as  in  the  navy. 

Our  departure  was  not  however  immediately  conse- 
quent on  our  embarkation.  We  lay  wind-bound  in  the 
Texel  roads  for  many  days,  during  which  time  one  of  our 
young  officers,  a  Mr.  HeJJeling,  was  unfortunately  seized 
with  the  small-pox :  this  gentleman,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent his  infecting  the  ship's  company,  was  ordered  on 
shore  to  a  town  on  the  land's  end,  called  the  Helder,  where 
I  conducted  him  in  a  pinnace,  and  where  we  left  him 
behind  us;  but  on  my  return,  the  surgeon  declaring  he 
saw  the  symptoms  of  the  same  disorder  on  myself,  I  was 
also  immediately  ordered  to  the  island  of  Texel.  Hav- 
ing passed  a  most  anxious  quarantine  in  this  place,  I  had 

the 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM. 

the  good  fortune  however  to  escape  the  loathsome  ma- 
lady, and  to  the  Doctor's  surprize  appeared  once  more  on 
board  perfectly  well,  just  before  the  signal  gun  was  fired 
for  the  fleet  to  weigh  anchor.  This  circumstance  cannot 
but  induce  me  to  wish  that  those  in  particular  who  are 
destined  for  a  rnihtary  or  a  naval  life  would  avail  them- 
selves of  the  art  of  inoculation,  in  order  to  avoid  a  pain- 
ful anxiety  to  themselves,  and  a  most  dangerous  infection 
to  their  fellow-creatures. 

On  Christmas-day  our  small  fleet  put  to  sea,  at  eight 
o'clock,  A.  M.  with  a  fresh  breeze  from  E.  N.  E.  in  com- 
pany with  above  one  hundred  vessels  bound  for  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  globe,  and  the  most  beautiful  clear  wea- 
ther. Having  safely  got  without  the  soundings,  and 
saluted  each  other  with  nine  guns,  Ave  kept  our  course 
down  channel,  and  soon  passed  the  North  Foreland,  the 
Ijle  of  Wight,  and  Fovtland  Point ;  but  here  the  West- 
ellingwerf,  having  sprung  a  leak,  was  obliged  to  part  com- 
pany, and  run  into  Plymouth  for  repair. 

The  wind  now  freshened  as  we  approached  the  Bay  of 
Bifcay,  where  the  mate  of  the  vessel  directed  my  particular 
attention  to  a  kind  of  sea-swallow,  commonly  distinguished 
by  the  name  of  the  Storm-bircl*,  from  its  supposed  pro- 
perty of  foretelling  an  impending  tempest.  The  colour 
of  this  bird  is  a  very  deep  blue  approaching  to  black, 
and  enlivened  by  some  variegated  tints;  its  size  is  about 
that  of  a  large  martin  or  swallow :  it  is  web-footed ;  the 

bill 
*  The  SUrmy  Petrel  of  Pennant. 


NARRATIVE  OF  AN 
bill  is  very  long  and  sharp,  and  the  wings  of  an  extraor- 
dinary length,  which  enable  it  to  fly  very  fast,  and  for 
a  considerable  time,  skimming  with  incredible  velocity 
around  the  horizon :  it  subsists  entirely  upon  fish,  which 
is  probably  the  cause  of  its  being  sensible  of  the  first  in- 
dications of  whatever  may  prevent  its  usual  supply  of 
food  :  it  then  flies  along  with  extreme  swiftness,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  storm  ;  but  if  overtaken  by  it,  drops  its  wings, 
and  floats  upon  the  surface  of  the  waves. 

On  the  following  day,  January  2d,  1773,  the  predidions 
of  the  storm-bird  were  verified:  a  heavy  gale  sprung  up  from 
N.  N.  E.  by  which,  off  Cape  F'umterre,  the  Boreas  and  Vi- 
gilance were  separated  from  us.  We  kept  our  course  during 
the  night  with  double-reefed  top-sails,  and  all  the  hatches 
laid,  which  made  our  men  in  general  very  sick.  Here  I 
ought  not  to  forget  that  by  way  of  experiment  we  had  slung 
the  hammocks  athwart  ships,  and  not  as  usual  fore  and  aft ; 
which  method  we  found  however  to  be  both  fo  roomy  and 
convenient,.that  it  has  been  since  adopted  by  several  other 
vessel '-,, 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th  we  spied  a  stout  ship  to 
windward  in  the  offing,  bearing  straight  down  upon  us. 
Conjedturin^  she  might  be  an  Algevine  pirate  from  the 
African  coast,  and  now  but  two  ships  out  of  five,  we  pre- 
pared to  engage  her;  she  however  soon  proved  to  be 
the  Boreas  man-of-war,  which  had  parted  cotnpany  on 
the  2d.     From  this  date  the  men  were  daily  exercised  at 

the 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM. 

the  great  guns,  and  by  firing  at  a  target  suspended  from 
the  yard-arm. 

On  the  1 4th,  in  the  morning-watch,  we  passed  the  Tropic, 
when  the  usual  ceremony  of  ducking  the  fresh-water  sailors 
was  ransomed  by  tipping  the  foremast  men  with  some 
silver.  About  this  time  the  Boreas  most  unluckily  lost  one 
of  her  best  seamen,  the  boatswain's  mate,  whose  hand 
slipping  by  the  wet,  he  pitched  from  the  fore-yard-arm 
into  the  sea.  His  presence  of  mind  in  calling  to  the 
captain,  as  he  floated  alongside,  "  Be  not  alarmed  for  me, 
**  sir,"  in  the  confidence  of  meeting  Avith  relief,  attracted 
peculiar  compassion,  and  even  caused  some  murmuring, 
as  no  assistance  was  offered  him  ;  in  consequence  of  which, 
after  swimming  a  considerable  time  within  view,  the  un- 
fortunate young  man  went  to  the  bottom. 

We  now  w^ere  got  in  the  tract  of  the  trade  winds,  which 
blowing  continually  east,  and  the  weather  becoming  from 
day  to  day  more  temperate,  made  the  voyage  exceedingly 
pleasant ;  more  so  by  the  many  dolphins  or  dorados,  which 
beautiful  fish  seem  to  take  pecuHardelightin  sporting  around 
thevessels.  The  rea/ dolphin,  which  is  of  the  cetaceous  kind, 
was  anciently  celebrated  in  poetic  story  on  account  of  its 
philanthropy  and  other  supposed  virtues :  but  to  the  dorado 
or  dolphin  of  the  moderns,  this  character  is  far  from  being 
applicable,  this  fish  being  extremely  voracious  and  destruc- 
tive, and  is  known  to  follow  the  ships,  and  exhibit  his  sports 
and  gambols,  not  from  attachment  to  mankind,  but  from 

VoL.L  C  the 


10  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

the  more  selfish  motive  of  procuring  food,  particularly  on  the 
eve  of  an  approaching  storm,  of  which  he  appears  per- 
fectly sensible.  The  circumstance  which  chiefly  entitles 
the  dorado  to  our  attention  is,  the  unrivalled  and  dazzling 
brilliancy  of  its  colours  in  the  water,  the  whole  of  its  back 
being  enamelled  with  spots  between  azure  blue  and  a 
reflecting  light  sea-green,  on  a  very  dark  ground,  which 
appears  as  bespangled  all  over  with  jewels,  and  forms  a 
most  beautiful  contrast  to  the  belly,  Avhich  is  of  a  whitish 
cast ;  the  fins  and  tail  are  of  a  golden  dj'^e :  the  length  of 
this  animal  is  from  five  to  six  feet,  and  its  form  tapers 
fjom  the  head  towards  the  tail,  which  is  divided,  and  ter- 
minates not  unlike  the  shape  of  a  crescent.  The  head  is 
round,  and  preceded  by  a  kind  of  snout;  the  jaws  are 
armed  with  several  sharp  teeth,  and  the  eyes  are  remarkably 
large.  The  scales  of  the  dorado  are  uncommonly  small, 
and  it  is  furnished  with  a  fin,  which  runs  along  its  back 
from  the  one  extremity  to  the  other. 

Our  progress  was  now  daily  marked  by  increasing  warm 
weather,  which  released  me  from  the  confinement  of  a  dis- 
agreeable cabin  crowded  with  ofiicers,  most  of  whom  had 
never  been  to  sea,  and  enabled  me  to  pursue  my  favourite 
amusements,  whether  of  reading  above  deck,  or  exercise  in 
the  rigging.  Thus  circumstanced  I,  on  the  1 7th,  had  the  hap- 
piness of  rendering  a  most  important  service  to  one  of  our 
young  oflftcers,  a  Mr.  du  Moulin,  who  by  a  sudden  roll  of  the 
vessel  was  actually  thrown  over  the  gunwale.  At  that  mo- 
3  ment 


ty//.^J^u^/  f/  //y  /  ^.j  /cr/f/y?u,  f '7  •^y/^t^^/y ''/'/. m. 


Siy/teyZ^C7'(^^<r  o/  -^^^^0////-/^^  ry/  A//^-  «_  ^/(^f/f 


WAV. 


LoiuU'ii.rublishtJ  Dtc/'i-'h-!;)!   H  J.Jcluuon.S.'P.iuls  l7mnii   I'urJ. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  li 

ment  happening  to  stand  without-board  in  the  main-chains, 
I  fortunately  grasped  hold  of  him  in  his  fall,  which  saved 
him,  as  he  could  not  swim,  from  inevitable  death. 

The  entrance  into  warmer  regions  gave  occasion  to  an 
observation  perhaps  not  generally  known,  which  (though 
uncouth)  must  be  of  great  importance  to  sailors ;  namely, 
that  between  the  Tropics,  while  vermin  may  remain  in  the 
head,  none  can  possibly  continue  to  exist  in  the  bedding, 
cloaths,  linen,  &c.  Having  humbly  apologized  for  the 
above  remark  to  my  delicate  readers,  I  will  endeavour  to 
describe  a  curious  animal  with  w^hich  these  seas  abound, 
and  which  appears  to  sail  on  the  surface  of  the  waves  with 
a  side-wind,  while  by  the  sailors  it  is  vulgarly  called  a 
Portuguese  man-of-war,  and  is  probably  either  the  Nau- 
tilus or  the  Argonauta  of  Linnaeus.  This  wonderful  crea- 
ture, Avhen  above  water,  assumes  the  shape  of  an  expanded 
fan,  decorated  with  a  beautiful  red  border,  while  the  lower 
extremity  is  fixed  to  a  shell  as  thin  as  paper,  or  rather 
a  kind  of  boat,  which  is  sunk  below  or  raised  above  the 
surface  of  the  sea,  and  guided  in  any  direction,  at  the  plea- 
sure of  the  animal,  by  means  of  six  tentacula  or  limbs,  Avhich 
it  uses  as  oars.  When  these  creatures  arc  touched  by  the 
hand,  they  occasion,  like  the  sea  blubber  or  jelly  fish,  a  pain- 
ful tinkling  sensation,  which  continues  for  several  minutes. 

The  two  following  days  it  blew  very  fresh,  and  heavy 
seas  washed  over  the  vessel ;  during  which,  while  helping  to 
put  a  reef  in  the  main-top-sail  for  a  little  exercise,  I  lost 

c  2  every 


12  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

every  one  of  my  keys,  which  dropped  from  the  yard-arm 
into  the  sea.     This  trifling  accident  1  should  never  have  re- 
lated, had  it  not  proved  a  very  great  inconvenience,  by  debar- 
ring me  from  coming  at  my  private  property,  particularly 
since  the  Avhole  ship's  company,  officers  included,  lived  on 
salt  provision  alone,  a  pig  and  a  couple  of  lean  sheep  ex- 
cepted, whose  legs  had  been  broken   by  the  rolling  and 
pitching  of  the  vessel.     This  manner  of  living  on  salt-beef, 
pork,  and  peas,  like  common  sailors,  was  introduced  by  our 
Commander  in  Chief  in  order  to  enure  us  (he  said)  to  such 
food  as  we  were  likely  to  be  alone  supplied  with  in  the  woods 
of  Surinani ;  and  from  the  generous  motive  of  regaling  his 
American  friends  with  European   refreshments — such  as 
live  sheep,  hogs,  fowls,  ducks,  bacon  hams,  bullocks  tongues, 
preserved  vegetables,  pickles,  spices,  &c.  all  of  which  were 
provided  by  the  town  of  Amsterdam  in  profusion.     But 
good  intentions  do  not  always  meet  with  their  rewards ; 
since  the  worms,  without  any  one's  permission,  laid  hold  of 
the  greatest  part  of  the  dead  stock  for  themselves ;  who 
were,  for  their  punishment,  together  with  their  plunder, 
thrown  overboard  into  the  ocean.     Let  me  add,  that,  in- 
stead of  plate,  our  mpals  were  frpquently  served  up  in  small 
wooden  tubs  of  not  the  most  cleanly  appearance,  and  only 
once  a  day  ;  Avhich  negligence,  however,  I  am  willing  to 
impute  to  Monsieur  Laiirant,  the  colonel's  French  valet-de- 
chambre.     In  short,  the  scurvy  and  other  loathsome  dis- 
orders began  to  make  their  appearance  ;  dejection  and  low 

spirits 


EXPEDITION    TO   SURINAM.  13 

spirits  took  place  throughout  the  ship,  while  I  complained    chap. 

T 

aloud,  and  from  that  moxne.ut  d'dXe  \hG  good-will  which  Co- 
lonel Fourgeoud  manifested  towards  me  in  particular,  as  will 
be  seen  throughout  the  expedition.  It  is  with  pain  that  I 
relate  this  passage — but  no  consideration  shall  prevent  me 
from  bringing  to  light  particular  foibles,  as  it  will  ever  give 
nie  the  greatest  pleasure  to  render  virtue  conspicuous. 

About  the  20th  of  January,  we  observed  great  numbers 
of  flying  fish,  the  exoccetus  voUtans  of  Linnaeus,  which  is 
about  the  size  of  a  herring.  The  back  of  this  animal  is  flat, 
and  of  an  olive-brown  colour ;  the  sides  and  belly  of  a  re- 
splendent silvery  white  ;  the  mouth  small ;  the  eyes  large  ; 
the  tail  bifurcated;  and  the  scales  hard,  smooth,  and  silvery. 
Upon  occasion  the  pectoral  fins  arc  used  as  wings  by  this 
fish,  yet  no  longer  than  while  they  continue  wet,  for  as  soon 
as  the  moisture  is  dried,  the  animal  drops  back  into  the  sea. 
The  surface  of  these  fins  is  of  a  golden  hue,  beautifully  va- 
riegated near  the  edges  with  spots  of  azure  blue :  their 
length  is  equal  to  that  of  the  body  of  the  fish ;  and  its  flight, 
which  is  undertaken  in  order  to  avoid  the  pursuit  of  the 
dorado,  and  other  large  fish,  is  always  straight  forward,  and 
of  short  duration,  on  account  of  the  necessity  of  repeatedly 
wetting  its  wings  *.     These  animals  are  frequently  found 

*  I  have  never  seen  this  necessity  itseU'  cannot  endure  to  be  long  out 
properly  accounted  lor:  probably  of  its  proper  element :  either  of  these 
the  mucus  which  covers  the  fins  or  suppositions  will  account  for  its  drop- 
wings  may  become  so  consolidated  ping  so  often  as  it  were  involuntarily 
by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  the  action  on  board  ships,  and  into  the  mouth 
of  the  air,  that  it  may  impede  their  of  its  enemies,  the  dolphin,  dorado, 
motion  ;  or  it  may  be  that  the  fish  &,c. 

on 


u  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

on  board  vessels,  and  sticking  in  the  shrouds,  which  is 
probably  to  be  ascribed,  not,  according  to  the  opinion  of 
some,  to  their  seeking  a  refuge  there  from  the  attacks  of 
fish  or  sea-birds,  but  simply  to  their  flight  being  obstructed 
by  an  object,  which,  as  they  always  fly  in  a  direct  line, 
they  have  not  the  power  to  avoid.  The  fate  of  this  animal 
seems  peculiarly  severe,  as  it  is  the  prey  both  of  the  scaly 
and  feathered  creation,  and  frequently  meets  its  doom  in 
that  element  to  which  but  a  moment  before  it  had  com- 
mitted itself  for  protection. 

Becoming  extremely  low-spirited  towards  the  close  of 
our  voyage,  I  now  had  recourse  to  daily  sea-bathing,  and 
to  a  chearing  glass  of  claret,  two  ankers  of  which  had 
been  provided  for  each  officer,  independently  of  his  own 
stock.  These  means  proved  efficacious,  and  I  found  my- 
self in  a  few  days  perfectly  recovered  from  my  com- 
plaint. On  the  30th  the  weather  became  hazy,  when  the 
ships  brought-to  and  hove  the  lead  in  thirteen  fathom 
foul  water.  The  following  day  we  passed  several  large 
black  rocks  to  windward,  called  The  Constables,  and  cast 
anchor  near  the  Euripice,  or  Devil's  Islands,  off  the  coast 
of  South  America.  The  Euripice  Islands  are  situated 
about  twenty-four  miles  from  the  French  settlement  of 
Cayenne,  bearing  N.  N,  W.  in  North  latitude,  five  de- 
grees twenty  minutes,  and  consist  of  a  ridge  of  small 
uninhabited  and  very  dangerous  rocks  for  shipping.  Here  • 
the  current  runs  constantly  from  the  S.  E.  to  the  N.  W. 
at  the  rate  of  sixty  English  miles  in  twenty-four  hours : 

consequently 


iu^^iroi^.tA€^a?i^H^/^//;<-J^wv^j,  (^^^ay.-€^dyn^y7V79t/>-yy.  G^. 


^y^zry^^^ai/^^^^-i  ^  y/yyr /'  rr/  '/-///■._  ///yy//  r^:?yi^:r./f-/'. 


London.ruhlL^iud  JytcTi  i^j^i.t>v  J.Johnji'n.  SSJ*uii^  ('/tnn-fi   Vnni. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  15 

consequently  every  vessel  which  happens  to  pass  the  mouth 
of  the  river  Surinam  must  make  a  considerable  circuit  in 
order  to  regain  the  possibility  of  entering  that  river. 

While  we  remained  in  this  situation,  we  observed  the 
narwhal,  or  sea-unicorn,  and  one  or  two  large  turtles, 
floating  past  the  ship's  side.  The  former  of  these  is  a 
large  fish,  and  very  distinguishable  by  a  long  spiral  ex- 
crescence on  its  nose,  like  a  tapering  twisted  rope.  The 
one  we  saw  at  this  time  (though  some  are  said  to  be  forty 
or  fifty)  appeared  but  six  or  eight  feet  in  length,  and  its 
horn  about  four,  which  weapon  is  dreadfully  offensive  to 
many  fishes,  especially  to  the  whale ;  and  when  polished 
(either  in  hardness  or  whiteness)  is  considered  not  to  be 
inferior  to  ivory.  The  narwhal,  which  is  of  the  ceta- 
ceous kind,  and  consequently  viviparous,  is  more  fre- 
quently found  in  cold  than  warm  climates.  The  female 
is  said  to  be  unprovided  with  that  protuberance  so  re- 
markable in  the  male.  It  appears  that  some  authors  have 
confounded  this  animal  with  the  sword-Jish,  to  which, 
however,  it  does  not  prove  to  have  the  very  smallest 
resemblance. 

Another  animal,  which  is  called  the  saw-Jish,  carries  also 
an  offensive  weapon.  The  projectmg  bone  of  this  is  three 
or  four  feet  long,  flat,  and  both  sides  armed  with  strong 
sharp-pointed  spikes,  which  give  it  somewhat  the  form  of 
a  saw ;  this  saw,  which  is  covered  over  with  the  same 
rough,  slimy,  darkish-coloured  skin  that  covers  the  whole 

animal, 


16  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

animal,  begins  to  spread  itself  near  the  eyes,  and  thus  con- 
tinues spi-eading  till  it  forms  the  head  of  a  flattish  triangular 
appearance,  close  to  which  are  the  two  pectoral  fins.  Above 
the  eyes  are  two  large  holes,  which  I  apprehend  to  be  the 
organs  of  hearing,  and  not,  as  some  suppose,  intended  by 
nature  for  the  purpose  of  spouting  water.  Almost  directly 
under  them  is  the  mouth,  which  is  something  in  the  form 
of  an  halt-moon,  apparently  without  teeth,  and  between 
that  and  the  under  part  of  the  spiked  saw  are  the  nostrils. 
The  body  of  the  saw-fish  is  not  much  larger  than  the  head, 
with  two  strong  dorsal  fins,  the  one  near  the  middle,  the 
other  near  the  tail,  which  is  partly  bifurcated,  and  raised 
perpendicular,  the  largest  part  upwards,  without  rays.  The 
back  is  covered  over  Avith  a  dark  slimy  skin  ;  the  whole 
forming  a  very  hideous  appearance.  This  fish  fights  with 
the  largest  whales,  till  the  sea  all  around  is  died  with  blood, 
seldom  quitting  its  adversary  till  it  has  vanquished  and 
killed  it.  I  have  seen  this  monster  out  of  the  water,  and 
its  whole  length  measured  about  fourteen  feet. 

The  turtles  are  divided  into  two  species,  and  are  gene- 
rally distinguished  in  Surinam  by  the  names  of  calapee  or 
green  turtle,  and  carett.  The  former  of  these  sometimes 
weighs  four  hundred  pounds,  and  has  a  fliattish  shell ;  but 
the  carett  is  inferior  both  in  size  and  quality,  except  with 
respect  to  its  shell,  which  is  more  valuable,  and  of  a 
more  convex  form.  Both  the  calapee  and  carett  deposit 
their  eggs,  which  are  very  excellent  food,  in  the  sand, 

where 


I. 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  17 

where  they  are  hatched  "oy  the  heat  of  the  sun.  The  chap. 
manner  of  taking  these  animals  is  by  turning  them  on 
their  backs  with  a  handspike,  Avhen  they  are  discovered 
on  shore,  and  leaving  them  in  this  situation  till  a  conve- 
nient opportunity  occurs  for  carrying  them  away  ;  for  such 
is  the  heaviness  of  their  structure,  or  so  languid  are  their 
powers,  that  they  are  utterly  unable  to  turn  themselves, 
and  effect  their  escape.  They  are  publicly  exposed  to  sale 
by  the  butchers  in  Surinam,  like  the  shambles  meat  in  the 
European  markets,  and  are  esteemed  the  most  delicate 
food  between  the  months  of  February  and  May. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  February  we  now  once 
more  went  under  weigh,  and  kept  course  in  shore  till  the 
evening,  when  we  came  to  an  anchor  off  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Marawina.  This  river  has  occasioned  the  loss  of  many 
ships,  b}^  seamen  fatally  mistaking  it  for  the  river  Surinam, 
to  which  its  entry  bears  indeed  a  very  great  resemblance. 
What  renders  the  first  so  dangerous  are  the  numerous 
rocks,  small  islands,  and  quick-sands  with  which  it  is 
croudcd  ;  besides  its  being  so  shallow  at  high-water  mark 
(and  even  with  spring-tides)  that  all  ships  of  any  considerable 
burthen  immediately  run  a-ground,  and  go  to  pieces. 

On  the  2d,  having  got  our  anchor  a-peak  b}^  day-break, 
we  again  set  sail,  keeping  course  along  the  coast;  when, 
having  doubled  Braam's  Poijit  wdth  a  light  breeze,  under 
top  and  top-gallant  sails,  we  finally  entered  the  beautiful 
river  Surinam  ;  and  at  three  o'clock,  p.  bi.  dropped  anchor 
before  the  new  fortress  called  Amsterdam ;  and  here  we 

Vql.  I.  jD  were 


18  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

were  extremely  happy  to  meet  with  our  friends  in  the  Vigi- 
huice,  which  vessel  (as  I  have  mentioned)  had  parted  eom- 
pany  with  us,  in  a  gale  of  wind,  on  the  2d  of  January,  oft" 
Cape  Finisterre,  and  arrived  two  days  before  us  in  this  river. 
Our  ships  crews  now  were  in  the  highest  flow  of  spirits^, 
seeing  themselves  siu'rounded  b}^  the  most  delightful  ver- 
dure, while  the  river  seemed  alive  by  the  many  boats  and 
barges  passing  and  re-passing  to  see  us,  while  groups  of 
naked  boys  and  girls  were  promiscuously  playing  and 
flouncing,  like  so  many  Tritons  and  Mermaids,  in  the  water. 
The  scene  was  new  to  all,  and  nothing  was  heard  but 
music,  singing,  and  cheering  on  deck,  as  well  as  in  the 
rigging,  from  the  ideas  of  happiness  which  each  individual 
now  promised  himself  in  ihis>  luxmiant  flourishing  spot, 
while  between  decks  the  heat  was  become  insupportable : 
but  how  miserably  these  poor  fellows  were  mistaken  in 
their  reckoning  shall  soon  be  seen. 

I  mvist  indeed  acknowledge  that  nothing  could  equal 
the  delicious  sensations  with  which  we  seemed  intoxicated, 
by  the  fragrance  of  the  lemons,  limes,  oranges,  and  flowerSj 
wafted  over  from  the  adjoining  plantations  that  line  the 
banks  of  all  the  rivers  in  this  ever-blooming  settlement,  and 
of  Mhich  charming  fruit,  &c.  large  clusters  were  sent  on 
board  our  ships  by  Colonel  de  Ponchera  of  the  colonial 
troops.  This  gentleman,  being  the  commandant  of  Fort 
Amsterdam,  also  saluted  the  vessels  with  nine  guns  from 
the  batteries,  while  with  an  equal  number  we  returned  liim- 
the  compliment  from  the  ships.  A  long-boat,  with  one 
7  •  of 


i«^' 


Barfploxzi-  J'cu.Jp.'' 


■J^KS^^??zaAy^ysa'n?-^:/la't^,  -u^cl/ttf.  /^.^('■M/i/^c/m//ie€>  /Z/  n€^i/^^^ic/!!e^ 


/ 


LondfTi. .Fublithed Dec r ii:'  i/i^^.  I'y  J  JfhiX'roii ,  S.'PtinJ^  I'/ttu'c/i  Jlwrf. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  19 

of  our  captains,  was  aftenvards  dispatclied  to  Paramaribo,  chap. 
to  announce  to  the  Governor  the  arrival  of  the  troops  in  the  ,,^^^U*„ 
colony. 

During  our  stay  in  this  place  the  companies  frequently 
M-alked  on  shore,  and  I  accompanied  them  in  their  excur- 
sions ;  but  the  pleasure  I  had  flattered  myself  with,  from 
exchanging  the  confinement  of  a  ship  for  the  liberty  of  , 
ranging  over  a  delicious  country,  was  damped  by  the  first 
object  which  presented  itself  after  my  landing.  This  was 
a  young  female  slave,  whose  only  covering  was  a  rag  tied 
round  her  loins,  which,  like  her  skin,  was  lacerated  in  several 
places  by  the  stroke  of  the  whip.  The  crime  which  had 
been  committed  by  this  miserable  victim  of  tj'ranny  was 
the  non-performance  of  a  task  to  which  she  was  apparently 
unequal,  for  which  she  was  sentenced  to  receive  two  hun- 
dred lashes,  and  to  drag,  during  some  months,  a  chain 
several  yards  in  length,  one  end  of  which  was  locked  round 
her  ancle,  and  to  the  other  was  affixed  a  weight  of  at  least 
a  hundred  pounds.  Strongly  affected  v.ith  this  shocking 
circumstance,  1  took  a  draft  of  the  unhappy  sufferer,  and 
retained  a  dreadful  idea  of  the  inhumanity  of  the  planters 
towards  these  miserable  subjects  to  their  power. 

The  grass  in  this  part  of  the  country  was  very  long  and 
coarse,  and  afforded  a  harbour  to  two  species  of  very  dis- 
agreeable insects,  termed  Pattat  and  Scrapat  lice  by  the 
colonists,  which  settled  on  every  part  of  our  persons.  The 
former  of  these  is  so  small  as  to  be  scarcely  visible  ;  the 

D  2  latter 


20  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

latter  is  something  larger,  and  formed  like  a  crab,  and  botk 
agree  in  adhering  closely  to  the  skin,  and  occasioning  aa 
intolerable  itching.  These  insects  abound  most  during 
the  rainy  season ;  when  tlie  best  means  of  avoiding  their 
attacks  is  supposed  to  be  by  walking  barefoot,  as  they  are 
believed  to  fasten  more  easily,  and  consequently  in  greater 
numbers,  upon  tlie  cloaths,  whence,  however,  they  very 
speedily  find  their  way  to  the  skin.  We  did  not  get  rid  of 
our  disagreeable  companions  till  our  return  to  the  ship, 
when  we  washed  the  affected  parts  with  the  juice  of  limes 
or  lemons,  which  considerably  alleviated  our  troublesome 
sensations. 

On  the  3d  of  March  we  received  a  visit  from  several 
officers  of  the  Society,  or  West  India  Company's  troops, 
accompanied  by  a  number  of  other  gentlemen,  to  wel- 
come our  arrival  in  the  colony.  Nor  were  they  satisfied 
with  paying  us  merely  a  compliment  in  words,  but  re- 
galed us  with  a  large  quantity  of  excellent  fruits  and  other 
refreshments.  They  came  in  very  elegant  barges  or  tent- 
boats,  adorned  with  flags,  and  attended  by  small  bands  of 
music.  The  vessels  were  rowed  by  six  or  eight  negroes,, 
who  were  entirely  without  cloaths,  except  a  small  stripe  of 
check  or  other  linen  cloth,  which  was  passed  between  their 
thighs,  and  fastened  before  and  behind  to  a  thin  cotton 
string  tied  round  their  loins.  As  the  colonists  generally 
make  choice  of  their  handsomest  slaves  for  this  office,  and 
to  attend  them  at  table,  &c.  the  rowers,  who  were  healthy, 

young, 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM,  51 

young,  and  vigorous,  looked  extremely  Avell,  and  their 
being  naked  gave  us  a  full  opportunity  of  observing  their 
skin,  which  was  shining,  and  nearly  as  black  as  ebony. 
This  scene  was,  however,  contrasted  by  the  arrival  of  two 
canoes  filled  with  emaciated  starving  wretches,  who  cla- 
morously solicited  relief  from  the  soldiers,  and  were  ready 
to  fight  for  the  possession  of  a  bone. 

The  day  following  our  Commander  in  Chief  was  visited 
by  a  Mr.  Rynsdorp,  who  introduced  to  him  two  black 
soldiers,  manumized  slaves,  who  composed  part  of  a  corps 
of  three  hundred  Avhich  had  been  lately  formed.  These 
men  were  exhibited  by  ]VIr.  R3'nsdorp  as  specimens  of 
that  valiant  body  which,  but  a  short  time  before,  had  most 
gallantly  distinguished  itself  by  the  protection  it  had 
afforded  to  the  colony. 

Whilst  -we  still  remained  at  anchor  before  the  fortress 
Amsterdam,  I  received  a  polite  invitation  from  one  ]\Ir. 
Lolkens,  a  planter,  to  whom  I  had  been  recommended,  to 
accept  the  use  of  his  house  and  table  on  our  arrival  at 
Paramaribo,  the  capital  of  the  colony. 

On  the  8th  Ave  once  more  went  under  way,  and,  after 
the  usual  ceremonies  on  both  sides  on  leaving  the  fortress^ 
sailed  up  the  river  Surinam  with  drums  beating,  colours 
flying,  and  a  guard  of  marines  drawn  up  on  the  quarter- 
deck of  each  vessel.  Having  at  length  reached  Parama- 
ribo, we  finally  came  to  an  anchor  within  pistol-shot  off  the 
shore,  receiving  a  salute  of  eleven  guns  from  the  citadel 

Zealandia, 


22  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

Zealandia,  which  was  returned  bj  all  the  ships  of  our  small 
fleet. 

After  being  confined  nearly  the  whole  of  sixty-three 
days  within  the  limits  of  a  small  vessel,  and  upon  an  ele- 
ment to  which  few  of  the  troops  had  been  accustomed,  it 
would  not  be  easy  to  describe  the  pleasure  we  experienced 
on  finding  ourselves  once  more  on  land,  and  surrounded 
by  a  thousand  agreeable  circumstances. 

Tlie  town  appeared  uncommonly  neat  and  pleasing,  the 
shipping  extremely  beautiful,  the  adjacent  woods  adorned 
with  the  most  luxuriant  verdure,  the  air  perfumed  with  the 
utmost  fragrance,  and  tlie  whole  scene  gilded  by  the  rays 
of  an  unclouded  sun.  We  did  not,  however,  take  leave 
of  our  wooden  habitation  at  this  time,  but  the  next  day 
were  formally  disembarked  with  a  general  appearance  of 
rejoicing  ;  all  the  ships  in  the  roads  being  in  full  dress, 
and  the  guns  keeping  up  an  incessant  fire  till  the  whole  of 
the  troops  were  landed. 

All  the  inhabitants  of  Paramaribo  were  collected  to  be- 
liold  this  splendid  scene,  nor  were  the  expectations  they 
had  formed  disappointed.  The  corps  consisted  of  neaily 
five  hundred  young  men,  (for  we  had  been  so  fortunate 
as  only  to  lose  one  during  the  voyage)  the  oldest  of  whom 
was  scarcely  more  than  thirty,  and  the  whole  party  neatly 
cloathed  in  their  new  uniforms,  and  in  caps  ornamented 
with  twigs  of  orange-blossom.  We  paraded  on  a  large 
green  plain  between  the  town  and  the  citadel,  opposite 

to 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  23 

lo  the  Governor's  palace;  during  the   course  of  which    chap. 
ceremonies  several  soldiers  fainted  from  the  excessive  heat.  ^.^^" 
The  troops  then  marched  into  quarters  prepared  for  their 
reception,  Avhilst  the  oflicers  were  regaled  with  a  dinner  by 
the  Governor,   which  -w'oukl  have  derived  a  considerable 
relish  from  its  succeeding  the  salt  provisions,  to  which  we 
had  so  long  been  confined,  had  any  contrast  been  neces- 
sary  to  heighten  our  oi)inion  of  its  elegance.     But  the 
choicest  delicacies  of  America  and  Europe  were  united  in 
this  repast,  and  served  up  in  silver.     A  great  varietj'  of 
the  richest   wines  were   poured  out  with  profusion ;  the 
desert  was  composed  of  the  mbst  delicious  fruits,  and  the 
company  were  attended  by  a  considerable  number  of  ex^ 
tremely  handsome  negro  and  mulatto  maids,   all  naked 
from  the  waist  upwards,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country ;  but  the  other  parts  of  their  persons  arraj^ed  in 
the  finest    India    chintzes,  and   the  whole  adorned  with 
golden  chains,  medals,  beads,  bracelets,  and  sweet-smelling 
flowers. 

After  partaking  of  this  superb  entertainment  till  about 
seven  o'clock,  I  set  out  in  search  of  the  house  of  Mr. 
Lolkens,  the  hospitable  gentleman  who  had  so  obligingly 
invited  me  to  make  it  my  own.  I  soon  discovered-  the 
place,  but  my  reception  was  so  ludicrous  that  I  cannot 
forbear  relating  the  particulars.  On  knocking  at  the  door^. 
it  was  opened  by  a  young  female  negro,  of  a  masculind- 
appearance,  whose  whole  dress  consisted  of  a  single  petti- 
coat,. 


24  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

coat,  and  who  held  a  hghtcd  to'jacco-pipe  in  one  hanc]„ 
and  a  burning  candle  in  the  other,  which  she  brought  close 
to  my  face,  in  order  to  reconnoitre  me.  I  enquired  if  her 
master  was  at  home,  to  which  she  replied,  jjut  in  a  lan- 
guage totally  unintelligible  to  me.  I  then  mentioned  his 
name,  on  Avhich  she  burst  into  an  immoderate  fit  of 
laughter,  displaying  two  rows  of  very  beautiful  teeth  ;  and 
at  the  same  time  laying  hold  of  the  breast-buttons  of  my 
coat,  she  made  me  a  signal  to  follow  her.  I  was  much  at 
a  loss  how  to  act,  but  went  in,  and  was  ushered  by  the 
gi]"l  into  a  very  neat  apartment,  whither  she  brought  some 
excellent  fruit,  and  a  bottle  of  Madeira  wine,  which  she 
placed  upon  the  table.  She  then,  in  the  best  manner 
she  was  able,  informed  me  that  her  masera,  with  the  rest 
of  his  family,  was  gone  to  spend  a  few  days  at  his  planta- 
tion, and  that  she  was  left  behind  to  receive  an  English 
Captain,  whom  she  supposed  to  be  me.  I  signified  that  I 
was,  and  filled  her  out  a  tumbler  of  wine,  which  I  had  the 
utmost  difficulty  to  persuade  her  to  accept ;  for  such  is 
the  degrading  light  in  which  these  unhappy  beings  are 
considered,  that  it  is  accounted  a  high  degree  of  presuujp- 
tion  in  them  to  eat  or  drink  in  the  presence  of  an  Euro- 
pean. I  contrived  for  some  time  to  carry  on  something 
like  a  conversation  with  this  woman,  but  was  soon  glad  to 
put  an  end  to  it  by  recurring  to  my  bottle. 
^  Tired  Avith  the  employments  of  the  day,  I  longed  for 
.spm.e  rest,  and  made  a  signal  to  my  attendant  that  I  wanted 

to 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  25 

to  sleep  :  but  my  motion  was  strangelj'^  misconstrued  ;  for 
she  immediatel}^  seized  me  by  the  neck,  and  imprinted  on 
my  lips  a  most  ardent  kiss.  Heartily  provoked  at  this 
unexpected  and  (from  one  of  her  colour)  unwelcome  salu- 
tation, I  disentangled  myself  from  her  embraces,  and 
angrily  flung  into  the  apartment  allotted  for  my  place  of 
rest.  But  here  I  was  again  pursued  by  my  black  tormentor, 
who,  in  opposition  to  all  I  could  say,  insisted  upon  pulling 
off  my  shoes  and  stockings,  and  in  a  moment  disencumbered 
me  of  that  part  of  my  apparel.  I  was  extremely  chagrined 
at  her  conduct ;  though  this  is  an  office  commonly  per- 
formed by  the  slaves  in  Suriimm,  to  all  ranks  and  sexes 
without  exception.  Nor  ought  any  one  to  conceive  that 
this  apparently  extraordinary  conduct  resulted  from  any 
peculiarity  of  disposition  in  the  girl ;  her  behaviour  was 
only  such  as  would  have  been  practised  by  the  generality 
of  female  negro  slaves,  and  what  will  be  found,  by  all  who 
visit  the  "West  India  settlements,  to  be  characteristic  of  the 
whole  dark  sisterhood. 

Finding  in  the  morning,  that  my  friend,  the  planter, 
was  not  returned,  I  took  leave  of  his  mansion,  and  very 
hospitable  servant;  and,  after  visiting  the  soldiers  in  their 
new  abodes,  was  conducted,  by  the  quarter-master,  to  a 
neat  habitation  appropriated  to  my  use.  I  found  the 
house  entirely  unfurnished,  though  not  destitute  of  inhabi- 
tants ;  for  leaving  my  Captain's  commission,  which  was 
of  parchment,  in  the  window  the  first  night,  I  had  the 

Vol.  I.  E  morti- 


26  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

mortification  to  find,  in  the  morning,  that  it  was  devoured 
by  the  rats. 

Having  taken  possession  of  my  habitation,  my  next  wish 
was  to  furnish  it  properly  ;  but  all  cares  of  this  nature  were 
rendered  unnecessary  by  the  generous  hospitality  of  the 
inhabitants :  the  ladies  supplied  me  with  tallies,  chairs, 
glasses,  and  even  plate  and  china,  in  great  abundance ; 
and  the  gentlemen  loaded  me  with  presents  of  Madeira 
wine,  porter,  cyder,  rum,  and  sugar,  besides  a  quantity  of 
the  most  exquisite  fruits.  Amongst  the  latter  I  was  par- 
ticularly struck  with  the  shaddock  and  awara :  the  former 
of  these,  which  is  of  a  very  agreeable  flavour,  between  a 
sweet  and  an  acid,  is  produced  from  a  tree  supposed  to  be 
transplanted  from  the  coast  of  Guinea*,  by  a  Captain 
Shaddock,  whose  name  it  still  retains  throughout  the 
English  West  India  islands,  but  is  called  pompelmoose  in 
Surinam.  This  fruit  appears  to  be  of  the  orange  species, 
but  is  as  large  as  the  head  of  a  child  of  eight  or  ten  years 
old  :  the  skin  is  extremely  thick,  of  a  bitterish  taste,  and  a 
pale  yellow  or  citron  colour.  There  are  two  species  of  the 
shaddock,  of  which  the  pulp  of  the  one  is  white,  and  that 
of  the  other  a  beautiful  pale  red,  which  may  be  safely  eaten 
in  considerable  quantities :  indeed  it  is  esteemed  by  the 


Exotic  of  Cerean  dye. 


Sweet  acid  offspring  of  an  injur'd  sky; 

O  Shaddock  !  ]ike  thy  country,  captive  led, 

And  doom'd  to  grace  the  board  her  children  spread. 


natives. 


o. 


-'y/f/y  (>y/u/,/yor/-  (\  //y?/ry. 


/.,<ii,l.'n.7'ul'li.f/,c,l  /-)Kri",^,ii,l,,  ./.J„„n^-im..<:'i\,i,l.r  </,<.,./,  >'i)-J. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  S7 

natives,  who  are  in  general  remarkably  fond  of  it,  as  very    c  n  a  p. 
salubrious.  ^* 

The  axzHira,  or  avoira,  which  is  less  remarkable  for  the 
excellence  of  its  flavour  than  its  beautiful  appearance, 
groAvs  upon  a  species  of  palm-tree,  and  is  of  an  oval  form, 
about  the  size  of  an  Orlean  plum,  and  of  a  rich  deep 
orange  colour,  nearly  approaching  to  red.  It  is  much 
esteemed  by  the  negroes,  who  exercise  their  ingenuity  in 
forming  rings  out  of  the  stones,  which  they  decorate  with 
cyphers,  initial  letters,  and  other  devices ;  then  dispose  of 
them  to  the  Europeans,  who  mount  them  in  gold.  These 
stones  are  large,  extremely  hard,  and  as  black  as  jet  or 
ebony ;  but  the  pulp  which  surrounds  them  is  very  thin. 

This  dav,  on  examining  into  the  state  of  our  remaining 
live  stock,  such  as  hogs,  sheep,  ducks,  geese,  fowls,  and 
turkies,  we  found  them  nearly  as  many  in  number  as  when 
we  first  sailed  from  Holland :  these  were  all  sent  to  the 
Colonel's  povdtry-yard,  at  the  head-quarters ;  while  we  had 
the  additional  morlification  of  seeing  above  sixty  large 
kegs  with  preserved  vegetables,  &c.  and  just  as  many  fine 
Westphalia  hams  (being  perfectly  rotten)  thrown  into  the 
river  Surinam,  to  feed  the  sharks. 

I  now  observed,  on  the  second  morning  after  our  land- 
ing, that  my  face,  my  breast,  and  hands,  were  entirely 
spotted  over  like  the  skin  of  a  leopard,  occasioned  by 
myriads  of  gnats  or  musquitoes,  which,  flying  in  clouds,  had 
kept  me  company  during  the  night ;  though  the  fatigue 

E  2  from 


28  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

c  II  A  P.  from  my  voyage,  and  the  oppressive  heat  of  the  climate^ 
had  sunk  me  into  so  profound  a  sleep  that  I  was  insensible 
of  their  stings  till  I  perceived  the  effet^is.  These  insects 
are  inconceivably  numerous  here  during  the  rainy  season, 
and  particularly  on  the  banks  of  creeks  or  rivers.  None 
are  secured  from  their  attacks,  but  they  peculiarly  infest 
strangers  in  preference  to  the  natives  ;  and  wherever  they 
insert  their  proboscis,  and  remain  unmolested,  they  suck 
the  blood  till  they  are  scarcely  able  to  fly.  Every  punc- 
ture they  make  is  succeeded  by  a  large  blotch,  or  rather 
tumour,  accompanied  with  an  itcliing  which  is  almost  in- 
tolerable. The  presence  of  the  musquitoes  is  indicated  by 
their  buzzing  noise,  which  alone  is  sufficient  to  make  one 
sweat,  and  which  is  so  very  disagreeable  to  those  who  have 
suffered  from  their  stings,  as  to  have  obtained  for  them 
the  name  of  the  Devil's  Trumpeters.  They  are,  indeed, 
inconceivably  troublesome  in  every  respect.  The  candles 
are  no  sooner  lighted  in  an  evening  than  they  are  stuck 
full  of  them ;  all  kinds  of  food  and  drink  are  exposed  to 
their  disagreeable  visits,  from  which  even  the  mouth  and 
eyes  are  not  exempted. 

The  best  cure  for  their  stings  is  an  application  of  the 
juice  of  lemons  or  limes,  mixed  Avith  water,  which  is  also 
a  tolerable  preservative  against  their  attacks.  Immediately 
before  shutting  the  windows,  the  inhabitants  commonly 
burn  tobacco  in  their  apartments,  the  smoke  of  which  oc- 
casions the  insects  to  fly  about  the  room,  wlien  the  negro 


girls 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  29 

gills  unresen'edly  tlirow  off  their  petticoats,  Avhich  is  the 
Avhole  of  their  covering,  and,  running  naked  about  the 
chamber,  chase  the  gnats  therewith  out  at  the  windows, 
or  destroy  them.  The  more  dehcate  or  luxurious  amongst 
the  natives  still  employ  their  slaves  in  fanning  them  during 
the  whole  night,  excepting  such  as  have  green  gauze  doors 
to  their  beds  or  pavilions ;  but  the  generality  of  the  people 
in  Surinam  sleep  in  roomy  cotton  hammocks,  Avhich  are 
covered  with  a  very  large  thin  sheet,  suspended  from  a 
tight  line  immediately  over  them,  something  like  the 
awning  of  a  ship,  which  serves,  in  some  measure,  to  keep 
off  these  troublesome  insects,  and  the  want  of  which  had 
exposed  me  to  be  thus  stung  all  over. 

There  are  also  in  Surinam  a  still  larger  species  of  gnats, 
or  musquitoes,  called  mawkers,  the  stings  of  which  are 
extremely  painful  indeed ;  but,  as  they  are  much  less 
numerous  than  the  former,  they  are  not  nearly  so  trouble- 
some to  the  inhabitants,  and  are,  consequently,  less  re- 
marked.— But  to  proceed  : 

On  the  morning  of  the  22d,  an  elderly  negro-womarr, 
with  a  black  girl  about  fourteen,  entering  my  apartment, 
it  would  be  difficult  to  express  my  astonishment  when  she 
gravely  presented  me  her  daughter,  to  become  Avhat  she 
was  pleased  to  term  my  wife.  I  had  so  little  gallantry, 
however,  as  to  reject  the  offer  Avith  a  loud  laugh ;  but  at 
the  same  time  accompanied  the  refusal  with  a  small  but 
welcome   present,    with  which   they  appeared   perfectly 

satisfied  ,^ 


tio  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

satisfied,  and  departed  Avitb  every  possible  demonstration 
of  gratitude  and  respect.  The  girls  here  who  voluntarily 
enter  into  these  connections  are  sometimes  mulattoes, 
sometimes  Indians,  and  often  negroes.  They  all  exult  in 
the  circumstance  of  living  with  an  European,  whom,  in 
general,  they  serve  with  the  utmost  tenderness  and  fidelity, 
and  tacitly  reprove  those  numerous  fai?-  ones  who  break 
through  ties  more  sacred  and  solemn.  Young  women  of 
this  description  cannot  indeed  be  married  or  connected  in 
any  other  way,  as  most  of  them  are  born  or  trained  up  in 
a  state  of  slavery ;  and  so  little  is  the  practice  condemned, 
that,  while  they  continue  faithful  and  constant  to  the 
partner  by  whom  they  are  chosen,  they  are  countenanced 
and  encouraged  by  their  nearest  relations  and  friends,  who 
call  this  a  lawful  marriage;  nay,  even  the  clergy  avail 
themselves  of  this  custom  without  restraint;  Avitness  the 
Rev.  Mr.  S— dh— s,  Mr.  T— 11— t,  &c.  Many  of  the  sable- 
coloured  beauties  will,  however,  follow  their  own  penchant 
without  any  restraint  whatever,  refusing,  with  contempt, 
the  golden  bribes  of  some,  Avhile  on  others  they  bestow  their 
favours  for  a  dram  or  a  broken  tobacco-pipe,  if  not  for 
nothing. 

The  hospitality  I  had  experienced  on  our  first  arrival  in 
the  colony  was  not  confined  to  that  time  only :  I  had  a 
general  invitation  to  visit,  besides  his  excellency  the  Go- 
vernor,  and  Colonel  Texier,  the  commandant,  in  more  than 
twenty  respectable  families,  whenever  it  suited  my  conve- 
nience : 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  3i 

nience  :  so  that,  though    the    officers  of  our  corps  had 
formed  a  regnnental  mess,   I  had  seldom  the  honour  of 
their  company.     One  gentleman,  a  Mr.  Kennedy,  in  par- 
ticular, carried  his  politeness  so  far,  as  not  only  to  offer  me 
the  use  of  his  carriage,  saddle-horses,  and  table,  but  even 
to  present  me  with  a  fine  negro  boy,   named   Qiiaco,  to 
carry  my  vimbrella  as  long  as  1  remained  in  Surinam.  The 
other  gentlemen  of  the  regiment  also  met  with  great  civi- 
lities ;  and  the  whole  colony  seemed  anxious  to  testify  their 
respect,  by  vying  with  each  other  in  a  constant  round  of 
festivity.     Balls,  concerts,  card  assemblies,  and  every  spe- 
cies of  amusement  in  their  power,  Avere  constantly  con- 
trived for  our  entertainment.     The  spirit  of  conviviality 
next  reached  on  board  the  men  of  war,  where  we  enter- 
tained the  ladies  with  cold  suppers  and  dancing  upon  the 
quarter-deck,  under  an  awning,  till  six  in  the  morning, 
generally  concluding  the  frolic  by  a  cavalcade,  or  an  airing 
in  their  carriages.     This  constant  routine  of  dissipation, 
which  was  rendered  still  more  pernicious  by  the  enervating 
effects  of  an  intensely  hot  climate,  where  one  is  in  a  per- 
petual state  of  perspiration,  already  threatened  to  become 
fatal  to  two  or  three  of  our  officers.     Warned  by  their  ex- 
ample, I  retired  from  all  public  companies,  sensible  that 
by  such  means  1  could  alone  preserve  my  health,  in  a 
country  which  has  such  a  tendency  to  debilitate  the  human 
frame,  thatan  European,  however  cautious  to  avoid  excesses, 
has  always  reason  to  apprehend  its  dreadful  effects. 

Dissipa- 


32  NARRATIVE  OF  AN 

Dissipation  and  luxury  appear  to  be  congenial  to  the 
inhabitants  of  this  climate,  and  great  numbers  must  an- 
nually fall  victims  to  their  very  destructive  influence.  Their 
fatal  consequences  are  indeed  too  visible  in  the  men,  who 
have  indulged  themselves  in  intemperance  and  other  sen- 
sual gratifications,  and  who  appear  withered  and  enervated 
in  the  extreme :  nor  do  the  generality  of  the  Creole  females 
exhibit  a  more  alluring  appearance;  they  are  languid, 
their  complexions  are  sallow,  and  the  skin  even  of  the 
young  ladies  is  frequently  shrivelled.  This  is,  however, 
not  the  case  with  all ;  and  I  have  been  acquainted  with 
some  who,  preserving  a  glow  of  health  and  freshness  in 
their  lovely  countenance,  were  entitled  to  contend  for  the 
prize  of  beauty  with  the  fairest  European.  But,  alas  !  the 
numbers  of  this  last  description  are  so  small,  that  the  colo- 
nists in  their  amours  most  usually  prefer  the  Indian  negro 
and  mulatto  girls,  particularly  on  account  of  their  remark- 
able cleanliness,  health,  and  vivacity.  For  the  excesses 
of  the  husbands  in.  this  respect,  and  the  marked  neglect 
which  they  meet  from  them,  the  Creole  ladies  most  com- 
monly, at  a  very  early  period,  appear  in  mourning  weeds, 
with  the  agreeable  privilege,  however,  of  making  another 
choice,  in  the  hopes  of  a  better  partner ;  nor  are  they  long- 
without  another  mate.  Such  indeed  is  the  superior 
longevity  of  the  fair  females  of  Surinam,  compared  to  that 
of  the  males  (owing  chiefly,  as  I  said,  to  their  excesses  of 
all  sorts)  that  I  have  frequently  known  wives  who  have 
1 3  buried 


EXl^EDITION  TO  SURINAM.  33 

buried  four  husbands,  but  never  met  a  man  in  this  country 
who  had  survived  two  wives. 

.  The  ladies  do  not,  however,  always  bear  with  the  most 
becommg  patience  the  slights  and  insults  they  thus  meet 
with,  in  the  expectation  of  a  sudden  release,  but  mostly 
persecute  their  successful  sable  rivals  (even  on  suspicion) 
with  implacable  hatred  and  the  most  unrelenting  barbarity  ; 
while  they  chastise  their  partners  not  only  with  a  shew  of 
ineffable  contempt,  but  with  giving  in  public  the  most 
unequivocal  marks  of  preference  towards  those  gentlemen 
who  newly  arrive  from  Europe ;  which  occasioned  the 
trite  proverb  and  observation  in  the  colony,  that  the  tro- 
pical ladies  and  the  musquitoes  have  an  instinctive  pre- 
ference for  a  newly -landed  European  :  this  partiality  is 
indeed  so  very  extreme,  and  the  proofs  of  it  so  very  appa- 
rent and  nauseous,  that  some  command  of  temper  is 
necessary  to  prevent  the  disgust  which  such  behaviour 
must  naturally  excite,  particularly  where  the  object  is  not 
very  inviting ;  nay,  it  was  even  publicly  reported  at  Para- 
maribo, that  two  of  these  Tropical  Amazons  had  fought  a 
duel  for  the  sake  of  one  of  our  officers. 

I  must  now  mention  a  word  or  two  of  the  Governor  and 
Colonel  Fourgeoud  ;  when  I  will  endeavour  to  put  an  end 
to  this  long  chapter :  for,  notwithstanding  the  polite  recep- 
tion our  whole  corps  had  met  v/ith  ever  since  we  first  land- 
ed in  the  colony,  it  was  evident  to  perceive  that  mutual 
coolness  which  subsisted  between  him  and  our  Commander 

Vol.  I.       •  F  in 


34  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

ill  Chief,   who  indeed  gave  the  first  pubhc  cause  of  ani- 
oiosity,  on  the  very  day  of  our  debarkation,  by  drawing 
up  his  regiment  with  their  backs  toward  the  Govenior's- 
palace. 

It  is  easy  to  conceive  that  the  disgust  Avhich  so  early 
and  so  reciprocally  manifested  itself  between  the  above 
two  gentlemen,  who  were  both  of  them  our  commanders, 
but  totally  independent  of  each  other,  could  not  but  make 
our  stay  at  Paramaribo  extremely  disagreeable  to  all  the 
officers  in  our  regiment,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Society 
corps  :  the  consequence  of  which  was,  that,  having  resided 
but  a  few  weeks  in  the  colony,  it  Avas  thought  proper  by 
the  Governor  to  acquaint  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  that,  "  as 
"  the  rebel  negroes  seemed  no  further  disposed  to  disturb 
"  the  tranquillity  of  the  settlement,  its  own  troops,  and 
"  the  corps  of  black  rangers,  were  deemed  sufficient  for 
"  its  defence ;  in  consequence  of  Avhich,  Colonel  Four- 
"  geoud,  Avith  his  marines,  no  longer  being  wanted,  Avas 
"  at  liberty  to  return  to  Europe  whenever  he  thought 
'1  proper." 

Various  v/ere  the  feelings  of  pleasure  and  reluctance 
with  which  our  gentlemen  received  this  news :  prepara- 
tions were,  hoAvever,  made  for  our  departure;  but  in  a  fev/ 
days  these  were  again  suspended  by  the  inhabitants,  who 
clamorously  insisted  on  our  staying;  when  the  M'ooding 
and  watering  the  vessels  was  provisionally  stopped,  but 
the  ships  still  kept  in  commission  on  speculation.     It  was, 

,  during 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  'J5 

during  this  interval  of  leisure  and  uncertainty  that  I  se- 
riously thought  of  employing  myself  in  writing  a  short 
history  of  the  colony,  and  of  drawing  such  objects  as  I 
thought  most  suitable  to  complete  my  little  plan.  In 
these  designs,  besides  consulting  the  best  authors  on  the 
subject,  I  had  the  honour  to  be  materially  assisted  by  his 
excellency  the  Governor',  who  not  only  favoured  me  with 
several  manuscripts,  but  daily  furnished  me  with  such  a 
succession  of  animals,  shrubs,  &c.  as  1  was  desirous  of  be- 
ing acquainted  with  : — thus,  independant  of  that  coolness 
Avhich  was  so  evident  betAveen  these  two  veteran  officers, 
I  made  it  my  earnest  study  and  endeavour,  if  possible,  to 
keep  friends  with  both  parties  ;  and,  independant  of  that 
duty  which  I  owed  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  as  my  Commander 
in  Chief,  to  treat  the  Governor  of  the  colony  with  that 
respect  which  I  thought  was  due  to  his  dignit}^  his  rank, 
and  his  conduct ;  and  in  which  motive  (though  not  by  all) 
I  was  steadily  supported  by  the  most  respectable  officers 
in  the  corps. 

I  will  now  endeavour  to  fulfil  the  task  I  have  under- 
taken ;  and  commence  with  a  general  description  of  this 

WONDERFUL   COUNTRY." 


P  2 


36  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

CHAP.    II. 

General  Description  of  Guiana — of  the  Colony  of  Surinam 
in  particular — Accounts  of  its  earliest  Discovery — is  pos- 
sessed by  the  English — by  the  Dutch — Murder  of  the 
Governor,  Lord  Somelsdyk — The  Settlement  taken  by  the 
French,  and  ransomed. 

THE  discovery  of  Guiana,  by  some  called  "  the  Wild 
"  Coast,"  has  been  long  (though  Avith  uncertainty) 
attributed  to  the  Spanish  commander  Vasco  Nwies,  who, 
in  the  year  1504,  after  discovering  Cuba  to  be  an  island, 
landed  on  the  continent  of  South  America,  penetrated  as 
far  as  between  the  rivers  Oroonoko  and  Amazon,  and  com- 
prehended that  country  in  the  extensive  tract  of  land,  to 
which,  in  contradistinction  to  Cuba  and  the  adjacent 
islands,  he  gave  the  name  of  Terra  Firma. 

This  country,  the  length  of  which  is  about  1220,  and 
the  breadth  about  680  geographical  miles,  is  situated 
between  eight  degrees  twenty  minutes  north,  and  three 
degrees  south  latitude,  and  between  fifty  and  seventy  de- 
grees twenty  minutes  west  longitude  from  the  meridian 
of  London,  in  the  N.  E.  part  of  South  America.  Its  boun- 
daries are  marked  by  the  rivers  Viapary  or  Oroonoko  on 
the  N.  W.  and  by  the  Maranon  or  river  Amazon  on  the 
S.  E. — The  N.  E.  is  washed  by  the  Atlantic  Ocean  ;  and 
the  1'iver  Negris,  or  Black  river,  terminates  its  extent  on 
11  'the 


.(IV  /"'I'" 


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■^ifiiiiiio 


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"w./    j/'miA'"K, 


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with     "  Jlnjh''"""^      * 


.'(*!//■   (_'/•   Brffi.ffi    St,iti,/r    .S(//rj: 


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l?r^J 


l.m./€-i>.  ruMi.'f:./    fl:-ri'.'i},„,  fi_,    .f.  ./,>/m.n;, 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  37 

the  S.  W.  which  form  it  into  a  kind  of  island,  and  separate 
it  from  New  Grenada,  Peru,  and  the  Brazils. 

Though  situated,  Hke  Guinea,  under  the  Torrid  Zone, 
the  heats  in  Guiana  are  much  more  supportable  than  those 
on  that  part  of  the  African  coast.     The  scorching  rays  of 
the  sun  are  in  Guiana  daily  tempered  by  cooling  breezes 
from  the  sea ;  while  in  Guinea  the  intense  heat  is  increased 
by  the  wind  blowing  continually  over  the  land,  and  in  its 
passage  traversing  numerous  sandy  desarts.     The  easterly 
or  trade  winds,  Avhich  generally  blow  between  the  Tropics, 
are  extremely  refreshing  to  the  coast  of  Guiana,  between 
the  hours  of  eight  or  ten  in  the  morning,  and  six  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  when  they  cease  to  operate,  and  a  zephyr  is 
scarcely  ever  heard  to  whisper  during  the  night.     These 
winds  are  succeeded  by  thick  fogs,  and  vapours  exhaled 
from  the  earth,  which  render  the  nights  in  this  country  not 
only  very  chilly,  but  extremely  damp  and  unhealthy.     The 
length  of  the  days  and  nights  in  Guiana  never  varies  much 
more  than  forty  minutes  during  the  course  of  the  year,  as 
the  sun  always  rises  about  six  in  the  morning,  and  sets  at 
the  same  hour  in  the  evening. 

The  rainy  and  dry  seasons  which  divide  the  year,  as 
cold  and  warm  weather  divide  it  in  Europe,  may  be  termed 
the  winter  and  summer  of  this  country.  There  is  how- 
ever one  remarkable  difference  between  the  European 
seasons  and  those  in  Guiana,  wdiich  is,  that  Guiana  has 
annually  two  winters  and  two  summers,  which  are  distin- 
guished 


II. 


3S  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

c  H  A  r.  guislied  from  each  other  by  the  appellation  of  the  greater 
and  the  smaller,  not  because  the  rains  are  less  violent  in  the 
two  latter  seasons,  or  the  heat  less  intense,  but  from  an 
opinion  which  has  prevailed,  that  their  period  of  duration 
is  but  about  half  as  long  as  that  of  the  former.  This  dis- 
tinction however  appears  to  be  more  imaginary  tb.an  real, 
as  far  as  respects  the  rainy  seasons ;  for  as  these  downfalls 
of  water  orxly  take  place  when  the  sun  is  vertical,  which  it 
is  near  the  line  twice  a  year,  and  for  an  equal  portion  of 
time,  the  continuance  of  the  rains  will  probably  be  equal 
in  both  seasons. 

The  difference  between  the  dry  seasons  indeed  may  be 
accounted  for  from  the  greater  commencing  in  Surinam  at 
the  time  when  the  sun  is  about  to  cross  the  equator,  in  its 
course  to  the  tropic  of  Capricorn,  often  in  Odober,  when  a 
continual  drought  and  scorching  heat  begiji  to  take  place, 
till  its  return  in  March.     This  is  succeeded  by  violent  un- 
interrupted rains  till  June,  during  which  time  the  sun  has 
travelled  to  the  tropic  of  Cancer,   and  a  short  season  of 
parching  heat  again  takes  place,  till  about  July,  which 
is  once  more  followed  by  incessant   rains    till    October, 
and  thus  the  revolution  of  the  ditferent  seasons  is  com- 
pleted *. 

*  I  cannot  but  notice  in  this  place  a  the  sun  is  vertical  at  the  tropic  of  Ca- 

strangeenor,  into  which  Mr.  Guthrie  pricorn  ;  and  describing  it  as  conti- 

hasinadvertently  fallen,  in  dating  the  nuing  till  the  sun  is  again  vertical  at 

commencement  of  the  dry  season  at  Cancer,  or  from  the  beginning  of  Ja- 

the  north  tropic,  from  the  time  when  nuary  to  the  latter  end  of  May. 

The 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  50 

The  continuance  of  the  rains  during  the  time  when  the 
sun  is  vertical  in  this  chmate,  is  necessary  to  the  existence 
of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  which  without  these  season- 
able refreshments  must  languish  and  expire  under  the  fervid 
influence  of  its  rays.  But  though  I  have  mentioned  stated 
periods  for  the  variations  of  the  seasons  in  Guiana,  yet  it 
is  necessary  to  remark,  that  these  changes  are  not  uni^ 
formly  produced  at  the  same  time,  but,  like  the  European 
seasons,  occasionally  vary.  The  changes  are  always  ac- 
companied by  tremendous  claps  of  thunder,  and  very  vivid 
flashes  of  lightning, which  continue  during  several  weekSi, 
and  are  frequently  fatal  both  to  the  cattle  and  inhabitants 
of  this  country. 

Some  parts  of  Guiana  present  a  barren  and  mountainous 
aspect,  but  in  general  the  soil  is  abundantly  fruitful,  the 
earth  during  the  whole  of  the  year  adorned  with  continual 
verdure,  the  trees  loaded  at  the  same  time  with  blossoms 
and  ripe  fruit,  and  the  whole  presenting  to  the  view  the 
delightful  union  of  spring  and  summer.  This  general  ap- 
pearance of  fertility,  particularly  in  Surinam,  may  be 
ascribed  not  only  to  the  rains  and  warmth  in  this  climate, 
but  also  toits  low  and  marshy  situation,  which  prevents  the 
intense  heats  from  destroying  vegetation,  and  from  the 
extreme  richness  of  the  soil,  particularly  in  those  parts 
which  are  cultivated  by  European  industry.  It  must  in- 
deed be  confessed,  that  such  situations  are  far  from  being; 
favourable  to  health ;  but  the  spirit  of  gain  is  a  very  powerful 

principle^ 


40  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

principle,  and  the  certainty  of  present  profit  Avill  generally 
be  considered  as  a  weighty  counterpoise  to  those  evils 
which,  if  ever  encountered,  appear  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance; and  as  they  are  sometimes  escaped,  may  be  always 
esteemed  as  uncertain. 

The  uncultivated  parts  of  Guiana  are  covered  with  im- 
mense forests,  rocks,  and  mountains  ;  some  of  the  latter 
enriched  with  a  great  variety  of  mineral  substances  ;  and 
the  whole  country  is  intersected  by  very  deep  marshes  or 
swamps,  and  by  extensive  heaths  or  savannas.  The  stream 
along  the  coast  flows  continually  towards  the  north-Avest ; 
and  the  whole  shore  is  rendered  almost  inaccessible  from 
its  being  covered  with  dangerous  banks,  quicksands,  bogs, 
and  rocks,  with  prodigious  bushes,  and  a  large  quantity  of 
brushwood,  which  are  so  closely  interwoven  as  to  be  im- 
penetrable. 

The  Spanish,  Portugueze,  and  Dutch,  are  the  only  na- 
tions which  possess  settlements  in  this  part  of  Terra  Firma, 
excepting  the  small  colony  of  Cayenne,  belonging  to  the 
French,  which  is  situated  between  the  river  Marawina  and 
Cape  Orange.  The  dominions  in  Guiana,  subject  to  Spain, 
are  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Oronoque,  and  those  of 
Portugal  extend  along  the  shores  of  the  river  Amazon. 
The  Dutch  settlements,  which  spread  along  the  coasts  of  the 
Atlantic  ocean,  and  reach  from  Cape  Nassau  to  the  river  Ma- 
rawina, are  Essequibo,  Demerary,  Berbice,  and  Surinam*; 

*  See  the  Map  prefixed  to  this  work, 

the 


P.XPEDITIOK  TO   SURINAM.  41 

tlie  last  of  wliicli  is  the  most  extensive  and  valuable,  and 
that  portion  of  the  Dutch  possessions  to  which  the  suc- 
ceeding account  will  be  chiefly  confined.  This  industrious 
nation  endeavoured,  in  the  year  I6.i7,  to  estal^lish  a  small 
colony  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Poumeron,  but  in  lfi66 
this  settlement  was  demolished  by  the  English.  Nor  were 
tliey  more  successful  in  one  which  they  founded  in  1677, 
on  the  river  ^Viapoko  or  Oyapocko,  Avhich  was  inuiiedi- 
ately  invaded  and  destroyed  by  the  French. 

The  Dutch  consider  the  beautiful  and  once  flourishing 
colony  of  Surinam  as  extending  over  the  whole  of  that 
territory  which  is  encircled  on  the  west  by  the  river  Kanre 
or  Cange,  about  forty  miles  from  the  Corantine,  and  on 
tlie  east  by  the  river  Sinamaree.  But  these  limits  are  dis- 
puted by  the  French,  who  confine  the  boundary  of  Surinam 
to  the  banks  of  the  INIarawina,  upon  which  they  station  a 
military  force. 

The  principal  rivers  that  belong  to  this  settlement  are 
the  river  Surinam,  from  which  the  colony  takes  its  name, 
the  Corantine,  the  Copename,  the  Seramica,  and  the  Ma- 
rawina.  Of  those  rivers  the  first  oidy  is  navigable,  the 
rest,  not  excepting  the  IVIarawina,  being,  though  very  long 
and  broad,  so  shallow,  and  so  extremely  crowded  with 
rocks  and  small  islands,  that  they  are  of  little  consequence 
to  Europeans;  nor  are  their  banks  inhabited  except  by 
some  of  (he  Indians  or  natives  of  the  countrj'.  The  river 
Surinam,  Avhose  mouth  is  situated   in  about  six  degi'ees 

Vol.  I.  G  north 


42  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

north  latitude,  is,  at  its  entrance,  nearly  the  breadth  of 
four  English  miles,  and  in  depth  from  sixteen  to  eighteen 
feet  at  Ioav- water  mark,  the  tide  rising  and  falling  above 
twelve  feet ;  this  breadth  and  depth  is  continued  from  its 
mouth  upwards  to  the  distance  of  eight  or  ten  miles,  when 
it  divides  itself  into  two  branches,  windmg  to  the  S.  S.  E. 
for  the  length  of  upwards  of  120  miles.  All  this  extent  is 
navigable  for  small  craft,  but  beyond  this  distance  the 
river  proceeds  directly  south  ;  sometimes  in  its  course  sur- 
rounding small  islands,  and  sometimes  forming  small  cata- 
racts. The  source  of  this  beautiful  river  has  never  yet 
been  discovered  by  Europeans.  All  large  vessels,  after 
entering  the  Surinam,  ought  to  keep  rather  near  the  east 
shore ;  the  opposite  side  being  very  full  of  shoals,  as  far  as 
the  town  of  Paramaribo,  which  is  about  eighteen  miles 
from  its  mouth.  The  other  branch  into  which  this  large 
river  is  divided,  is  named  Comewina,  and  keeps  due  east 
for  about  sixteen  miles,  Avith  a  depth  of  about  three  or  four 
fathom  at  high- water  mark ;  but,  as  the  tide  makes  a  dif- 
ference of  twelve  feet,  it  is  not  considered  as  navigable 
for  any  ships  of  burthen,  though  its  breadth  may  be  com- 
puted at  about  two  miles.  At  the  distance  of  sixteen  miles 
the  river  Comewina  is  again  divided  into  two  branches, 
one  of  which  bears  the  same  name  to  the  S.  E.  for  a  length 
of  above  fifty  miles,  and  that  of  Cottica  to  the  E.  S.  E. 
for  more  than  forty  miles,  when  this  last  takes  a  meandring 
course  to  the  S.  S.W.  for  the  distance  of  twenty-four  or 
4  thirty 


EXPEBITTON   TO   SURINAM.  43 

•thirty  miles.  Into  all  these  rivers,  the  courses  of  which 
•are  not  straight  but  serpentine,  are  discharged  a  number 
of  ver  j  i'argie  creels  or  rivulets,  the  banks  of  which  are  in- 
habited by  Europeans,  and  cultivated  with  sugar,  cocoa, 
cotton  j  and  indigo  plantations,  Avhich  form  the  most  de- 
lightful >ptbip6tts  that  can  be  imagined  to  those  Avho  travel 
by  water,  the  universal  mode  of  journeying  in  this  country, 
as  the  soil  i^  iri  general  til  '^apted  for  the  construction  of 
roads ;  anil  iftsbnie' place's  the  woods,  &c.  are  absolutely 
impenetrable,  a  small  path  of  communication  between 
Paramaribo  and  the  river  Seramica  being  the  only  passable 
road  that  I  know  of  in  the  settlement.  The  rivers  whose 
banks  are  uncultivated,  such  as  the  Corantine,  Copename, 
Seramica,  and  Marawina,  afford  but  little  matter  for  de- 
scription :  it  is  therefore  only  necessary  to  remark,  that 
they  are  generally  from  two  to  four  miles  in  breadth,  ex- 
ceedingly shallow,  and  crowded  -with  quicksands,  small 
islands,  and  rocks,  avhich  form  a  number  of  beautiful  cas- 
cades. In  the  river  IVIarawina  is  frequently  found  a 
curious  stone  or  pebble,  which  is  known  by  the  name  of 
the  Marawina  diamond,  and  which  being  polished,  bears 
a  very  near  resemblance  to  that  most  valuable  gem,  and  is 
consequently  often  set  in  rings,  &c.  Sec.  In  all  the  above 
rivers,  without  exception,  the  water  rises  and  falls  for  more 
than  sixty  miles  from  the  mouth,  occasioned  by  the 
stoppage  of  the  freshes  by  the  tide ;  yet  fresh  water  may 
generally  be  met  Avith  about  twenty-four  or  thirty  miles 

G  2  fioni 


44  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

from  the  mouths  of  these  rivers  for  watering  the  ships. 
The  water  of  the  river  Surinam  is  accounted  tlie  most  ex- 
cellent, and  is  brought  by  the  sailors  from  as  far  as  the 
Jew  Savannah,  which  is  above  forty  miles  from  the  town 
of  Paramaribo.  The  circumstance  most  injurious  to  ships 
in  these  rivers  is,  that  their  bottoms  are  often  affected  by 
a  kind  of  water-worm,  the  ravages  of  which  are  the  most 
effectually  prevented  by  frequently  careening  the  vessels, 
in  order  that  they  may  be  properly  cleaned,  scraped, 
caulked,  and  payed.  For  that  purpose  the  coal-tar,  in- 
vented by  the  Earl  of  Dundonald,  (for  which  a  j^atent  of 
twelve  years  was  granted  to  him)  is  greatly  preferable  to 
any  other  material  which  can  be  applied  for  this  use. 

It  is  high  or  low  water  nearly  every  six  hours  and  half; 
the  spring  tides  rise  regularly  twice  a  month,  Avhen  the  river 
swells  to  a  considerable  degree,  which,  from  various  cir- 
cumstances, is  often  of  infinite  benefit  to  the  planters. 

It  may  be  perhaps  expected  in  this  place  that  I  should 
add  a  few  Avords  concerning  the  defence  of  the  above 
rivers,  though  that  is  a  subject  which  I  purpose  to  treat 
more  at  large  on  another  occasion.  On  the  east  side  of 
the  mouth  of  the  river  Surinam  is  a  small  promontorj^, 
called  Braam's  Point,  which  I  think  originally  had  been 
named  Pram's,  or  Parham's  Point,  after  Francis  Lord 
W'illoughby  of  Parham,.  to  whom  this  settlement  was 
granted  by  King  Charles  the  Second  in  l6G2,  and  which 
spot  is  supposed  to  be  the  first  on  which  Loid  Willoughby 

landed 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  45 

landedin  1652,  ten  years  before  he  obtained  the  charter 
from  his  sovereign.  This  point  is  not  fortified  ;  but  about 
eight  miles  upwards  are  two  redoubts,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  river,  called  Leyden  and  Purmerent,  and  a  little  hifher 
up  is  the  new  fortress  called  Amsterdam,  built  on  the 
point  of  land  which  separates  the  two  rivers,  Surinam  and 
Comewina,  from  each  other ;  and  whose  fire,  crossing  with 
that  of  the  two  redoubts,  protects  the  entry  of  both  these 
rivers. 

Near  the  town  of  Paramaribo,  and  about  six  or  seven 
miles  from  the  fortress  Amsterdam,  is  the  citadel  Avhich 
bears  the  name  of  Fort  Zelandia,  protecting  the  town  and 
all  the  shipping  in  the  roads ;  and  about  sixteen  miles 
from  Fort  Amsterdam,  on  Rio  Comewina,  is  a  fortress 
called  Somelsdyk,  which  commands  the  two  opposite 
shores,  viz.  those  of  Rio  Comewina  and  Rio  Cottica.  Be- 
sides these,  there  are  military  posts  on  the  Corantinc,  the 
Seramica,  and  JMarawina.  Next  to  these  is  a  strong-  ffuard 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Mott  Creek,  about  thirty  miles  below 
the  river  Surinam,  where  a  fire-beacon  or  liohthouse  is 
erected  on  the  coast,  to  warn  the  ships  bound  for  the  river 
that  they  are  past  the  mouth  of  the  dangerous  INIarawina. 
This  guard  also  fires  a  few  guns,  to  apprize  the  colony 
when  ships  are  within  view  and  steering  for  the  coast. 
Along  the  higher  parts  of  the  rivers  Surinam,  Comewina, 
and  Cottica,  advanced  guards  are  also  continually  kept, 
to  protect  the  inhabitants  from  inland   invasions  by  the 

Indians 


AG  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

Indians  or  fugitive  negroes.  In  these  fortifications  con- 
sists the  principal  defence  of  this  settlement ;  besides  a 
small  armed  bark  or  guarda-costa,  which  cruises  between 
the  river  Marawina  and  Berbice,  to  give  intelligence  in 
case  of  any  threatening  danger  to  the  colony. 

I  had  almost  forgotten  to  mention,  that  a  path  fortified 
with  military  posts  had  been  projected,  and  was  actually 
begun,  from  the  upper  parts  of  the  river  Comewina  to  the 
river  Seramica  ;  but  the  plan  did  not  succeed,  and  the  line, 
which  is  called  the  Orange-path,  is  at  present  in  the  state 
of  a  wilderness. 

Having  thus  described  the  surface  of  the  country  in 
general,  with  its  boundaries,  rivers,  &c.  I  shall  proceed  to 
an  account  of  the  earliest  discoveries  and  most  remark- 
able revolutions  of  this  once  flourishing  colony,  which 
escaped  being  visited  by  the  gallant  Admiral  Rodney  in 
the  last  war. — That  part  of  Terra  Firma  which  is  called 
Guiana,  or  the  Wild  Coast,  and  in  which  lies  the  colony 
of  Surinam,  is  said  by  some  to  have  been  first  found  out 
by  the  justly  celebrated  Christopher  Columbus,  in  the 
year  1498,  whence  he  was  sent  home  in  chains ;  though 
others  contend  that  it  was  not  discovered  till  the  year 
1504,  by  Vasco  Nunes,  a  Spaniard,  as  was  stated  in  the 
beginning  of  this  chapter. 

In  1595  it  was  visited  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  under 
Queen  Elizabeth,  who  also  sailed  up  the  river  Oronoque 
above  600  miles,  in  search  of  the  supposed  El  Dorado, 

and 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  47 

and  in  hopes  of  discovering  the  gold  mines,  of  which  he 
had  the  most  lively  expectations,  from  samples  of  a  mar- 
casite,  which  the  Spaniards  call  Madre  de  Oro  *.  In 
1634  a  Captain  Mai'shall,  with  about  sixty  English,  were 
discovered  in  Surinam  employed  in  planting  tobacco, 
according  to  the  relation  of  David  Piterse  de  Vries,  a 
Dutclmian,  who  conversed  with  them  upon  the  spot.  In 
1640  Surinam  was  inhabited  by  the  French,  who  were 
obliged  to  leave  it  soon  after,  on  account  of  the  frequent 
invasions  which  they  justly  suffered  from  the  Caribbean 
Indians,  for  having,  like  their  neighbours  the  Spaniards, 
treated  them  with  the  most  barbarous  cruelties.  In  the 
year  1650,  this  colony  being  vacant,  Francis  Lord  Wil- 
loughby  of  Parham,  by  king  Charles  the  Second's  per- 
mission, sent  thither  one  vessel,  equipped  by  himself,  to 
take  possession  of  it  in  the  name  of  his  royal  master ;  a 
little  after  which  he  dispatched  three  vessels  more,  one  of 
them  carrying  twenty  guns.  All  these  were  well  received 
by  the  Indians  or  inhabitants  of  the  country,  with  whom 
they  entered  into  friendly  treaties,  and  a  kind  of  negocia- 
tion.  Two  years  after  this  Lord  Willoughby  went  over 
himself,  and  leaving  several  good  and  wholesome  laws  and 
regulations  for  the  government  and  defence  of  the  colony, 
returned  to  England,  whence  he  continued  to  supply  the 

*  Of  this  extraordinary  enterprise  Bircli,  in  1751,  among  the  rest  of 

the  curious  reader  may  see  a  full  ac-  Raleigh's  works,  printed  for  Dodsiey^ 

count,  written  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  in  2  vols.  8vo. 
himself,  as  it  was  published  by  Dr. 

settlement 


II. 


48  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

c  II  A  r.  settlement  at  his  own  expence  with  men  and  anmiuni- 
tion.  On  the  second  day  of  June,  1662,  the  colonj^  of 
Surinam  was  granted  by  charter  of  Charles  the  Second 
to  Francis  Lord  Willoughby,  and  at  that  lord's  desire  to 
be  divided  with  Lawrence  Hide,  second  son  of  Edward 
Earl  of  Clarendon,  for  them  and  their  descendants  for 
ever :  the  original  record  of  this  charter  is  to  be  found  in 
the  chapel  of  the  Rolls.  Li  1664  the  English  captured 
the  New  Netherlands,  since  called  New  York,  from  the 
Dutch. 

In  the  year  1665  Surinam  was  successfull}^  cultivated, 
mostly  by  planting  tobacco.  They  had  also  raised  above 
forty  fine  sugar  plantations,  and  erected  a  strong  fortress 
of  hewn  stone  for  their  defence.  It  is  proper,  however, 
to  remark,  that  some  suppose  these  improvements  were 
effected  by  the  Portuguese,  though  at  what  period  is  un- 
certain ;  while  the  French  strenuously  dispute  the  point, 
and  insist  that  they  were  the  work  of  IVIonsieur  Ponscrt 
de  Bretigny,  when  France  had  possession  of  that  country. 
However  this  may  be,  the  fortress  is  situated  about  sixteen 
or  eio-hteen  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  Surinam, 
and  these  industrious  settlers  found  themselves  perfcctl}"- 
happy  in  a  small  town  which  they  had  built  under  the  walls. 
Their  felicity  was  not  of  long  duration  ;  for  in  the  wars 
between  Charles  the  Second  and  the  United  Provinces, 
tJie  Dutch  having  been  driven  in  1661  from  the  Brazils 
by  the  Portuguese,  took  the  colony  of  Surinam  from  the 

English 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  49 

English  in  1 667,  under  the  command  of  a  Captain  Abraham 
Criuvon,  who  was  dispatched  for  that  purpose  by  the  pro- 
vince of  Zealand,  with  three  ships  of  war  and  300  marines. 
The  English  commander,  William  Biam,   lost  the  settle- 
ment of  Surinam  by  surprise,  when  above  600  of  the  best 
men  in  the  colony  were  at  work  on  the  sugar  plantations. 
This  neglect  appears  from  the  trifling  loss  of  the  Dutch, 
who   in    storming    the    citadel  had  but  one  man  killed. 
They  immediatel}'^  planted  the  Prince  of  Orange's  flag 
on  the  ramparts,  and  gave  now  to  this  fortress  the  name 
of  Zelandia,  and  that  of  New  Middleburg  to  the  town  of 
Paramaribo,  after  making  the  inhabitants,  amongst  other 
contributions,  pay  one  hundred  thousand  pounds  weight 
of  sugar,  and  sending  a  number  of  them  to  the  island  of 
Tobago.     This  event  took  place  in  February,  and  in  July 
following  the  peace  was  concluded  at  Breda.     But,  most 
unluckily  for  the  new  possessors  of  Surinam,  it  was  con- 
cluded unknown  to   the  English  commodore.    Sir  John 
Harman,  who  in  October  that  same  year,  having  first  taken 
Cayenne  from  the  French,  entered  the  river  with  a  strong 
fleet  of  seven  ships  of  war,  two  bomb-ketches,  &c.  and 
retook  the  colony  from  the  Dutch,  killing  on  this  occasion 
above  fifty  of  their  men,  and  destroying  nine  pieces  of 
cannon   in   Fort  Zelandia.      The  new   inhabitants    were 
now  in  their  turn  laid  under  contribution,  and  the  Dutch 
garrison  were  transported  as  prisoners  to  the  island  of 
Barbadoes. 
Vol.  I.  H  At 


50  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

At  the  discovery,  in  Surinam,  that  the  peace  had  been 
conchided  in  Europe  between  the  contending  powers,  be- 
fore Commodore  liarman  retook  the  colony  from  the 
Dutch,  considerable  tumult  and  disorder  took  place 
among  the  inhabitants,  who  knew  not  whom  they  ought 
to  acknowledge  as  their  lawful  sovereign.  At  length,  by 
an  order  of  King  Charles,  the  settlement  was  ceded  to  the 
Dutch,  in  1669,  when  twelve  hundred  of  the  old  inhabi- 
tants, English  and  negroes  together,  left  it,  and  went  to 
settle  on  the  island  of  Jamaica.  At  the  close  of  the  suc- 
ceeding war,  it  was  agreed  by  the  treaty  of  Westminster 
that  Surinam  should  be  the  property  of  the  Dutch  for 
ever,  in  exchange  for  the  province  of  New  York,  which 
accordingly  took  place  in  the  year  1674;  and  after  this 
period  tiie  colony  of  Surinam  was  never  more  in  the  pos- 
session of  Great  Britain.  In  1678,  a  Mr.  Heynsius  was 
governor  of  the  colony,  and  a  Captain  Lightenburgh 
commander  of  the  troops. 

The  Dutch  for  the  first  few  years  enjoyed  little  satisfac- 
tion in  their  new  possessions,  as  they  were  daily  harassed 
by  the  invasions  of  the  Caribbean  Indians,  to  whom  they 
were  much  more  obnoxious  than  the  English  had  been  r 
indeed  they  carried  their  resentment  so  far  as  to  murder 
several  of  the  Dutch  settlers.  In  addition  to  this,  the  pro- 
vince of  Zealand,  to  which  the  colony  properly  belonged, 
being  perpetually  at  variance  with  the  other  United  Pro- 
vinces concerning  the  sovereignty  of  this  settlement,  and 
3  not 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  51 

not  being  of  themselves  able  to  support  the  great  expence    chap. 
which  was  requisite  for  its  preservation  and  defence,  at        ^^' 
last  resolved  to  sell  the  whole  to  the  Dutch  West  India 
Company ;  which  they  did  in  the  year  1682,  for  the  sum 
of  >r,  23,636  sterling,  including  all  the  wavlike  stores,  am- 
munition, «Scc.  amongst  which  were  fifty  pieces  of  cannon. 
At  the  same  time  they  obtained  a  charter  fiom  their  High 
Mightinesses  the  States  General,  exempting  them  from 
duty  for  ten  years.     A  few  months  after  this,  however,  the 
West  India  Company,  notwithstanding  the  above  charter 
of  indemnification,  finding  the  other  necessary  expences  of 
the  settlement  also  too  great  for  them,  again  transferred 
two-thirds  of  the  colony  of  Surinam,  the  one  to  the  town 
of  Amsterdam,  the  other  to  the  house  of  Somelsdyk,  at  the 
same  price  for  which  they  had  bought  it,  and  these  three 
together  formed  a  society,  to  whom  (still  under  the  sanc- 
tion of  their  High  Mightinesses)  was  some  time  aftenvards 
intrusted,  by  a  resolution  of  the  States  General,  the  sole 
and  entire  direction  of  the  affairs  of  this  country. 

Such  was  the  situation  of  Surinam,  and  in  this  manner 
all  matters  were  finally  settled,  when  Cornelius  Van  Aarsen, 
Lord  of  Somelsdyk  (as  being  one  of  the  proprietors)  Avent 
over  with  three  hundred  men,  with  whom  he  also  took 
some  felons  sentenced  for  transportation.  At  his  arrival, 
in  1684,  he  took  the  command  as  Governor  General  of 
the  colony.  He  then  created  a  court  of  policy,  to  assist 
in  the  administration  of  justice;  with  the  members  of 

11  2  which, 


52  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

c  II  A  P.  which,  as  well  as  v.ith  the  inhabitants,  he  lived  in  a  state 
of  continual  dissension.  The  consequence  was,  that  they 
sent  several  complaints  against  him  to  Europe,  notwith- 
standing he  had  made  a  favourable  peace  with  the  Carib- 
bee,  Warowa,  and  Arawakka  Indians,  as  well  as  Avith  a 
few  run-away  negroes,  who  had  been  settled  at  Rio  Cope- 
name  since  the  English  left  the  colony. 

This  unfortunate  gentleman's  reign,  however,  lasted  but 
a  short  space,  viz.  till  the  year  1688,  when  on  the  same 
day  both  the  Governor  and  Deputy  Governor,  Mr.  Ver- 
boom,  were  murdered  by  their  own  soldiers,  owing,  as  was 
alleged,  to  their  having  not  only  forced  the  men  to  work 
like  negroes  in  digging  canals,  &c.  but  also  obliged  them 
to  subsist  on  very  bad  and  short  allowance,  which  drove 
them  to  this  act  of  desperation  *. — I  am  sorry  to  say  this 
treatment  is  too  frequently  the  case  in  the  settlements,  as 
I  shall  afterwards  have  occasion  to  prove.  Such  indeed 
was  the  confidence  of  these  assassins,  that  they  offered  to 
give  in  their  defence,  and  assign  their  reasons  for  commit- 
ting this  act  of  cruelty. 

As  the  particulars  of  the  assassination  are  not  uninterest- 
ing, I  shall  beg  leave  to  trespass  upon  the  reader's  patience 
by  a  brief  recital  of  the  transaction. 

*  Somelsdyk  had  the  character  of  some  domestic   misdemeanour,    for 

a  tyrant ;  he  was,  under  the  cloak  of  which  he  could  not  produce,  espe- 

religion,  despotic,  passionate,  brutal,  cially    in  those   days,    the    smallest 

and  cruel ;  he  even  ordered  an   In-  shadow  of  authority, 
dian  Chief's  head  to  be  struck  off  for 

The 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  53 

The  Governor  was  walking  under  a  grove  of  orange- 
trees,  near  his  own  house,  with  Mr.  Verboom,  when  unex- 
pectedly ten  or  twelve  armed  soldiers  (seemingly  drunk) 
accosted  them,  and  immediately  insisted  on  less  work  and 
better  subsistence.  The  Governor  drawing  his  sword  to 
force  them  back,  was  instantaneously  shot  through  the 
body  in  many  places,  and  died  upon  the  spot ;  his  com- 
panion, on  the  other  hand,  received  but  one  wound,  and 
did  not  expire  till  the  ninth  day  after.  This  done,  the 
rioters,  accompanied  by  several  accomplices,  marched  in 
triumph  to  Fort  Zelandia,  which  they  took  without  re- 
sistance, and  made  themselves  masters  of  the  gunpowder 
and  victualling  magazines.  After  this,  the  garrison  hav- 
ing joined  them,  they  formed  a  ring,  and  chose  out  from 
among  them  a  commander  in  chief,  and  several  other 
officers,  to  whom  they  all  swore  to  be  faithful,  as  also 
to  each  other,  to  the  last  drop  of  their  blood.  AVhat  is 
very  remarkable,  is,  that  their  new  chief,  the  very  same 
afternoon,  ordered  the  body  of  the  massacred  Governor, 
Somelsdyk,  to  be  interred  in  Fort  Zelandia  with  decency 
and  military  honours ;  and  even  the  great  guns  were  fired 
from  the  walls,  and  three  rounds  with  small  arms  by  the 
rebels. 

The  magistrates  and  other  inhabitants  of  Surinam  now 
beheld  themselves  in  a  most  unpleasant  situation,  and  were 
obliged  even  to  enter  into  a  capitulation  with  the  insur- 
gents in  the  fort,  the  principal  articles  of  which  were,  that 

the 


NARRATIVE  OF  AN 
the  latter  should  evacuate  Fort  Zelandia,  for  which  they 
were  to  receive  a  few  hundred  pounds ;  that  they  were 
then  to  be  permitted  to  embark  on  board  the  transport 
ship  Salamander,  to  quit  the  colony  without  molestation, 
and  to  set  sail  for  what  part  of  the  world  they  should 
prefer:  they  accordingly,  to  the  amount  of  above  one 
hundred,  were  sent  on  board  ;  but  no  sooner  did  they  pre- 
pare to  weigh  anchor  for  their  departure,  than  the  ship  was 
boarded  by  several  small  vessels,  privately  armed  and 
manned  for  the  purpose.  The  rebels  were  compelled  to 
surrender  at  discretion,  and  a  few  days  after  were  tried  for 
murder  and  rebellion  ;  when  eleven  of  the  ringleaders  were 
executed,  three  of  them  were  broke  alive  upon  the  rack, 
and  eight  were  hanged  on  the  gallows  in  irons.  The  rest 
obtained  their  pardon ;  but  being  no  longer  to  be  depended 
on,  were  gradually  discharged  from  the  colonial  service, 
when  others  could  be  procured  to  replace  them. 

In  the  following  year  the  widow  of  Somelsdyk  offered 
to  transfer  her  portion  in  this  settlement  to  King  \\  iiiiam 
the  Third,  but  to  no  purpose  ;  while  a  Mr.  Scherpen- 
huysen  was  sent  over  to  Surinam  from  Holland,  with  a 
fresh  supply  of  men  and  ammunition,  to  take  the  com- 
mand, in  the  room  of  the  late  Lord  of  Somelsdyk,  as  Go- 
vernor of  the  colony.  Mr.  Scherpenhuysen,  at  his  arrival, 
finding  every  thing  in  the  utmost  confusion,  in  order  to 
apply  the  speediest  means  of  redress,  established  a  court 
of  justice,  which  differed  from  that  formed  by  his  predcr 

cesser. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  55 

cesser,  GovernorSomelsdyk,  in  this  particular,  that  the  for- 
mer is  invested  with  tiie  management  of  all  military  and 
criminal  affairs,  and  the  latter  with  that  of  all  civil  pro- 
cesses and  pecuniary  matters.  Both  of  these  courts  still 
remain,  and  of  both  the  Governor  is  always  president. 

This  gentleman  was  also  very  diligent  in  establishing 
many  good  laws  and  institutions ;  and  had  just  begun  to 
put  the  colony  in  a  proper  state  of  defence  (of  which  at 
this  time  it  stood  greatly  in  need)  against  its  domestic  and 
foreign  enemies,  when  war  was  declared  between  France 
and  the  United  Provinces ;  and  the  same  year  the  settle- 
ment of  Surinam  was  attacked  by  Admiral  Ducasse  with  a 
strong  fleet,  which,  however.  Governor  Scherpenhuysen 
very  courageously  beat  off,  after  they  had  begun  to  can- 
nonade Fort  Zelandia. 

In  1692  Jeronimus  Clifford,  an  Englishman,  was  con- 
demned to  be  hanged,  (which  sentence  was  changed  to 
seven  years  imprisonment  in  the  fortress  Somelsdyk)  on 
pretence  of  having  insulted  a  magistrate  who  had  arrested 
him  for  debt.  On  application,  however,  from  the  court  of 
Great  Britain,  he  was  set  at  liberty  in  1695,  by  desire  of 
the  King,  when  he  made  a  demand  on  the  colony  of  20,000 
guineas,  for  damages  and  false  imprisonment ;  which  being 
refused,  his  heirs  have  continued  to  claim  it  since  1 700  to 
so  late  as  1762,  but  hitherto  without  obtaining  any  satis- 
faction. 

During  the  succeeding  war,  which  happened  in  1712, 

the 


II. 


5€  NARRATIVE  OF  AN 

CHAP,  the  French  Commodore,  Jaques  Cassard,  met  with  the 
same  reception  from  Governor  de  Gooyer  which  Ducasse 
had  experienced  from  Scherpenhuysen  before  Zelandia ; 
but  four  months  after  he  returned  with  better  success,  and 
laid  the  colony  under  a  contribution  for  a  sum  of  about 
£.  56,618  sterling.  It  was  on  the  lOth  of  October  that  he 
entered  the  river  of  Surinam,  with  six  or  eight  ships  of  war, 
accompanied  by  a  number  of  small  vessels,  in  which  fleet 
were  embarked  3000  men.  The  largest  ships  were  Le  Nep- 
tune, of  74  guns  (on  board  which  he  himself  commanded), 
Le  Temeraire,  of  60  guns 


Le  Rubis    - 

-     56 

La  Vestale  - 

-     48 

La  Parfaite 

-      48 

La  Meduse 

-     56 

The  1 1  th  Cassard  sent  a  long-boat  with  a  white  flag, 
and  an  officer  to  treat  with  the  inhabitants  for  contribu- 
tions, which,  if  they  refused  to  pay,  he  threatened  to  bom- 
bard the  town  of  Paramaribo*.     The  boat,  however,  was 

*  In  the  year  1 66j  Captain  Abra-  called  The  Golden  Parinia,  or  Par- 
ham  Cruisen  gave  the  town  the  name  ham  Lake,  took  their  names  from 
of  New  Middlebiug;  but  it  was  be-  Francis  Lord  Wilioughby  of  Par- 
fore  and  after  called  nothing  but  ham  ;  who,  as  I  have  mentioned,  re- 
Paramaribo,  which  is  said  to  be  the  ceived  this  settlement  from  Charles 
true  Lidian  name,  and  should  signify  the  Second,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
The  Spot  of  Flowers.  This  is  the  possessors  of  this  beautiful  country, 
general  account.  But  in  my  opinion  Surinam  is  also  called  a  province  by 
not  only  Parham's  Point,  but  the  the  Dutch,  but  mostly  known  by  the 
Para  Creek,  and  the  town  of  Para-  name  of  colony,  settlement,  8ic. 
fliaribo,  nay,  even  the  great  water 

obliged 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM. 

obliged  to  return  on  board  without  any  satisfactory  answer. 
The  river  Surinam,  just  before  Fort  Zelandia,  being  above 
a  mile  in  breadth,  the  Meduse  and  several  flat-bottomed 
vessels  with  French  troops,  being  favoured  by  a  very  dark 
night,  found  means  to  sail  up  beyond  Paramaribo  Avithout 
being  observed  by  the  Dutch,  with  an  intention  to  plunder 
the  sugar  and  coffee  plantations  that  are  situated  above 
that  toAvn  :  but  on  the    15th  the  besieged   prepared  two 
large  flat-bottomed  barges,  filled  with  combustible  mat- 
ters, such  as  old  junk,  tar-barrels,  Sec.  and  anchored  them 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  directly  opposite  to  the  town, 
to  which  fire  being  applied,  both  were  set  in  a  blaze,  and 
discovered  the  smallest  boats  of  the  enemy  as  they  tried  to 
get  up  the  river  through  the  darkness  of  the  night.     Thus 
discovered,  few  escaped  without  damage  from  the  guns  of 
the  fort,  and  those  of  the  trading  vessels  that  lay  in  the 
roads,  who  sunk  some  of  the  flat-bottomed  boats,  a  great 
part  of  the  crews  of  which  Aveie  drow^ned.     This  stratagem, 
however,  did  not  prevent  Cassard's  people,  who  had  hasted 
forward,  from  pillaging  and  setting  on  fire  the  plantations ; 
while  he  himself,  having  at  last  anchored  before  the  town 
of  Paramaribo,  threw^  above  thirty  shells  into  it,  and  kept 
up  a  close  cannonade,  both  upon  that  and  Fort  Zelandia, 
till  the  20th  of  October,  when  he  sent  a  second  message 
with  one  of  his  captains  to  the  Dutch,  demanding  of  them 
finally,  whether  they  would  capitulate  and  pay  contribu- 
VoL.  I.  I  tion, 


58  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

tion,  ^yhich,  if  they  now  dared  to  refuse,  he  threatened  fire 
and  destruction  to  the  whole  settlement. 

The  Dutch  finding  their  ruia  inevitable  if  they  persisted, 
demanded  three  days  cessation  of  hostilities  to  deliberate, 
which  being  granted,  they  at  last  complied  Avith  Commo- 
dore Cassard's  demands;  and  accordingly  on  the  £7th,  a 
treaty  of  twenty-four  articles  being  settled  between  them, 
they  paid  the  demanded  contribution  of  ^.  56,618  sterling 
to  the  French,  principally  in  sugar,  negro  slaves,  &c.  hav- 
ing but  little  gold  or  silver  in  the  colony.  This  was  no 
sooner  accomplished  than  the  Commodore  weighed  anchor, 
on  the  6th  of  December,  1712,  and  with  his  whole  fleet 
left  the  settlement  of  Surinam. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  59 


CHAP.    III. 

First  Revolt  of  the  Negroes ;  Causes  thereof — Distracted 
State  of  the  Colony — Forced  Peace  concluded  with  the 
Rebels — Mutiny  of  Sailors,  Soldiers,  ^-c. 


N 


O  sooner  was  this  unfortunate  colony  delivered  from   chap. 


its  external  and  avowed  enemies,  than  it  was  at- 
tacked by  interna]  foes  of  a  more  fierce  and  desperate 
nature. 

The  Caribbean  and  other  Indians  had  indeed,  in  for- 
mer times,  often  disturbed  this  settlement ;  but,  as  I  have 
already  mentioned,  a  peace  being  established  with  them, 
after  the  arrival  of  Governor  Somelsdyk  in  this  colony,  they 
have  inviolably  adhered  to  it  ever  since,  living  in  the 
greatest  harmony  and  friendship  with  the  Europeans. 

The  revolted  negro  slaves  are  the  enemies  of  whom  I 
now  propose  to  speak,  who  for  some  time  diffused  a  general 
terror  over  this  settlement,  and  threatened  its  total  loss  to 
the  states  of  Holland . 

From  the  earliest  remembrance  some  fugitive  negroes 
have  taken  refuge  in  the  woods  of  Surinam ;  but  these 
were  of  very  small  consideration  till  about  the  year  1 7^6, 
or  1728,  when  their  hostile  numbers  were  much  increased, 
and  they  had  acquired  lances  and  firelocks,  which  they 
had  pillaged  from  the  estates.     By  the  accession  of  these 

I  S  arms, 


III. 


(50  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

arms,  in  addition  to  their  usual  weapons,  bows  and  arrows, 
they  were  enabled  to  commit  continual  outrages  and  depre- 
dations upon  the  coffee  and  sugar  plantations,  as  well  from 
a  spirit  of  revenge  for  the  inhuman  treatment  which  they 
had  formerly  received  from  their  masters,  as  with  a  view 
of  carrying  away  plunder,  and  principally  gunpowder  and 
ball,  hatchets,  &c.  in  order  to  provide  for  their  future 
subsistence  and  defence. 

These  negroes  were  in  general  settled  in  the  upper 
parts  of  the  river  Copename  and  Seramica,  from  the  latter 
of  which  they  take  the  name  of  the  Seramica  rebels, 
in  distinction  from  the  other  gangs  which  have  since 
revolted. 

Several  detachments  of  military  and  plantation  people 
were  sent  against  them,  but  were  of  very  small  effect  in 
reducing  them  to  obedience  by  promises,  or  extirpating 
them  by  force  of  arms. 

In  l7iJ0  a  most  shocking  and  barbarous  execution  of 
eleven  of  the  unhappy  negro  captives  was  resolved  upon, 
in  the  expectation  that  it  might  terrify  their  companions, 
and  induce  them  to  submit.  One  man  was  hanged  alive 
\ipon  a  gibbet,  by  an  iron  hook  stuck  through  his  ribs ; 
two  others  were  chained  to  stakes,  and  burnt  to  death 
by  a  slow  fire.  Six  women  were  broken  aUve  upon  the 
rack,  and  two  girls  were  decapitated.  Such  was  their  re- 
solution under  these   tortures,  that  they  endured   them 


without  even  uttering  a  sigh. 


Some 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  6\ 

"  Some  Afric  chief  will  rise,  who  scorning  chains, 
"  Racks,  tortures,  flames,  excruciating  pains, 
"  Will  lead  his  injur'd  friends  to  bloody  fight, 
"  And  in  the  flooded  carnage  take  delight ; 
"  Then  dear  repay  us  in  some  vengeful  war, 
"  And  give  us  blood  for  blood,  and  scar  for  scar." 

And  so  it  actually  was  in  this  instance,  for  this  inhuman 
massacre  produced  an  effect  very  contrary  to  what  had 
been  expected.  Indeed  it  so  much  enraged  the  Seramica 
rebels,  that  for  several  years  they  became  dreadful  to  the 
colonists ;  who  no  longer  being  able  to  support  the  ex- 
igences and  fatigues  of  sallying  out  against  them  in  the 
woods,  in  addition  to  the  great  losses  which  they  so  fre- 
quently sustained  by  their  invasions,  of  which  they  lived 
in  continual  terror,  at  last  resolved  to  treat  for  peace  with 
their  sable  enemies. 

Governor  Mauricius,  who  was  at  this  period  at  the 
head  of  the  colonv,  now  sent  out  a  strong  detachment  to 
the  rebel  settlement  at  the  Seramica  river,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  effecting,  if  possible,  a  peace  so  ardently  desired. 
This  detachment,  after  some  skirmishing  with  the  strag- 
gling rebel  parties,  at  last  arrived  at  their  head-quarters, 
where  they  demanded  and  obtained  a  parley.  A  treaty 
of  peace,  consisting  of  ten  or  twelve  articles,  m' as  actually 
concluded  between  the  different  parties  in  the  year  1 749^ 
similar  to  that  which  had  been  made  by  the  English  in 
the  year  1739,  with  the  rebels  in  the  island  of  Jamaica. — 

The 


62  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

The  chief  of  the  Seramica  rebels  was  a  Creole  negro, 
called  Captam  Adoe,  who  upon  this  occasion  received 
from  the  Governor,  as  a  present,  a  fine  large  cane,  with  a 
silver  pummel,  on  which  were  engraven  the  arms  of  Su- 
rinam, as  a  mark  of  their  independence,  and  a  preliminary 
to  the  other  presents  that  were  to  be  sent  out  the  year  fol- 
lowing  as  stipulated  by  treaty,  particularly  arms  and  am- 
munition, on  the  performance  of  which  the  peace  was  to 
be  finally  concluded.  Adoe  presented  in  return  a  hand- 
some bow,  with  a  complete  case  of  arrows,  which  had  been 
manufactured  by  his  own  hands,  as  a  token  that  during 
that  time  all  enmity  should  cease  on  his  side. 

This  affair  gave  great  salisfaction  to  many  and  indeed 
to  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  Surinam,  who  now  flattered 
themselves  that  their  effects  were  perfectly  secure ;  while 
others  regarded  this  treaty  as  a  very  hazardous  resource, 
and  even  as  a  step  to  the  inevitable  ruin  of  the  colony. 

I  must  confess  indeed,  that,  notwithstanding  the  good 
intentions  of  Governor  Mauricius,  nothing  appeal's  to  be 
more  dangerous  than  making  a  forced  friendship  with  peo- 
ple, who  by  the  most  abject  slavery  and  ill  usage  are  pro- 
voked to  break  their  chains,  and  shake  off  their  yoke  in 
pursuit  of  revenge  and  liberty,  and  who  by  the  trust  which 
is  placed  in  them  have  it  in  their  power  to  become  from 
day  to  day  more  formidable. 

The  insurrection  having  risen  to  such  a  height,  the  co- 
lonists ought  perhaps  to  have  continued  to  oppose  it,  while 

they 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  63 

they  were  possessed  of  the  poAver  of  opposition,  not  indeed 
from  a  motive  of  cruelty,  but  for  the  pohtical  good  of  so 
fine  a  settlement. 

If  it  appeared  that  cruelty  and  ill  treatment  had  driven 
these  poor  creatures  to  these  extremities,  policy,  not  less 
than  humanity,  ought  to  have  dictated  to  the  colonists  a 
different  conduct  in  future  ;  but  it  may  be  asked,  Whether 
it  is  possible  to  keep  the  African  negroes  in  habits  of  obe- 
dience and  industry  without  the  strictest  and  often  the 
severest  discipline  ? — No.  But  1  ask  again,  Why  is  it  ne- 
cessary to  iuilict  such  inhuman  tortures,  according  to  the 
humour  and  caprice  of  an  unfeeling  master,  or  a  still  more 
unprincipled  overseer  ?  Why  should  their  reasonable 
complaints  be  never  heard  by  a  magistrate  who  has  it  in 
his  power  to  redress  them  ?  Is  it  because  this  magistrate 
is  a  planter,  and  that  he  is  interested  in  the  arbitrary  go- 
vernment of  this  unhappy  race  ? — This  is  too  evident. — 
It  would,  however,  be  great  injustice  if  I  were  not  to  bear 
witness  that  I  have  not  unfrequently  seen  the  plantation 
slaves  treated  with  the  utmost  humanity,  where  the  hand 
of  the  master  was  seldom  lifted,  but  to  caress  them ;  and 
where  the  eye  of  the  slave  sparkled  with  gratitude  and 
affection. 

Let  us  now  proceed,  and  see  what  were  the  fruits  of 
making  peace  with  the  Seramica  rebels. 

In  (750,  which  was  the  year  after,  the  promised  presents 
were  dispatched  to  Captain  Adoe ;  but  the  detachment 

that 


(>4  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

that  carried  them  were  attacked  on  their  march,  and  the 
whole  of  the  corps  murdered  on  the  spot,  by  a  desperate 
negro,  called  Zam  Zam,  who  not  having  been  consulted 
concerning  the  treaty  of  peace,  had  afterwards  put  him- 
self at  the  head  of  a  strong  party,  and  now  carried  off  the 
whole  stock  of  the  detachment,  consisting  of  amis,  ammu- 
nition, checked  linens,  canvass  cloth,  hatchets,  saws,  and 
other  carpenter's  tools  ;  besides  salt  beef,  pork,  spirits,  &c. 
and  kept  them  as  his  own  private  property.  Adoe,  on 
the  other  hand,  not  receiving  the  presents  at  the  time  he 
expected,  too  hastily  concluding  he  was  only  to  be  amused 
with  expectation  till  a  reinforcement  of  troops  should 
arrive  from  Europe  to  subdue  him,  renewed  his  incur- 
sions :  by  this  accident  therefore  the  peace  was  imme- 
diately broken ;  cruelties  and  ravages  increased  more 
than  before,  and  death  and  destruction  once  more  raged 
throughout  the  colony. 

In  1 75 1  this  settlement  was  in  the  utmost  distress  and 
confusion ;  when,  in  compliance  with  a  request  of  the  in- 
habitants, presented  to  the  States  General,  Baron  Spoke 
was  sent  to  Surinam,  with  six  hundred  fresh  stroops,  draft- 
ed from  the  different  regiments  in  the  Dutch  service,  and 
on  their  arrival  the  members  of  the  court  were  ordered  to 
send  Governor  Mauricius  to  Europe,  to  account  for  his 
proceedings  ;  who  never  returned  to  the  colony,  having  in 
1753.  asked  and  obtained  his  dismission,  after  having  been 
honourably  acquitted.  Baron  Spoke,  who  during  the  ab- 
5  sence 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  65 

sence  of  Mauricius  Avas  appointed  to  officiate  as  Governor, 
found  every  thing  in  the  greatest  disorder,  disunion  hav- 
ing even  arisen  between  the  inhabitants  and  their  rulers, 
to  which  it  was  highly  necessary  to  apply  the  speediest 
means  of  redress.  This  application  was  indeed  made  by 
the  Baron,  but  he  died  the  year  after,  and  a  general  dis- 
traction again  took  place. 

In  1757,  the  aspect  of  affairs  daily  becoming  worse, 
(during  the  administration  of  a  Mr.  Cromelyn,  who  now 
was  Governor  of  this  colony)  a  new  revolt  broke  out  in 
the  Tempaty  Creek  amongst  the  negroes,  owing  to  the 
treatment  which  they  received  from  their  masters.  This 
fresh  insurrection  indeed  soon  became  of  the  most  serious 
consequence.  The  new  rebels  joined  themselves  to  six- 
teen hundred  of  the  old  fugitive  negroes  already  settled 
in  eight  difi'erent  villages  near  Tempaty  Creek,  and  after 
repeated  battles  and  skirmishes,  the  enemy  being  mostly 
well  armed,  and  in  their  resistance  generally  successful, 
the  colonists  saw  themselves  once  more  reduced  to  sue 
for  peace  with  their  own  slaves,  near  Tempaty  Creek, 
as  they  had  done  in  the  year  1749  with  the  rebels  of 
Seramica. 

During  this  last  revolt,  a  Captain  Mayer,  of  the  Society 
Troops,  being  tried  for  cowardice  by  a  court  martial,  and 
found  guilty,  was  ordered  to  be  shot  through  the  head ; 
he  was  accordingly  led  to  the  place  of  execution,  where, 
after  every  preparation  for  completmg  the  sentence,  he 

Vol.  I.  K  Avas 


66  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

CHAP,   was  pardoned  by  the  Governor,  who  not  only  shewed  him 
^'^"      every  civihty,  but  actually  preferred  him  to  the  rank  of 
Major. 

To  evince  the  absurdity  of  that  prejudice  which  con- 
siders human  creatures  as  brutes  merely  because  they 
differ  from  ourselves  in  colour,  1  must  beg  leave  to  men- 
tion a  few  of  the  principal  ceremonies  that  attended  the 
ratification  of  this  peace. 

The  first  thing  proposed  by  the  colonists  was  a  parley, 
which  was  agreed  to  by  the  rebels  ;  when  the  last  not  only 
desired,  but  absolutely  insisted,  that  the  Dutch  should 
send  them  yearly,  amongst  a  great  variety  of  other  articles, 
a  quantity  of  good  fire-arms  and  ammunition,  as  specified 
in  a  long  list,  expressed  in  broken  English,  by  a  negro  whose 
name  was  Boston,  and  who  Avas  one  of  their  Captains. 

Governor  Cromelyn  next  sent  two  commissioners,  Mr. 
Sober  and  Mr.  Abercrombie,  Avho  marched  through  the 
woods,  escorted  by  a  few  military,  &c.  to  carry  some  pre- 
sents to  the  rebels,  previous  to  the  ratification  of  the  peace, 
for  which  they  now  were  commissioned  finally  to  treat. 

At  the  arrival  of  the  above  gentlemen  in  the  rebel 
camp,  at  the  Jocka  Creek,  about  fifteen  miles  east  of  the 
Tempaty  Creek,  they  were  introduced  to  a  very  handsome 
negro,  called  Arahij,  who  Avas  their  chief,  and  born  in  the 
forests  amongst  the  last  sixteen  hundred  that  I  have  just 
mentioned.  He  received  them  very  politely,  and  taking 
them  by  the  hand,  desired  they  would  sit  down  by  his  side 
5  upon 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  67 

upon  the  green ;  at  the  same  time  assuring  them  they  need    chap. 
not  be  under  any  apprehensions  of  evil,  since  from  their 
coming  in  so  good  a  cause,  not  one  intended,  or  even  dared 
to  hurt  them. 

When  the  above-mentioned  Captain  Boston,  however, 
perceived  that  they  had  brought  a  parcel  of  trinkets,  such 
as  knives,  scissars,  combs,  and  small  looking-glasses,  and 
forgotten  the  principal  articles  in  question,  viz.  gunpowder, 
fire-arms,  and  ammunition,  he  resolutely  approached  the 
commissioners,  and  demanded,  in  a  thundering  voice, 
whether  the  Europeans  imagined  that  the  negroes  could 
live  on  combs  and  looking-glasses ;  adding,  that  one  of 
each  was  quite  sufficient  to  let  them  all  see  their  faces, 
while  a  single  gallon  of  man  sanmj,  viz.  gunpowder,  would 
have  been  accepted  as  a  proof  of  thdr  confidence ;  but 
fince  that  had  been  omitted,  he  should  never  consent  to 
their  return  to  their  countrymen,  till  every  article  of  the 
list  should  be  dispatched  to  them,  and  consequently  the 
treaty  fulfilled. 

This  expostulation  occasioned  the  interference  of  a 
negro  captain,  called  Quaco,  who  declared  that  these  gen- 
tlemen were  only  the  messengers  of  their  Governor  and 
court ;  and  as  they  could  not  be  answerable  for  their  mas- 
ter's proceedings,  they  should  certainly  return  to  the  set' 
tlement  without  injury  or  insult,  and  no  person,  not  even 
he,  Captain  Boston,  should  dare  to  oppose  them. 

The  Chief  of  the  rebels  then  ordered  silence,  and  de- 

K  2  sired 


68  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

sired  Mr.  Aberci'ombie  to  make  up  a  list  himself  of  such 
articles  as  he,  Araby,  should  specify ;  which  that  gentle- 
man having  done,  and  promised  to  deliver,  the  rebels  not 
only  gave  him  and  his  companions  leave  peaceably  to  re- 
turn with  it  to  town,  but  allowed  their  Governor  and  court 
a  whole  jear  to  deliberate  whether  they  were  to  chuse 
peace  or  war,  unanimously  swearing  that  during  that  in- 
terval all  animosity  should  cease  on  their  side ;  after  which, 
havins  entertained  them  in  the  best  manner  their  situation 
in  the  woods  afforded,  they  wished  them  a  happy  journey 
to  Paramaribo. 

One  of  the  rebel  officers,  on  this  occasion,  represented 
to  the  commissioners  how  deplorable  it  Avas  that  the  Eu- 
ropeans,  Avho  pretended  to  be  a  civilized  nation,   should 
be  so  much  the  occasion  of  their  own  ruin  by  their  inhu- 
man cruelties   towards   their  slaves.     "  We  desire  you," 
continued  the  negro,  "  to  tell  your   Governor  and  your 
"  court,  that  in  case  they  want  to  raise  no  new  gangs  of 
"  rebels,  they  ought  to  take  care  that  the  planters  keep  a 
"  more  watchful  e}^  over  their  own  property,  and  not  to 
"  trust  them  so  frequently  in  the  hands  of  drunken  ma- 
"  nagers  and   overseers,  who  by  wrongfully  and  severely 
"  chastising  the  negroes,  debauching  their  Avives  and  chil- 
"  dren,  neglecting  the  sick,  &c.  are  the  ruin  of  the  colony,- 
"  and  wilfully  drive  to  the  woods  such  numbers  of  stout 
"  active  people,  wlio  by  their  sweat  earn  your  subsistence, 
"  without  Avhose  hands  your  colony  must  drop  to  nothing; 

"  and 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  69 

"  and  to  whom  at  last,  in  this  disgraceful  manner,  you  are 
"  glad  to  come  and  sue  for  friendship." 

Mr.  Abercrombie  now  begged  that  he  might  be  accom- 
panied by  one  or  two  of  their  principal  officers  to  Para- 
maribo, where  he  promised  they  should  be  well  treated ; 
but  the  chief,  Araby,  answered  him  with  a  smile,  that  it 
was  time  enq,ugh  a  year  after,  v/hen  the  peace  should  be 
thoroughly  concluded  ;  that  then  e^en  his  youngest  son 
should  be  at  their  service,  to  receive  his  education  among 
them,  while  for  his  subsistence,  and  even  for  that  of  his 
dependants,  he  should  take  the  sole  care  upon  himself, 
without  ever  giving  the  Christians  the  smallest  trouble. 

After  this,  the  commissioners  left  the  rebels,  and  the 
whole  detachment  arrived  safe  at  Paramaribo. 

The  year  of  deliberation  being  ended,  the  Governor  and 
court  sent  out  two  fresh  commissioners  to  the  negro  camp, 
to  bring  the  so  nmch  wished-for  peace  to  a  thorough  con- 
clusion ;  which,  after  much  debate,  and  many  ceremonies 
on  both  sides,  was  at  last  finally  agreed  upon.  Presents 
were  promised  to  be  sent  by  the  Christians,  agreeably  to 
the  wishes  of'  the  negroes ;  while  these  last,  as  a  proof  of 
their  affection  to  the  Europeans,  insisted  that  each  of  the 
commissioners  should,  during  their  I'emaining  stay  in  the 
rebel  camp,  take  for  his  constant  companion  one  of  their 
handsomest  young  women. — They  treated  them  also  li- 
berally with  game,  fish,  fruit,  and  the  choicest  productions. 

of 


70  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

of  the  forest,  and  entertained  them,  without  intermission, 
with  music,  dancing,  and  repeated  volleys. 

At  the  return  of  the  commissioners,  the  stipulated  pre- 
sents were  sent  to  the  negroes  at  the  Jocka  Creek,  and, 
what  is  remarkable,  under  the  care  of  the  identical  Mr. 
Mayer,  who  had  formerly  not  dared  to  fight  against  them, 
and  escorted  by  six  hundred  men,  soldiers  and  slaves. 
The  pusillanimity  of  this  gentleman,  however,  appeared 
again  on  this  occasion,  and  he  had  nearly  undone  the 
whole  business  by  departing  from  his  orders,  delivering  all 
the  presents  to  the  rebels  without  receiving  the  hostages 
in  return.  Fortunately  Araby  kept  his  word,  and  sent 
down  four  of  his  best  officers  as  pledges  to  Paramaribo. 
By  this  the  peace  was  perfectly  accomplished,  and  a  treaty 
of  twelve  or  fourteen  articles  was  signed  by  the  white  com- 
missioners, and  sixteen  of  Araby's  black  captains,  in  1 76 1  ; 
v;hich  ceremony  took  place  on  the  plantation  Ouca,  in  the 
river  Surinam,  where  all  the  parties  met,  this  being  the 
spot  of  rendezvous  appointed  for  the  purpose,  after  four 
different  embassies  had  been  sent  from  the  Europeans  to 
the  negroes. 

Signing  this  treaty  alone,  however,  was  still  not  consi- 
dered as  sufficient  by  the  rebel  chief  Araby  and  his  peo- 
ple. They  immediately  bound  themselves  by  an  oath, 
and  insisted  on  the  commissioners  doing  the  same,  after 
the  manner  which  is  practised  by  themselves,  not  trusting 

entirely, 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  71 

entirely,  they  alleged,  to  that  made  use  of  by  the  Chris- 
tians, which  they  had  seen  them  too  frequently  violate.  , 
It  must  indeed  be  confessed,  that  the  negroes  themselves 
are  uncommonly  tenacious  of  these  solemn  engagements, 
as  I  never  heard  of  an  instance,  during  all  the  time  I  resided 
in  the  colony,  of  one  of  them  violating  his  oath. 

The  solemnity  made  use  of  on  this  day  consisted  in  each 
party's  letting  a  few  drops  of  blood  with  a  lancet  or  pen- 
knife from  the  arm,  into  a  callibash  or  cup  of  clear  spring 
■water,  in  which  were  also  mixed  a  few  particles  of  dry 
earth,  and  of  this  all  present  were  obliged  to  drink,  without 
exception,  which  tliey  call  drinking  each  other's  blood, 
having  first  shed  a  few  drops  upon  the  ground  by  way  of 
libation  ;  when  their  gadoman  or  priest,  Avith  up-cast  eyes 
and  out-stretched  arms,  took  heaven  and  earth  to  witness, 
and  with  a  most  audible  voice  and  in  a  most  awful  manner, 
invoked  the  curse  of  the  Almighty  on  those  who  should 
first  break  through  this  sacred  treaty  made  between  them, 
from  that  moment  forward  to  all  eternity.  To  this  solemn 
imprecation  the  multitude  answered  Da  so  !  which  signifies 
in  their  language  Amen  *. 

""  Then  loudly  thus,  before  th'  attentive  bands, 
"  He  calls  the  gods,  and  spreads  his  lifted  hands: 
"  O  first  and  greatest  Power,  whom  all  obey, 
"  Who  high  on  Ida's,  holy  mountain  sway ; 

*  This  fact  is  noticed  by  the  Abbe  Raynal, 

"  Eternal 


NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

"  Eternal  Jove  !  and  yon  bright  orb,  that  roll 
"  From  east  to  west,  and  view  from  pole  to  pole  ! 
"  Thou  mother  Earth  !  and  all  ye  living  Floods  ! 
"  Infernal  .F//r/e,y,  and  Tartarean  gods, 
"  Who  rule  the  dead,  and  horrid  woes  prepare 
"  Forperjur'd  kings,  and  all  who  falsely  swear  ! 
"  Hear  and  be  witness."     —     ■ —     — 

"  From  the  same  urn  they  drink  the  mingled  wine, 
"  And  add  libations  to  the  pow'rs  divine. 
"  While  thus  their  pray'rs  united  mount  the  sky, 
"  Hear,  mighty  Jove  !  and  hear,  ye  gods  on  high  ! 
"  And  may  their  blood,  who  first  the  league  confound, 
"  Shed  like  this  wine,  distain  the  thirsty  ground  !" 

Homer's  Iliad. 

The  solemnity  being  ended,  the  chief  Araby  and  each  of 
his  captains  (to  be  distinguished  from  the  inferior  negroes, 
as  the  Seramican  chief  Adoe  had  been  before  in  1749)  was 
presented  with  a  fine  large  cane  and  silver  pummel,  on 
Avhich  was  also  engraven  the  arms  of  the  colony. 

The  above-mentioned  negroes  are  called  Oucas,  after  the 
name  of  the  plantation  where  the  peace  articles  were  signed ; 
and  by  that  name  they  are  since  distinguished  from  those 
of  Seramica,  whom  I  have  already  described. 

At  this  time  the  charter  was  renewed  to  the  AVest  India 
Company,  by  their  High  Mightinesses,  for  the  term  of 
thirty  years  longer  (as  it  had  been  before  in  IG70,  1700, 

and 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  73 

and  1730)  in  consideration  of  a  loan  of  about  five  million 
sterling,  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent. 

This  same  year  peace  was  also  a  second  time  concluded 
with  the  Seramica  rebels,  who  were  at  that  time  commanded 
by  a  negro  called  Wille,  instead  of  their  former  chief  Adoe, 
who  Avas  dead.  But  this  second  peace  was  unfortunately 
broken  by  a  rebel  captain,  called  Muzinga,  who  had  re- 
ceived none  of  the  presents,  which  had  in  fact  been  again 
intercepted  and  captured  on  their  way  to  the  chief  Wilier 
as  they  had  been  formerly  on  their  way  to  the  chief  Adoe, 
by  the  very  same  enterprising  and  rapacious  plunderer 
Zara  Zam,  Avith  this  difference  only,  that  none  of  the  de- 
tachment that  were  sent  with  them  were  now  murdered, 
as  on  the  preceding  occasion,  nor  even  one  single  person 
injured. 

Upon  this  supposed  breach  of  faith,  Captain  INIuzinga 
fought  most  desperately  against  the  colonists ;  he  gave 
battle  face  to  face,  and  beat  back,  at  close  quarters,  above 
one  hundred  and  fifty  of  their  best  troops,  killing  numbers, 
and  carrying  off  all  their  baggage  and  ammunition. 

Soon  after  tWs,  however,  when  the  real  cause  of  Mu- 
zinga's  discontent  was  knoAvn,  means  were  found  and 
adopted  to  pacify  this  gallant  warrior,  by  making  hini 
receive  and  share  the  presents  sent  out  by  the  colonists, 
on  ari  equal  tooting  with  his  brother  heroes,  when  peace 
was  a  third  and  last  time  concluded  in  1 762,  betAveen  the 
Seramica  rebels  and  the  colony,  Avhich  has  providentially 

Vol,  I,  L  been 


III. 


74  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

CHAP,    been  kept  sacred  and  inviolable,  as  well  as  that  with  the 

Ouca  negroes,  to  this  day.     By  their  exertions  in  the  field 

they  thus  obtained  their  freedom. 

"  O  Liberty  !  thou  goddess  heavenly  bright, 
"  Profuse  of  bliss,  and  pregnant  with  delight ; 
"  Eternal  pleasures  in  thy  presence  reign, 
"  And  smiling  Plenty  leads  thy  wanton  train. 
"  Eas'd  of  her  load,  Subjection  grows  more  light, 
''  And  Poverty  looks  cheerful  in  thy  sight; 
"  Thou  mak'st  the  gloomy  face  of  nature  gay, 
"  Giv'st  beauty  to  the  sun,  and  pleasure  to  the  day." 

The  hostages  and  chief  officers  of  both  the  above- 
mentioned  negro  cohorts,  on  their  arrival  at  Paramaribo, 
were  entertained  at  the  Governor's  own  table,  having  pre- 
viously paraded  in  state  through  the  town,  accompanied 
by  his  Excellency  in  his  own  private  carriage. 

By  their  capitulation  with  the  Dutch,  the  above  Ouca 
and  Seramica  rebels  must  yearly  receive,  as  I  have  men- 
tioned, a  quantity  of  arms  and  ammunition  from  the 
colony,  for  which  the  Europeans  have  received  in  return 
the  negroes'  promises  of  being  their  faithful  allies,  to  de- 
liver up  all  their  deserters,  for  Avhich  they  are  to  receive 
proper  premiums,  never  to  appear  armed  at  Paramaribo 
above  five  or  six  at  a  time,  and  also  to  keep  their  settle- 
ment at  a  proper  distance  from  the  town  and  plantations : 
the  Seramica  negroes  at  the  river  Seramica,  and  those  of 

the 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  7& 

the  Ouca  negroes  at  the  Jocka  Creek,  near  the  river 
Marawina,  where  one  or  two  white  men,  called  post- 
holders,  were  to  reside  among  them,  in  the  quality  of 
envoys. 

Both  these  tribes  were  supposed,  at  the  period  I  speak 
of,  to  amount  in  all  to  three  thousand,  and  but  a  few  years 
after,  by  those  that  were  sent  to  visit  their  settlements 
(including  wives  and  children)  they  were  computed  to  be 
not  less  than  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand.  They  are  already 
become  overbearing  and  even  insolent,  brandishing  their 
silver-headed  canes  in  defiance  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
forcing  from  them  liquors,  and  very  often  money,  and 
reminding  them  how  cruelly  their  ancestors  had  murdered 
their  parents  and  their  husbands. 

From  these  circumstances,  and  their  numbers  increasing 
from  day  to  day,  I  must  conclude,  that  should  the  peace 
be  ever  broken,  these  new  allies  will  become  the  most 
dreadful  foes  that  ever  the  colony  of  Surinam  can  have  to 
contend  with. 

In  1763  the  town  of  Paramaribo  would  have  been  burnt 
down  to  the  ground,  had  it  not  been  prevented  by  the 
courage  and  intrepidity  of  the  sailors,  who,  at  the  hazard 
of  their  lives,  without  other  assistance,  prevented  a  general 
conflagration. 

About  this  time  a  mutiny  broke  out  on  board  the  outward- 
bound  East  Indiaman,  Neimburgh,  commanded  by  Cap- 
rain  Ketell.     The  crcM',  consisting  chiefly  of  French  and 

L  2  German 


76  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

German  deserters,  who  had  been  kidnapped  in  Holland, 
rose  in  arms  against  their  superiors,  and  having  murdered 
most  of  the  officers  and  warrant  officers,  while  others  were 
put  in  chains,  carried  the  vessel  to  the  Brazils :  there  the 
ringleaders  went  on  shore,  and  being  engaged  in  riot  and 
disputation,  soon  discovered  what  they  were  to  the  Portu- 
guese Governor,  in  consequence  of  ^vhich  they  were  all 
taken  into  custody ;  but  their  accomplices  on  board  sus- 
pecting what  had  happened,  immediately  slipped  their 
cable,  and  set  sail  for  the  island  of  Cayenne,  where  this 
piracy  was  put  to  an  end  ;  for  the  Fi^ench,  seizing  ship  and 
crew,  delivered  both  to  the  colony  of  Surinam,  where,  in 
1 764,  seven  of  the  most  guilty  were  executed  on  board  the 
same  vessel  which  they  had  captured,  then  at  anchor  in 
the  roads  before  tlie  town  of  Paramaribo,  One  of  these 
imhappy  wretches  was  decapitated,  and  six  hanged  to  the 
yard-arm,  whose  heads  were  also  chopped  off  and  planted 
upon  iron  spikes  on  the  beach,  in  a  cage  made  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  others,  who  had  been  taken  by  the  Portuguese, 
Avere  sent  from  the  Brazils  to  Amsterdam,  after  which 
they  Avere  also  executed  in  Texel  roads  on  board  the 
Westelingwerf  man  of  war,  Avhich  ship  was  that  sent  out 
with  us  from  Holland  :  their  bodies  were  afterwards  gib- 
beted in  iron  harness,  and  placed  for  an  example  along 
the  coast. 

This  same  year  also  three  of  the  society  or  cofony  sol- 
diers, who  had  been  guilty  of  mutiny  and  desertion,  were 

executed 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  77 

executed  in  Surinam  ;  but  as  their  case  is  the  most  pecuUar  chap. 
of  its  kind  that  ever  happened,  I  must  also  beg  leave  to  ^^1!^ 
give  some  account  of  the  transaction. 

During  the  time  of  an  insurrection,  which  happened  in 
the  year  1 76 1 ,  among  the  negro  slaves  in  the  colony  of 
Berbice,  where  they  had  not  been  treated  so  cruelly  as  in 
other  colonies,  not  only  a  regiment  of  marines,  commanded 
by  Colonel  de  Salse,  which  nov/  belongs  to  General  Douglas, 
was  sent  over  from  Holland  to  that  settlement,  but  troops 
also  from  the  neighbouring  colonies  Avere  dispatched,  in 
order  to  subdue  the  revolt.  In  this  design  they  soon  suc- 
ceeded, since  the  woods  in  that  part,  being  of  small  extent, 
are  easily  penetrated,  which  prevents  the  rebels  from  form- 
ing settlements,  and  since  from  the  same  cause  they  will 
not  serve  to  conceal  them  from  their  pursuers.  The  con- 
sequence was,  that  after  numbers  had  been  shot  dead,  and 
others  taken  prisoners,  the  rest  were  forced  to  surrender  at 
discretion,  and  implore  for  mercy,  or  they  must  have  been 
starved  to  death  for  want  of  subsistence. 

During  these  troubles,  it  happened  that  one  officer  and 
about  seventy  men,  sent  from  the  colony  of  Surinam,  had 
been  posted  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Corrantine.  This 
detachment,  together  with  a  part}^  of  Indians,  who  are 
natural  enemies  to  the  negroes,  but  friends  to  the  Euro- 
peans, had  one  day  beaten  the  rebels  in  a  skirmish,  having 
killed  several  of  them,  and  retaken  about  the  value  of 
twenty  or  thirty  pounds  sterling   in  eifects,    which    the 

negroes 


78  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

negroes  had  pillaged  from  the  neighbouring  estates.  The 
officer  who  commanded  this  detachment  having,  however, 
unwarrantably  distributed  this  booty  among  the  Indians 
alone,  without  givdng  a  share  to  his  soldiers,  disgusted 
them  so  much  that  they  revolted ;  and  deserting  their 
commander,  took  their  march  for  the  river  Oronoque 
through  the  woods,  in  hopes  of  soon  falling  in  with  Spanish 
settlements  and  being  relieved  :  but  how  miserably  were 
these  deluded  men  mistaken,  and  disappointed  in  their 
desperate  undertaking,  by  meeting  the  rebels  or  bush  ne- 
groes on  the  second  or  third  day  of  their  march  !  These, 
notwithstanding  the  solemn  protestations  of  the  soldiers, 
that  they  Avere  come  without  any  evil  intention  towards 
them,  and  their  intreaties  to  let  them  pass  by  unmolested, 
were  suspected  of  being  sent  out  to  spy  and  betray  them  ; 
the  negroes  therefore  insisted  that  they  should  lay  down 
their  arms  at  mercj^  which  the  deserters  having  complied 
with,  the  rebels  immediately  dressed  them  in  one  rank  ; 
then  having  picked  out  ten  or  twelve  to  assist  them  in 
attending  the  sick  and  wounded,  repairing  their  arms,  and 
trying  to  make  gunpowder,  (in  which  however  they  mis- 
carried) they  condemned  all  the  others  to  death,  which  was 
instantly  put  in  execution,  and  above  fifty  of  those  unfor- 
tunate men  were  one  by  one  shot  dead  upon  the  spot. 

It  may  well  be  supposed,   that  those  who  were  saved 

alive  by  the  negroes  must  have  spun  out  a  very  melancholy 

existence  among  them,  and  indeed  most  of  them  died 

2  within 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  79 

within  very  few  months  after  by  ill  treatment,  hardships, 
and  want ;  and  when  the  rebels  surrendered  themselves  to 
the  Europeans  at  discreticn,  the  few  remaining  miserable 
wretches  that  were  still  found  alive  were  directly  loaded 
with  irons,  and  sent  back  from  the  colony  of  Berbice  to 
Surinam,  where  three  of  them  were  executed  in  the  town 
of  Paramaribo,  one  being  hanged,  and  two  broken  alive 
upon  the  rack.  One  of  these  miserable  wretches  was  a 
Frenchman,  called  Reiiauld,  who  seemed  to  have  imbibed 
the  sentiments  of  the  negroes  by  his  residence  among  them. 
With  a  truly  heroic  spirit  he  comforted  his  accomplice, 
who  was  a  German,  and,  tied  down  by  his  side,  just  ready 
to  receive  the  dreadful  blows,  he  exhorted  him  to  preserve 
his  courage ;  adding,  that  the  voyage  of  life  would  soon  be 
over,  while  his  own  bones  were  breaking  by  the  executioner 
with  an  iron  bar. 

The  ring-leading  negroes  Avere  roasted  alive  by  half 
dozens  in  a  shocking  manner,  being  chained  to  stakes  in 
the  midst  of  surrounding  flames,  and  expired  without  utter- 
ing a  groan  or  a  sigh.  The  miserable  fate  of  so  many 
poor  wretches  excited  great  commiseration  ;  and  it  is  im- 
possible to  reflect  without  the  strongest  feelings  of  indig- 
nation on  a  punishment  so  shocking  to  humanity,  inflicted 
upon  men,  the  most  of  whom  were  drove  to  misconduct 
by  tyranny  and  oppression.  But  at  the  same  time  I  shall 
ever  think  it  my  duty  to  support  that  the  strictest  disci- 
phne  and  subordination    (when   tempered   hi/  justice)    is 

absolutely 


80  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

absolutely  necessary  amongst  all  large  bodies  of  people,  of 
whatever  class  or  description,  not  only  for  the  good  of  the 
public  in  general,  but  as  the  surest  means  of  avoiding 
severity  on  the  individual  (the  usual  consequence  of  too 
much  lenity)  and  of  being  painfully  obliged  to  establish 
good  order  at  last  by  a  perpetual  round  of  reluctant  rigour 

and  chastisement. WcAvill  now  leave  these  sable  scenes, 

and  point  out  what  happened  in  the  colony  of  Surinam, 
during  its  short  and  flourishing  state. 


i^     IL^     CllK^lK.    CWIVA     XlV^VlliOXi.1.5 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  81 


CHAP.    IV. 

Short  Interval  of  Peace  and  Plenty — The  Colony  plunged  in 
new  Distress  by  afresh  Insurrection,  and  nearly  ruined — 
Review  of  the  Troops  for  its  Defence — j4n  Action  with 
the  Rebels — Gallant  Behaviour  of  a  black  Corps — The 
Arrival  of  Colonel  Fourgeoud's  Marines. 

TN  1 764,  gold  and  silver  specie  being  scarce,  cards  were    chap. 
-■'  stamped,  to   the   amount   of  jT.  40,000  value,    which 
passed  as  cash,  at  a  discount  of  ten  per  cent. 

In  1765  a  considerable  degree  of  commotion  was  excited 
in  the  colony,  on  account  of  a  free  negro  woman,  called 
Elizabeth  Sampson,  marrying  an  European  :  she  was  worth 
above  jT.  100,000  sterling,  inherited  from  her  master,  whose 
slave  she  had  formerly  been  :  having  addressed  herself  to 
their  High  ]\Iightinesses,  her  request  was  granted  ;  and 
accordingly,  being  christened,  she  entered  into  the  lawful 
bond  of  matrimony  with  a  Mr.  Zubli. 

In  the  succeeding  year  the  colorpy  was  visited  b}'  an 
earthquake,  which  however  did  very  little  damage. 

In  1769  the  whole  coast  was  on  fire,  from  Cayenne  to 
Dcmerary  :  this  happened  in  the  dry  season,  when  all  the 
forest  is  parched  by  the  heat,  and  the  underwood  choked 
with  dried  leaves.  The  flames,  which  were  supposed 
to  have  been  kindled  by  the  neglect  of  the  Indians  or 

Vol.  I.  M  rebels, 


NARRATIVE  OF  AN 
rebels,  were  so  violent,  that  they  threatened  destruction 
to  several  estates,  and  during  the  night  appeared  must 
tremendous  from  the  sea ;  while  the  east  wind  made  the 
smoke  so  thick  throughout  the  day,  that  one  person  could 
not  see  another  at  the  distance  of  six  yards.  During  this 
time  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  smell  was  almost  insup- 
portable. 

This  same  year,  a  quantity  of  rock  crystal  was  discovered 
in  the  inland  parts  of  Dutch  Guiana. 

In  1 770  the  house  of  Somelsdyk  sold  its  share  or  por- 
tion of  the  colony  to  the  town  of  Amsterdam,  for  the  sum 
of  £.63,636  sterling;  so  that  from  that  period  that  city 
possesses  two-thirds,  and  the  other  third  still  belongs  to 
the  West  India  Company,  which,  as  I  have  already  stated, 
form  together  the  society  of  Surinam. 

The  colony  now  seemed  in  a  prosperous  and  flourishing 
state,  since  the  concluding  of  the  treaty  with  the  Seramica 
and  Ouca  negroes,  and  every  thing  exhibited  an  aspect  of 
peace  and  good  order.  The  inhabitants  believed  their 
persons  and  effects  in  perfect  security,  so  that  nothing  Avas 
thought  of  but  mirth  and  dissipation,  which  was  soon  ex- 
tended to  lavishness  and  profusion.  Surinam  resembled, 
indeed,  a  large  and  beaixtiful  garden,  stocked  with  every 
thing  that  nature  and  art  could  produce  to  make  the  life 
of  man  both  comfortable  to  himself  and  useful  to  society : 
all  the  luxuries,  as  well  as  the  necessaries  of  life,  abounded ; 
every  sense  was  apparently  intoxicated  Avith  enjoyment; 

and. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  85 

and,  to  use   the  figurative  language  of  a  sacred  book, 
Surinam  was  a  land  that  flowed  with  milk  and  honey. 

But  this  delusive  felicity  lasted  not  long.  The  planter, 
too  earnest  to  become  immediately  opulent,  never  once 
considered  the  w^retchedness  of  the  slave  ;  while  drunken- 
ness, luxury,  and  riot  became  predominant  in  the  one 
party,  the  misery  of  the  other  proportionably  increased ; 
nor  did  the  destruction  that  so  lately  threatened  them  seem 
to  have  the  smallest  influence  on  their  minds;  at  the  same 
time  the  successful  example  of  the  Seramica  and  Ouca 
negroes  sen-ed  to  stimulate  the  other  slaves  to  revolt,  and 
from  these  complicated  causes  the  colony  was  again  plunged 
into  its  former  abyss  of  difficulties.  The  most  beautiful 
estates  in  the  settlement,  called  Plantations,  were  once 
more  seen,  some  blazing  in  flames,  and  others  laid  in  ashes ; 
while  the  reeking  and  mangled  bodies  of  their  inhabitants 
were  scattered  along  the  banks  of  the  river  Cottica,  with 
their  throats  cut,  and  their  eftects  pillaged  by  their  own 
negroes,  Avho  all  fled  to  the  woods,  men,  women,  and 
children,  w  ithout  exception. 

These  new  revolters  were  now  distinguished  by  the  name 
of  the  Cottica  Rebels,  from  the  spot  on  which  their  hosti- 
lities commenced ;  and  their  numbers  aug-mentina:  from 
day  to  day,  they  soon  became  as  formidable  to  the  settle- 
ment as  the  Seramica  and  Ouca  negroes  had  formerly 
been,  and  in  1 772  they  had  nearly  given  the  finishing  blow 
to  Surinam.     At  that  period  all  was  horror  and  conster- 

M  2  nation — 


84  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

nation — nothing  but  a  general  massacre  was  expected  bj 
tiie  majority  of  the  inhabitants,  who  tied  from  their  estates, 
and  crowded  to  the  town  of  Paramaiibo  for  protection. 
In  this  situation  of  atfairs,  the  inhabitants  were  obhged  to 
have  recourse  to  the  dangerous   resolution  of  forming  a 
regiment  of  manumitted  slaves,  to  fight  against  their  own 
countrymen.     When  we  consider  the  treatment  which  was 
so  generally  exercised  against  the  slaves  of  this  settlement, 
it  must  surprise  the  reader  to  be  told,  that  this  hazardous 
resolution  had  providentially  the  desired  effect.      These 
brave  men  performed  wonders  above  expectation,  in  con- 
junction with  the  Colonial  or  Society  troops,  whose  strength 
and  numbers  alone  were  no  longer  thought  sufficient  to 
defend  this  settlement.     But  not  to  rely   absolutely  on 
such  precarious  assistance,  the  society  of  Surinam  made 
application  to  his  Serene  Highness  the  Prince  of  Orange 
for  a  regular  regiment,  and  our  corps  was  in  consequence 
dispatched  in  the  manner  which  has  been  already  related. 
As,  however,  the  events  which  preceded  our  arrival  were 
of  the  utmost  importance,  I  shall  endeavour  to  lay  before 
my  readers  the  most  authentic  information  I  Avas  able  to 
obtain. 

The  regular  troops  from  Europe  that  belong  to  the 
society  of  Surinam,  were  intended  to  be  twelve  hundred 
men  when  complete,  divided  into  two  battalions,  paid 
partly  by  the  society,  and  partly  by  the  inhabitants :  but 
they  can  never  produce  that  number  in  the  field,  for  many 

reasons — 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  85 

reasons — such  as  their  either  dying  on  their  passage,  while  chap. 
they  are  seasoning  to  the  climate,  or  during  their  dangerous 
and  fatiguing  duty  ni  the  Avoods  and  swamps.  Besides 
this  number,  a  reinforcement  of  three  hundred  more  was 
now  sent  them  from  the  town  of  Amsterdam  ;  but  of  these 
poor  wretches  scarcely  fifty  Avere  landed  fit  for  senice ; 
the  remainder,  owing  to  the  inhumanity  of  their  leader, 
Mr.  H.,  having  participated  in  a  fate  little  better  than 
that  of  the  poor  African  negroes  in  the  vessel  of  the  in- 
human Captain  C — gw — d,  who,  in  17^7,  threw  132  living 
slaves  into  the  sea  to  pei'ish.  The  unhy[)py  creatures,  un- 
der the  command  of  Mr.  H.  were  starved  and  tormented  by 
unnecessary  severity ;  and  his  lieutenant,  unable  to  continue 
a  witness  of  the  tyrannical  punishments  he  inflicted,  leaped 
from  the  cabin  window,  and  terminated  his  existence. 

The  military  in  Surinam  are  composed  of  several  very 
good  and  experienced  officers,  and  well  inured  to  the  ser- 
vice, but  for  their  private  men  I  cannot  say  much ;  they 
are,  in  fact,  little  better  than  the  outcasts  of  all  nations  : 
they  are  of  all  ages,  shapes,  and  sizes,  and  seem  by  chance 
Avafted  together  from  all  the  dift'erent  corners  of  the  globe. 
NotAvithstanding  this,  hoAvever,  it  has  often  been  found 
that  they  behave  Avell  in  action,  and  have  on  many  dif- 
ferent occasions,  by  their  bravery,  been  of  infinite  service 
to  this  settlement*. 

*  A  corps  of  European  chasseurs,  or  rifle-men,  was  since  added  to  these 
troops,  after  the  manner  of  the  light  infantry  in  England. 

Here 


86  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

Here  is  also  a  small  corps  of  artillery,  being  part  of  the 
twelve  hundred,  which  I  must  acknowledge  to  be  a  very 
fine  company  in  all  respects.  As  for  Avhat  they  please  to 
call  their  militia,  they  are,  a  few  gentlemen  excepted,  who 
command  them,  so  strange  a  collection  of  ill-disciplined 
rabble,  that  they  can  scarcely  be  mentioned  as  fighting 
men. 

With  respect  to  the  new-raised  corps  of  manumitted 
slaves,  though  in  number  they  amounted  but  to  three 
hundred,  they  indeed  proved  ultimatel}'  of  as  much  service 
to  the  colony  as  all  the  others  put  together  *.  These  men 
were  all  volunteers,  and  in  general  stout  able  young  fel- 
lows, selected  from  the  different  plantations,  the  owners  of 
whom  received  for  them  their  full  value  in  money.  None 
were  accepted  but  those  who  were  reputed  to  be  of  unex- 
ceptionable character.  It  must,  however,  be  observed, 
that  what  we  Europeans  call  a  good  character,  was,  by 
the  Africans,  looked  on  as  detestable,  particularly  by 
those  born  in  the  woods,  whose  only  crime  consisted  in 
revengino-  the  Avrongs  done  to  their  forefathers.  I  have 
been  an  ocular  witness  to  astonishing  proofs  of  the  fidelity 
of  these  enfranchised  slaves  to  the  Europeans,  and  their 
valour  against  the  rebel  negroes. 

Their  chief  leaders  are  three  or  four  white  men,  called 
Conductors,  to  whom  they  pay  the  strictest  obedience: 

*    Blood-hounds    were    also    pro-     adopted,  from  the  difficulty  of  their 
posed,  to  discover  and  attack  the     proper  training,  8cc. 
rebel  negroes  in  the  woods,  but  never 

2  one 


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> 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  87 

one  or  two  of  these  attend  them  Avhen  they  set  out  on  any  chap. 
enterprise  of  consequence.  Every  ten  privates  have  one 
captain,  who  commands  them  in  the  forest  by  the  different 
sounding  of  his  horn,  as  the  boatswain  commands  the 
seaman  by  his  call,  or  as  the  cavalry  of  Europe  are  di- 
rected by  the  sound  of  the  trumpets  in  the  field  ;  by  which 
they  advance,  attack,  retreat,  spread,  &c. :  they  are  armed 
only  with  a  firelock  and  sabre.  Of  both  these  weapons 
they  understand  the  management  in  the  most  masterly 
manner :  they  generally  go  naked,  in  preference,  in  the 
woods,  excepting  trowsers,  and  a  scarlet  cap,  the  emblem 
of  liberty,  on  which  is  their  number,  and  which,  together 
with  their  parole  or  watch-word,  which  is  orange,  distin- 
guishes them  from  the  rebels  in  any  action,  to  prevent 
disagreeable  mistakes.  They  have,  indeed,  of  late  years, 
been  farther  distinguished  by  green  uniforms. — Thus  far 
as  to  the  force  of  the  colony. 

I  have  already  stated,  that  the  newly*  revolted  rebels, 
called  Cotticas,  were  just  preparing  to  give  the  finishing 
blow  to  Surinam ;  and  I  shall  now  proceed  to  relate  how 
this  catastrophe  was  prevented. 

.  These  negroes,  being  commanded  by  a  desperate  fellow 
named  Baron,  had  erected  a  strong  settlement  between 
the  river  Cottica  and  the  sea-coast,  whence  they  sallied 
forth  to  commit  their  depredations  on  the  plantations  in 
the  Cottica  river,  &c. 

I  have  called  this  settlement  strong,  becauBe,  like  an 

islajidy 


88  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

island,  it  was  entirely  surrounded  by  a  broad  unfordable 
marsh  or  swamp,  which  prevented  all  conununication, 
except  by  private  paths  vnider  water,  known  only  to  the 
rebels,  and  before  which  Baron  had  placed  loaded  swivels, 
which  he  had  plundered  from  the  neighbouring  estates: 
it  Avas  moreover  fenced  and  inclosed  on  every  side  by 
several  thousand  strong  pallisadoes,  and  was  on  the  Avhole 
no  contemptible  fortification.  To  this  spot  Baron  gave 
the  name  of  Boucou  or  Mouldered,  intimating  that  it  should 
perish  in  dust  rather  than  it  should  be  taken  by  or  sur- 
rendered to  the  Europeans.  He  even  presumed  to  suppose 
that  it  would  never  be  discovered. 

After  many  marches  and  counter-marches,  however,  this 
nest  of  desperadoes  was  at  last  discovered,  by  the  vigilance 
and  perseverance  of  the  Society  troops,  and  the  black 
soldiers  or  rangers,  by  which  name  I  shall  for  the  future 
distinguish  them,  their  service  being  chiefly  like  that  of 
the  rangers  in  Virginia,  who  were   sent  out  against  the 
Cherokee  Indians.     Another  settlement  of  the  rebels  was, 
indeed,  Avell  known  to  exist  in  that  corner  of  the  colony, 
known  by  the  name  of  the  Lee-shore,  and  situated  between 
the  rivers  Surinam  and  Seramica  ;  but  here  the  situation, 
by  marshes,  quagmires,  mud,  and  water,  is  such,  that  it 
fortifies  them  from  any  attempts  of  the  Europeans  ;  nay, 
they  are  even  indiscoverable  by  negroes,  so  thick  and  im- 
penetrable is  the  forest  on  that  spot,  and  so  choked  with 
thorns,  briars,  and  every  species  of  underwood. 

I'rom 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  85. 

From  these  coverts  they  sally  forth  in  small  parties, 
during  the  night,  to  rob  the  gardens  and  fields  surroiuiding 
Paramaribo,  and  carry  otf  the  young  women,  «Scc.  In  this 
Avilderness  a  young  officer,  Lieutenant  Freidrecy,  was  lost 
two  or  three  days  and  nights,  as  he  went  out  on  a  shooting- 
party,  and  would  jDrobably  never  have  been  heard  of,  had 
not  the  Governor,  by  ordering  a  gun  to  be  fired  at  inter- 
vals, given  a  signal  for  him  to  find  his  way  back,  and  thus 
restored  him  once  more  to  his  friends. 

As  soon  as  it  was  determined  that  the  rebels  commanded 
by  Baron,  at  Boucon,  should  be  besieged  and  rooted  out, 
a  strong  detachment  of  white  and  black  troops  were  sent 
against  them,  under  the  command  of  the  brave  Captain 
Meyland,  who  was  to  head  the  first ;  and  Lieutenant  Freid- 
recy, a  spirited  young  officer,  with  the  Conductors,  was 
to  lead  the  latter.  The  detachment,  on  their  arrival  at 
the  marsh,  however,  Avere  obliged  to  encamp  on  its  bor- 
ders, not  being  able  to  pass  through  it  on  account  of  its 
unfordable  depth. 

On  the  discovery  of  the  troops,  the  bold  negro  Baron 
immediately  planted  a  white  Hag  within  their  view,  which 
he  meant  not  as  a  token  of  peace,  but  of  defiance ;  and 
an  incessant  firing  instantly  took  place  on  both  sides,  but 
with  very  little  cfCect. 

It  was  then  projected  to  throw  a  fascine  bridge  over  the 
marsh,  by  the  troops;  but  this  plan,  after  several  Aveeks 
had  been  spent  in  the  attempt,  and  a  number  of  men  shot 

Vol.  I.  N  dead 


IV. 


90  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

CHAP,  dead  while  employed  upon  it,  was  of  necessity  laid  aside. 
Thus  every  hope  of  passing  through  the  marsh  into  the 
fortress  being  frustrated,  and  the  food  and  ammunition 
being  considerably  lessened,  added  to  the  loss  of  many 
men,  affairs  were  at  length  arrived  at  such  a  crisis,  that  the 
siege  must  have  been  broken  up,  and  the  remaining  troops 
must  have  marched  back  to  Paramaribo,  had  not  the 
rajigers,  by  their  indefatigable  ellbrts,  and  (however  strange 
to  think)  implacable  enmity  against  the  rebels,  found  out 
and  discovered  to  the  Europeans  the  under-water  paths  of 
communication  to  Boucon,  several  being  shot  and  drowned 
in  the  execution  of  this  important  service. 

Captain  Meyland  with  the  regulars,  on  this  intelligence, 
now  forded  the  swamp  on  one  side,  and  instantly  making 
a  feint  attack  on  the  fortress,  drew  Baron  with  all  the 
rebels,  as  Avas  expected,  to  its  defence ;  while  Lieutenant 
Freidrecy,  with  the  rangers,  having  crossed  the  swamp  on 
the  other  side,  embraced  the  opportunity  of  leaping,  with 
his  black  party,  over  the  palisadoes,  sword  in  hand,  with- 
out opposition. 

A  most  terrible  carnage  at  this  time  ensued,  while  several 
prisoners  were  made  on  both  sides,  and  the  fortress  of 
Boucon  was  taken ;  but  Baron,  with  the  greatest  number 
of  the  rebels,  escaped  into  the  woods,  having  first  found 
means,  however,  to  cut  the  throats  of  ten  or  twelve  of  the 
rangers,  who  had  lost  their  way  in  the  marsh,  and  whom 
he  seized  as  they  stuck  fast  in  the  s^yamp  ;  and  cutting  off 
5  the 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  91 

the  ears,  nose,  and  lips  of  one  of  them,  he  left  him  alive 
in  this  condition  to  return  to  his  friends,  with  whom  how- 
ever the  miserable  man  soon  expired. 

This  Baron  had  formerly  been  the  negro  slave  of  a  Mr. 
Dahlbergh,  a  Swede,  who  on  account  of  his  abilities  had 
advanced  him  to  the  rank  of  a  favourite,  had  taught  him 
to  read  and  write,  and  bred  him  a  mason  ;  he  had  also  been 
with  his  master  in  Holland,  and  was  promised  his  manu- 
mission on  his  return  to  the  colony.  But  Mr,  Dahlbergh 
breaking  his  word  with  regard  to  his  liberty,  and  sellino- 
him  to  a  Jew,  Baron  obstinately  refused  to  work,  in  con- 
sequence of  which  he  was  publicly  flogged  under  the  o-al- 
lows.  This  usage  the  negro  so  violently  resented,  that 
from  that  moment  he  vowed  revenge  against  all  Europeans 
without  exception ;  fled  to  the  woods,  where  putting  him- 
self at  the  head  of  the  rebels,  his  name  became  dreadful, 
and  particularly  so  to  his  former  master  Dahlbergh,  as  he 
solemnly  swore  that  he  should  never  die  in  peace  till  he 
had  washed  his  hands  in  the  tyrajit's  blood. 

To  those  who  know  how  greatly  mankind  are  affected 
by  self-interest,  it  will  not  appear  so  extraordinary,  as  it 
may  to  a  superficial  observer,  that  these  black  rangers 
should  so  inveterately  engage  against  their  friends  and 
countrymen.  What  will  not  men  do  to  be  emancipated 
from  so  deplorable  a  state  of  subjection  !  and  this  eman- 
cipation was  obtained  upon  more  certain  and  advantageous 
grounds  by  the  consent  of  the  Europeans,  than  if  they  had 

N  2  absconded 


92  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

absconded  into  the  -woods.  Havins;  thus  once  ensaffcd  iit 
this  service,  it  is  evident  tliey  must  be  considered  by  the 
other  party  as  apostates  and  ti'aitors  of  the  blackest  dye ; 
they  must  be  convinced,  that  defeat  must  not  only  expose 
them  to  death,  but  to  the  severest  tortures  ;  they  were 
therefore  fighting  for  something  more  than  liberty  and 
life:  success  was  to  bring  them  the  most  solid  advantages, 
miscarriage  was  to  plunge  them  in  the  severest  misery. 

The  taking  of  Boucon  was  now  greatly  spoken  of,  and. 
deemed  a  very  severe  blow  to  the  rebels :  both  the  regu- 
lars and  the  rangers,  indeed,  behaved  with  unprecedented 
intrepidity  and  courage.  Captain  Meyland's  gallant  con- 
duct was  most  highly  acknowledged ;  while  Lieutenant 
Freidrecy  was  presented  by  the  Surinam  Society  with  a 
beautiful  sabre,  a  fusee,  and  a  brace  of  pistols,  mounted 
in  silver,  and  ornamented  with  emblems  expressive  of  his 
merit;  besides  which,  he  obtained  the  rank  of  Captain. 
It  must  be  confessed,  that  on  this  occasion  the  Avhole  de- 
tachment, white  and  black,  without  exception,  justly  met 
with  the  fullest  marks  of  approbation  for  their  spirited  be- 
haviour.— In  this  state  v/ere  the  public  affairs  of  Surinam  j 
when,  in  i  iTi,  our  fleet  dropped  anchor  before  the  town 
of  Paramaribo 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  93 


CHAP.    V. 

The  Scene  changes — Some  Account  of  a  beautiful  Female 
Slave — The  RJanner  of  travelling  in  Surinam — The  Co- 
lonel explores  the  Situation  of  the  Rivets — Barbarity  of  a 
Planter — IVretched  Treatment  of  some  Sailors. 


H 


AVING  in  the  first  chapters  given  some  account  of  c  ii  a  p. 
our  incorporation,  our  voyage,  our  landing,  and  our         ^• 


reception  in  the  colony,  in  February  1773;  and  havino- 
described  the  colony  of  Surinam,  its  boundaries,  and  revo- 
lutions, from  its  earliest  discovery  ;  I  shall  now  proceed  in 
my  narrative,  by  connecting  the  proceedings  of  our  little 
corps  with  the  general  chain  of  events ;  and  write  precisely 
what  I  have  learned  by  local  and  ocular  observation. 

Having  already  stated  that  from  our  arrival  till  February 
S7th  we  seemed  to  be  landed  in  Guiana  for  little  more 
than  idle  dissipation ;  I  shall  now  proceed  from  the  same 
date,  which  was  about  the  commencement  of  the  rainy 
season,  wlien  our  mirth  and  conviviahty  still  continued,  to 
present  to  the  reader,  as  a  contrast  to  the  preceding  scenes 
of  horror,  a  description  of  the  beautiful  mulatto  maid 
Joanna.  This  charming  young  woman  I  first  saw  at  the 
house  of  a  Mr.  Demelly,  secretary  to  the  Court  of  Policy, 
where  I  daily  breakfasted ;  and  \yith  whose  lady  Joanna, 

but 


94  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

but  fifteen  years  of  age,  Avas  a  very  remarkable  favourite. 
Rather  taller  than  the  middle  iii'/.c,  she  was  possessed  of 
the  most  elegant  shape  that  nature  can  exhibit,  moving  her 
well-formed  limbs  with  more  than  common  gracefulness. 
Her  face  was  full  of  native  modesty,  and  the  most  distin- 
guished sweetness ;  her  eyes,  as  black  as  ebony,  Avere  large 
and  full  of  expression,  bespeaking  the  goodness  of  her 
heart ;  with  cheeks  through  Avhich  glowed,  in  spite  of  the 
darkness  of  her  complexion,  a  beautiful  tinge  of  Vermil- 
lion, when  gazed  upon.  Her  nose  was  perfectly  well 
formed,  rather  small;  her  lips  a  little  prominent,  which, 
when  she  spoke,  discovered  two  regular  rows  of  teeth,  as 
white  as  mountain  snow ;  her  hair  was  a  dark  brown  in- 
clining to  black,  forming  a  beautiful  globe  of  small  ringlets, 
ornamented  with  flowers  and  gold  spangles.  Round  her 
neck,  her  arms,  and  her  ancles,  she  wore  gold  chains, 
rings,  and  medals :  while  a  shawl  of  India  muslin,  the  end 
of  which  was  negligently  thrown  over  her  polished  shoul- 
ders, gracefully  covered  part  of  her  lovely  bosom  :  a 
petticoat  of  rich  chintz  alone  completed  her  apparel. 
Bare-headed  and  bare-footed,  she  shone  with  double 
lustre,  as  she  carried  in  her  delicate  hand  a  beaver  hat, 
the  crown  trimmed  round  with  silver.  The  figure  and 
appearance  of  this  charming  creature  could  not  but  at- 
tract my  particular  attention,  as  they  did  indeed  that  of 
all  who  beheld  her;  and  induced  me  to  enquire  from  Mrs. 
Demelly,  with  much  surprise,  who  she  was,  that  appeared 

to 


^?2/?t^^:i/^. 


Zondon.  Puhlijfhed  Dfc^z'^f^c^,  by  J.Jbhnron .  S^PauU  Outrdi  lard . 


EXPEDTTION   TO   SURINAM.  95 

to  be  so  much  distinguished  above  all  others  of  her  species    chap. 
in  the  colony. 

"  She  is,  Sir,"  replied  this  lady,  *'  the  daughter  of  a 
"  respectable  gentleman,  named  Kruythoff ;  who  had,  be- 
"  sides  this  girl,  four  children  by  a  black  -woman,  called 
"  Cery,  the  property  of  a  Mr.  D.  B.,  on  his  estate  called 
"  Fauconberg,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  river  Comewina. 

"  Some  few  years  since  Mr.  Kruythoff  made  the  offer 
"  of  above  one  thousand  pounds  sterling  to  Mr.  D.  B.  to 
"  obtain  manumission  for  his  ofl^spring ;  which  being  in- 
"  humanly  refused,  it  had  such  an  effect  on  his  spirits,  that 
"  he  became  frantic,  and  died  in  that  melancholy  state 
"  soon  after ;  leaving  in  slavery,  at  the  discretion  of  a 
<'  tyrant,  two  boys  and  three  fine  girls,  of  which  the  one 
"  now  before  us  is  the  eldest  *. 

"  The  gold  medals,  &c.  which  seem  to  surprise  3'ou,  are 
"  the  gifts  which  her  faithful  mother,  who  is  a  most  de- 
"  serving  woman  towards  her  children,  and  of  some  conse- 
"  qvience  amongst  her  cast,  received  from  her  father  (whom 
"  she  ever  attended  with  exemplary  affection)  just  before 
"  he  expired. 

"  Mr.  D.  B.,  however,  met  with  his  just  rcAvard  :  for 
"  having  since  driven  all  his  best  carpenter  negroes  to  the 
"  woods  by  his  injustice  and  severity,  he  was  ruined,  and 

*  In  Surinam  all  such  children  go  tei's  property,  should  their  father  be 
with  their  mothers ;  that  is,  if  she  is  a  prince,  unless  he  obtains  them  by 
in  slavery,  her  offspring  are  her  mas-      purchase. 

"  obliged 


96  NARRATIVE    Or    AN 

"  o])liged  to  fly  the  colony,  and  leave  his  estate  and  stock 
"  to  the  disposal  of  his  creditors  ;  while  one  of  the  above 
"  unhappy  deserters,  a  samhoe  *,  has  by  his  industry  been 
"  the  protector  of  Cery  and  her  children.  His  name  is 
"  Jolycffiur,  and  he  is  now  the  first  of  Baron's  captains, 
"  whom  you  may  have  a  chance  of  meeting  in  the  rebel 
"  camp,  breathing  revenge  against  the  Christians. 

"  Mrs.  D.  B.  is  still  in  Surinam,  being  arrested  for  her 
"  husband's  debts,  till  Fauconberg  shall  be  sold  by  execu- 
"  tion  to  pay  them.  This  lady  now  lodges  at  my  house, 
"  where  the  unfortunate  Joanna  attends  her,  whom  she 
"  treats  with  peculiar  tenderness  and  distinction." 

Having  thanked  Mrs.  Demelly  for  her  account  of  Joanna, 
in  whose  eye  glittered  the  precious  pearl  of  sympathy,  I 
took  my  leave,  and  went  to  my  lodging  in  a  state  of  sad- 
ness and  stupefaction.  However  trifling,  and  like  the  style 
of  romance,  this  relation  may  appear  to  some,  it  is  never- 
theless a  genuine  account,  and  on  that  score  I  flatter  myself 
may  not  entirely  be  uninteresting  to  others. 

When  reflecting  on  the  state  of  slavery  altogether,  while 
my  ears  were  stunned  with  the  clang  of  the  whip,  and  the 
dismal  3'ells  of  the  wretched  negroes  on  whom  it  was  exer- 
cised, from  morning  till  night;  and  considering  that  this 
might  one  day  be  tlie  fate  of  the  unfortunate  mulatto  I 
have  been  describing,  should  she  chance  to  fall  into  the 

*  A  samboe  is  between  a  mulatto  and  a  negro. 

hands 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  97 

liands  of  a  tyrannical  master  or  mistress,  I  could  not  help 
execrating  the  barbaiity  of  ]\Ir.  D.  B.  for  having  with- 
held her  from  a  fond  parent,  who  by  bestowing  on  her  a 
decent  education  and  some  accomplishments,  would  pro- 
bably have  pi'oduced,  in  this  forsaken  plant,  now  exposed 
to  every  rude  blast  without  protection,  an  ornament  to 
civilized  society. 

I  became  melancholy  with  these  reflections ;  and  in 
order  to  counterbalance,  though  in  a  very  small  degree, 
the  general  calamity  of  the  miserable  slaves  who  sur- 
rounded me,  I  began  to  take  more  delight  in  the  prattling 
of  my  poor  negro  boy,  Quaco,  than  in  all  the  fashionable 
convex'sation  of  the  polite  inhabitants  of  this  colony  :  but 
my  spirits  were  depressed,  and  in  the  space  of  twenty-four 
hours  I  was  very  ill  indeed ;  when  a  cordial,  a  few  pre- 
served tamarinds,  and  a  basket  of  fine  oranges,  were  sent 
by  an  unknown  person.  This  first  contributed  to  my 
relief,  and  losing  about  twelve  ounces  of  blood,  I  recovered 
so  far,  that  on  the  fifth  I  was  able,  for  change  of  air,  to 
accompany  a  Captain  Macneyl,  who  gave  me  a  pressing 
invitation  to  his  beautiful  coffee  plantation,  called  Sporkes- 
gift,  in  the  Matapaca  Creek. 

Having  mentioned  tamarinds,  I  will,  before  we  proceed 
on  our  journey,  embrace  the  opportunity  of  introducing 
a  short  description  of  them.  The  tree  on  Avhich  this  fruit 
is  produced  is  about  the  size  of  a  large  apple-tree,  and  is 
very  straight,  and  covered  with  a  brownish-coloured  bark; 

Vol.  I.  O  the 


98  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

the  twigs  are  slender,  arched,  and  knotty,  producing  leaves 
and  a  pod,  which  will  be  best  known  by  the  annexed  re- 
presentation, where  A  is  the  leaf  of  the  natural  size ;  B  the 
extremity  of  the  branch ;  C  the  fruit  green  and  unripe  ; 
D  the  pulp,  which  is  brown  when  in  perfection ;  and  E 
the  purple  kernels  or  stones  that  are  inclosed  within  it. 
The  upper  part  of  the  leaves  are  a  darker  green  than  un- 
derneath :  upon  the  whole,  they  form  a  very  agreeable 
shade,  on  which  account  the  tamarind-trees  are  frequently 
planted  in  groves. 

The  male  and  female  species  bear  a  remarkable  distinc- 
tion in  their  colour ;  that  of  the  first  having  the  deepest 
hue. 

1  shall  not  presume  to  be  minute  with  respect  to  the 
medicinal  qualities  of  these  or  any  other  vegetable  in 
Guiana,  which  are  as  amply  as  I  believe  justly  described 
by  Dr.  Bancroft,  in  his  letters  to  Dr.  Pitcairn,  Fellow  of 
the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  in  London,  except  in 
mentioning  such  efficacy  as  1  have  found  them  to  possess 
by  my  own  experience,  and  which  consists  in  the  pulp ; 
which  when  presei'ved  is  a  most  delicious  refreshment  in 
hot  climates :  it  is  a  laxative,  and  when  dissolved  with 
water,  makes  a  very  cooling  and  agreeable  beverage,  and 
is  much  recommended  in  all  diseases,  particularly  in 
fevers. 

We  now  set  out  from  Paramaribo  for  Sporkesgift,  in  a 
tent-boat  or  barge,  rowed  by  eight  of  the  best  negroes 

belonging 


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Lonil,^n,Pi,hli\)1irJ  DrcriflTgl.  hr  J.JohnJ.m   St PaiiU  iTiriri-A   I'.inl. 


7/^^^c^^/i€  G^/a/iey'^S^/^y^i///'/y/^  o7iy/A^'Z^^i^i^e^'Ccr7n//?teM/t''n£^. 


yuyi^re^^^^i/a/i^^i  o/  a^  ^e^t^  l^iatf-^,  a/  ■  //7//'//A///4>9^/^  ^yOaraey. 


London, Puhh'siud  rift-ri-^jifij'j-  J.J,*l,nson.S.^Patd>  Chun-h  Tard. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  99 

belonging  to  ]\lr.  Macneyl's  estate  ;  every  body,  as  I  have    chap. 
already  mentioned,  travelling  by  water  in  this  colony. 

These  barges  I  cannot  better  describe  than  by  com- 
paring them  \yith  those  that  accompany  what  is  usually 
styled  the  Lord  Mayor's  Show  on  the  river  Thames.  They 
are,  however,  somewhat  less,  though  some  are  very  little 
inferior  in  magnificence,  and  are  often  decorated  with  gild- 
ing and  flags,  filled  with  musicians,  and  abound  in  every 
convenience.  They  are  sometimes  rowed  by  ten  and  even 
by  twelve  oars,  and  being  lightly  built,  sweep  along  with 
astonishing  celerity.  The  rowers  never  stop,  fi-om  the 
moment  they  set  out  till  the  company  is  landed  at  the 
place  of  destination ;  but  continue,  the  tide  serving  or  not, 
to  tug  night  and  day,  sometimes  for  twenty-four  hours  to- 
gether, singing  a  chorus  all  the  time  to  keep  up  their  spirits. 
When  their  labour  is  over,  their  naked  bodies  still  drip- 
ping with  sweat,  like  post-horses,  they  headlong,  one  and 
all,  plunge  into  the  river  to  refresh  themselves : — 

"  The  wanton  courser  thus,  with  reins  unbound, 
"  Breaks  from  his  stall,  and  beats  the  trembling  ground ; 
"  Pamper'd  and  proud,  he  seeks  the  wonted  tides, 
"  And  laves  in  height  of  blood  his  shining  sides." 

We  now  passed  a  number  of  fine  plantations,  but  I 
could  not  help  taking  particular  notice  of  the  Cacao  es- 
tate, called  Alkmaar,  situated  on  the  right  side  in  rowing 

0  2  up 


TOD  NARRATIVE   OF   AJST 

up  the  river  Comewina,  which  is  no  less  conspicuous  for 
its  beauty  than  for  the  goodness  of  its  proprietor,  the  in- 
vahiable  lady  the  widow  Godefroy,  whose  humanity  and 
friendship  must  always  be  remembered  by  me  with  grati- 
tude. 

At  our  arrival  on  the  estate  Sporkesgift,  I  had  the  plea- 
sure to  be  the  spectator  of  an  instance  of  justice  Avhich 
afforded  me  the  greatest  satisfaction. 

The  scene  consisted  in  Mr.  Macneyl's  turning  the  over- 
seer out  of  his  service,  and  ordering  him  to  depart  from  the 
plantation  in  an  inferior  boat,  called  a  ponkee  *,  to  Para- 
maribo, or  wherever  he  thought  proper ;  Avhich  was  instan- 
taneously put  in  execution.  The  cause  of  his  disgrace 
Avas  having,  by  bad  usage  and  cruelty,  caused  the  death  of 
three  or  four  negroes.  His  departure  was  made  completely 
joyful  to  all  the  slaves  by  an  holiday,  w^hich  was  spent  in 
festivity,  by  dancing  and  clapping  hands  on  a  green  before 
the  dwelling-house  Avindows. 

The  overseer's  sentence  Avas  the  more  ignominious  and! 
galling,  as  at  the  time  of  receiving  it  a  negro  foot-boy,, 
Avlao  Avas  buckling  his  shoes,  was  ordered  back,  and  he  was 
desired  to  buckle  them  himself  The  spirited  conduct  of 
this  planter,  the  joy  of  his  negroes,  the  salubrity  of  the 
country  air,  and  the  hospitable  manner  in  which  Ave  were- 
entertained  at  his  estate,  had  such  an  effect  on  my  consti- 

*    A  ponkee  is  a  flat-bottomed  boat  of  four  or  six  oars,  something  like  a. 
square-toed  shoe :  sometimes  it  has  a  tilt,  and  sometimes  not, 

tution, 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  loi 

^  tution  and  my  spirits,  that  on  the.  ninth  I  returned,  if  not 
recovered,  at  least  greatly  benefited,  to  Paramaribo.  But 
I  should  be  guilty  of  partiality,  did  I  not  relate  one  in- 
stance, which  throws  a  shade  over  the  humanity  even  of 
my  frrend  Macneyl. 

Having  observed  a  handsome  young  negro  walk  very 
lamely,  while  the  others  were  capering  and  dancing,  I  in- 
quired into  the  cause  of  his  crippled  appearance ;  when 
I  was  informed  by  this  gentleman,  that  the  negro  having 
repeatedly  run  away  from  his  work,  he  had  been  obliged 
to  hamstring  him,  which  operation  is  performed  by  cutting 
through  the  large  tendon  above  one  of  the  heels.  However 
severe  this  instance  of  despotism  may  appear,  it  is  nothing 
when  compared  Avith  some  barbarities  which  the  task  I 
have  undertaken  will  oblige  me,  at  the  expence  of  my 
feelings,  to  relate. 

On  our  return  to  the  town  of  Paramaribo,  the  only  ncwsr 
that  occurred  consisted  in  a  few  shockins;  executions  ;  also 
that  the  Boreas  man  of  Avar,  Captain  Van-de-Velde,  had 
sailed  for  Holland ;  and  that  Colonel  Fourgeoud  had  on 
the  eighth,  the  Prince  of  Orange's  anniversary,  entertained 
a  large  company  v/ith  a  ball  en  militaire,  in  the  officers' 
guard-room.  The  music  on  this  occasion  consisted  of  two 
fiddlers  only,  who  had  the  conscience  to  make  the  colonel 
pay  one  hundred  and  twenty  Dutch  florins  for  rosin  and 


catgut. 


About  this  time  1  was  attacked  by  a  distemper  called 

thfe 


103  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

tlie  imckly  heat,  by  the  colonists  rootvont.  It  begins  by 
the  skin  taking  a  colour  like  scarlet,  (occasioned  by  a  num- 
ber of  small  pmiples)  and  itching  inconceivably ;  under 
the  garters,  or  any  place  where  the  circulation  is  impeded, 
the  itching  is  almost  insupportable. 

With  this  pest  all  new-comers  from  Europe  are  soon 
infested.  The  cure  is  to  bathe  the  parts  with  the  juice  of 
limes  and  water,  as  for  the  l)ites  of  gnats  or  musquitoes. 
The  prickly  heat  is  supposed  to  be  a  prognostic  of  good 
health  by  the  inhabitants  ;  which  I  have  reason  to  think 
true,  since  from  that  period  my  health  and  spirits  were 
perfectly  re-established,  and  I  was  once  more  as  happy  as 
Paramaribo  could  make  me. 

At  this  time  Colonel  Fourgeoud  set  out  with  a  barge,  to 
inspect  the  situation  of  the  rivers  Comewina  and  Cottica, 
in  case  the  actual  service  of  our  troops  should  soon  be 
wanted  ;  being  at  his  departure  saluted  by  the  guns  from 
Fort  Zelandia,  and  by  those  of  the  ships  in  the  roads.  This 
compliment  I  acknowledge  astonished  me,  after  the  cool- 
ness which  took  place,  and  was  now  rooted,  between  this 
gentleman  and  the  governor  of  the  colony. 

As  we  were  still  in  a  state  of  inaction,  I  made  another 
excursion,  with  a  Mr.  Charles  Ryndorp,  who  rowed  me  in 
his  barge  to  five  beautiful  coffee  estates,  and  one  sugar 
plantation,  in  the  Matapaca,  Paramarica,  and  Werapa 
Creeks ;  the  description  of  which  I  must  defer  to  another 
occasion  ;  but  on  one  of  which,  called  Schoonoort,  I  was 
10  the 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  103 

the  witness  to  a  scene  of  barbarity  which  I  cannot  help    chap. 
relating. 

The  victim  of  this  cruelty  was  a  fine  old  negro  slave, 
who  having  been  as  he  thought  undeservedly  sentenced 
to  receive  some  hundred  lashes  by  the  lacerating  whips  of 
two  negro-drivers,  in  the  midst  of  the  execution  pulled  out 
a  knife,  which,  after  having  made  a  fruitless  thrust  at  his 
persecutor  the  overseer,  he  plunged  up  to  the  haft  in  his 
own  bowels,  repeating  the  blow  till  he  dropped  down  at 
the  tyrant's  feet.  For  this  crime  he  was,  being  first  re- 
covered, condemned  to  be  chained  to  the  furnace  which 
distils  the  kill-devil  *,  there  to  keep  in  the  intense  heat  of 
a  perpetual  fire  night  and  day,  being  blistered  all  over,  till 
he  should  expire  by  infirmity  or  old  age,  of  the  latter  of 
which  however  he  had  but  little  chance.  He  shewed  me 
his  wounds  with  a  smile  of  contempt,  Avhich  I  returned 
with  a  sigh  and  a  small  donation  :  nor  shall  I  ever  forget 
the  miserable  man,  who,  like  Cerberus,  was  loaded  Avith 
irons,  and  chained  to  everlasting  torment.  As  for  every 
thing  else  I  observed  in  this  little  tour,  I  must  acknowledge 
it  to  be  elegant  and  splendid,  and  my  reception  hospitable 
beyond  my  expectation :  but  these  Elysian  fields  could 

*  Kill-devil  is  a  species  of  rum  many  Europeans  also,  from  a  point 

which  is  dislilled  from  the  scum  and  of  economy,  make  use  of  it,  to  whom 

dregs  of  sugar  caukh'ons.      This  is  it  proves  no  better  than  a  slow  but 

much  drunk  in  this  colony,  and  the  fatal  poison, 
only    spirits   allowed    the   negroes ; 

not 


104  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

not  dissipate  the  gloom  which  the  infernal  furnace  had  left 
upon  my  mind. 

Of  the  coffee  estates,  that  of  Mr.  Sims,  called  Limes- 
hope,  Avas  the  most  magnificent,  and  may  be  deemed  with 
justice  one  of  the  richest  in  the  colony.  We  now  once 
more,  on  the  sixth  of  April,  returned  safe  to  Paramaribo, 
where  we  found  the  Westerlingwerf  man  of  war.  Captain 
Crass,  which  had  arrived  from  Plymouth  in  thirty-seven 
days,  into  Avhich  port  he  had  put  to  stop  a  leak,  having 
parted  company  with  us,  as  already  mentioned,  off  Port- 
land, in  the  end  of  December  1772.  This  day,  dining  at 
the  house  of  my  friend,  Mr.  Lolkens,  to  whom  I  had  been, 
as  I  have  said,  recommended  by  letters,  I  was  an  eyewit- 
ness of  the  unpardonable  contempt  with  which  negro 
slaves  are  treated  in  this  colony.  His  son,  a  boy  not  more 
than  ten  years  old,  when  sitting  at  table,  gave  a  slap  in  the 
face  to  a  grey-headed  black  woman,  who  by  accident 
touched  his  powdered  hair,  as  she  was  serving  in  a  dish  of 
kerry.  I  could  not  help  blaming  his  father  for  overlooking 
the  action;  who  told  me,  with  a  smile,  that  the  child 
should  no  longer  offend  me,  as  he  was  next  day  to  sail  for 
Holland  for  education ;  to  which  I  answered,  that  I  thought 
jt  almost  too  late.  At  the  same  moment  a  sailor  jiassing 
by,  broke  the  head  of  a  negro  Avith  a  bludgeon,  for  not 
having  saluted  him  Avith  his  hat. — Such  is  the  state  of 
slavery,  at  least  in  this  Dutch  settlement ! 

About 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  105 

About  this  time,  Colonel  Fourgeoud  made  a  second 
excursion,  and  now  departed  with  a  barge,  to  explore  the 
banks  and  situation  of  the  river  Surinam,  as  he  had  before 
done  those  of  Rio  Comewina  and  Rio  Cottica. 

At  this  time  died  Captain  Barends,  one  of  the  masters 
of  the  transports,  which  were  still  kept  in  commission,  in 
case  they  should  be  wanted   for  our  return  to  Europe. 
Five  or  six  sailors  now  Avere  buried  every  day,  belonging 
to  the  merchant  ships,  whose  lamentable  fate  I  cannot 
pass  by  unnoticed,    being  actually  used  worse  than  the 
negroes  in  this  scorching  climate,  where,  besides  rowing- 
large  flat-bottomed  barges  up  and  down  the  rivers,  day 
and  night,  for  coffee,  sugar.  Sec.  and  being  exposed  to  the 
burning  sun   and  heavy  rains,    and  besides  stowing  the 
above  commodities  in  a  hold  as  hot  as  an  oven,  they  are 
obliged  to  row  every  upstart  planter  to  his  estate  at  a  call, 
which  saves  the  gentleman  so  many  negroes,  and  for  which 
they  receive  in  return  nothing — many  times  not  so  much 
as  a  mouthful  of  meat  and  drink ;  palliating  hunger  and 
thirst  by  begging  from  the  slaves  a  few  bananas  or  plan- 
tains, eating  oranges  and  drinking  water,  Avhicli  in  a  little 
time  relieves  them  from  every  complaint,  by  shipping  them 
off  to  eternity.     In  every  part  of  the  colony  they  are  no 
better  treated,  but,  like  horses,  they  must  (having  unload- 
ed the  vessels)  drag  the  commodities  to  the  distant  store- 
houses, being  bathed  in  sweat,  and  bullied  with  bad  language, 
sometimes  with  blows ;  while  a  fcAV  negroes  are  ordered 
Vol.  I.  P  to 


106  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

to  attend,  but  not  to  work,  by  the  direction  of  their  mas- 
ters, which  many  would  willingly  do  to  relieve  the  droop- 
ing sailors,  to  whom  this  usage  must  be  exceedingly 
disheartening  and  galling.  The  planters  even  employ  those 
men  to  paint  their  houses,  clean  their  sash-windows,  and 
do  numberless  other  menial  services,  for  which  a  seaman 
was  never  intended.  All  this  is  done  to  save  the  work  of 
their  negroes ;  while  by  this  usage  thousands  are  swept  to 
the  grave,  who  in  the  line  of  their  profession  alone  might 
have  lived  for  many  years  ;  nor  dare  the  West  India  Cap- 
tains to  refuse  their  men,  without  incuiTing  the  displeasure 
of  the  planters,  and  seeing  their  ships  rot  in  the  harbour 
without  a  loading ; — nay,  I  have  heard  a  sailor  fervently 
Avish  he  had  been  born  a  negro,  and  beg  to  be  employed 
amongst  them  in  cultivating  a  coffee  plantation. 

I  now  took  an  early  opportunity  to  enquire  of  Mrs.  De- 
melly  what  was  become  of  the  amiable  Joanna ;  and  was 
informed  that  her  lady,  Mrs.  D.  B.,  had  escaped  to  Hol- 
land on  board  the  Boreas  man-of-war,  under  the  protec- 
tion of  Captain  Van-de-Velde,  and  that  her  young  mulatto 
was  now  at  the  house  of  her  aunt,  a  free  woman,  whence 
she  expected  hourly  to  be  sent  up  to  the  estate  Faucon- 
berg,  friendless,  and  at  the  mercy  of  some  unprincipled 
overseer  appointed  by  the  creditors,  Avho  had  now  taken 
possession  of  the  plantation  and  stock,  till  the  whole  should 
be  sold  to  pay  the  several  sums  due  to  them  by  Mr.  D.  B. 
—Good  God  ! — I  flew  to  the  spot  in  search  of  poor  Joanna : 

I  found 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  107 

I  found  her  bathed  in  tears. — She  gave  nie  such  a  look — 
ah  !  such  a  look  ! — From  that  moment  I  determined  to  be 
her  protector  against  every  insult,  and  persevered,  as  shall 
be  seen  in  the  sequel, — Here,  reader,  let  my  youth,  blended 
with  extreme  sensibility,  plead  my  excuse ;  yet  assuredly 
my  feelings  will  be  forgiven  me — by  those  few  only  except- 
ed— who  delight  in  the  prudent  conduct  of  Mr.  Incle  to 
the  hapless  and  much-injured  Yarico  at  Barbadoes. 

I  next  ran  to  the  house  of  my  friend  Lolkens,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  the  administrator  of  Fauconberg  estate  ;  and 
asking  his  assistance,  I  intimated  to  him  my  strange  deter- 
mination of  purchasing  and  educating  Joanna. 

Having  recovered  from  his  surprise,  after  gazing  at  me 
silently  for  some  time,  an  interview  at  once  was  proposed  ; 
and  the  beauteous  slave,  accompanied  by  a  female  relation, 
was  produced  trembling  in  my  presence. 

Reader,  if  you  have  perused  the  tale  of  Lavinia  with 
pleasure,  though  the  scene  admits  of  no  comparison,  reject 
not  the  history  of  Joanna  with  contempt. — It  now  proved 
to  be  she  who  had  privately  sent  me  the  cordial  and  the 
oranges  in  March,  when  I  was  nearly  expiring,  and  which 
she  now  modestly  acknowledged  "  was  in  gratitude  for 
"  my  expressions  of  compassion  respecting  her  sad  situa- 
"  tion ;"  with  singular  delicacy,  however,  she  rejected 
every  proposal  of  becoming  mine  upon  any  terms.  She 
was  conscious,  slie  said,  "  that  in  such  a  state,  should  I 
*'  soon  return  to  Europe,  she  must  either  be  parted  from 

p  2  "  me 


108  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

"  me  for  ever,  or  accompany  me  to  a  part  of  the  Avorld 
"  where  the  inferiority  of  her  condition  must  proA^e  greatly 
"  to  the  disadvantage  of  both  herseU'  and  her  benefactor, 
"  and  thus  in  either  case  be  miserable."  In  which  senti- 
ments Joanna  firmly  persisting,  she  was  immediately  per- 
mitted to  withdraw,  and  return  to  the  house  of  her  aunt ; 
while  I  could  only  entreat  of  Mr.  Lolkens  his  generous 
protection  for  her,  and  that  she  might  at  least  for  some  time 
be  separated  from  the  other  slaves,  and  continue  at  Para- 
maribo ;  and  in  this  request  his  humanity  was  induced  to 
indulge  me. 

On  the  30th  the  news  arrived  that  the  rangers,  having 
discovered  a  rebel  village,  had  attacked  it,  and  carried  off 
three  prisoners,  leaving  four  others  dead  upon  the  spot, 
whose  right  hands,  chopped  off  and  barbecued  or  smoke- 
dried,  they  had  sent  to  the  Governor  of  Paramaribo,  as  a 
proof  of  their  valour  and  fidelity. 

On  receiving  this  intelligence.  Colonel  Fourgeoud  im- 
mediately left  the  river  Surinam,  where  he  still  was,  and 
on  the  first  of  May  returned  to  town,  in  expectation  of  his 
regiment  being  employed  on  actual  service,  but  there  the 
business  ended ;  and  we  still,  to  our  utter  astonishment, 
were  allowed  to  linger  away  our  time,  each  agreeably  to 
his  own  peculiar  fancy.  On  the  4th  of  May  the  rangers 
however  were  reviewed  in  the  Fort  Zelandia,  at  which 
ceremony  I  was  present,  and  must  confess  that  this  corps 
of  black  soldiers  had  a  truly  manly  appearance  :  warriors 

whose 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  109 

M'hose  determined  and  open  aspect  could  not  but  give  me    chap. 

the  satisfaction  of  a  soldier  in  beholding  them.     They  here 

once  more  received  the  thanks  of  the  Governor  for  their 

manly  behaviour  and  faithful  conduct,  particularly  at  the 

taking  of  Boucon  ;  besides  which,  they  were  entertained 

with  a  rural  feast,  at  the  public  expence,  at  Paramaribo, 

to  which  were  also  invited  their  families;  and  at  which 

feast  several  resjiectable  people  of  both  sexes  made  their 

appearance  with  pleasuie,  to  witness  the  happiness  of  their 

sable  friends,  the  day  being  spent  in  mirth  and  convivialit\% 

without  tlie  least  disturbance,  nay  even  witli  decorum  and 

propriety,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  Westerlingwerf,   Captain  Crass,  now  left  the  river 
also,  bound  for  Holland,  but  first  for  tlie  colony  of  De- 
merar3\     Thus  both  ships  of  war  having  sailed    without 
us,  there  was  some  reason  to  suppose  we  were  soon  to  be 
employed  on  actual  service.     There  were  many  motixes, 
indeed,  for  wishing  either  that  this  might  be  the  case,  or 
that  we  might  speedily  be  permitted  to  return  to  Europe. 
Not  only  our  officers,  but  our  privates,  began  to  tee!  the 
debilitatino;  effects  of  the  climate,  and  manv,  of  that  con- 
tinned  debauchery  so  common  in  all  ranks  in  this  settle- 
ment :  and  as  hard   labour  and  bad  treatment  constantly 
killed   the   poor  sailors,  so  now  our  common  soldiers  fell 
the  victims  of  idleness  and  licentiousness,  and  died  fre- 
quently six  or  seven  in  a  day ;  whence  it  is  evident  to 

demon- 


V, 


no  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

C  II  A  P.    demonstration,  that  all  excesses,  of  whatever  khid,    are 
mortal  to  Europeans  in  the  climate  of  Guiana. 

But  men  ^yill  give  lessons  which  they  do  not  themselves 
observe.  Thus,  notwithstanding  my  former  resolution  of 
living  retired,  I  again  relapsed  into  the  vortex  of  dissipa- 
tion. I  became  a  member  of  a  drinking  club,  I  partook 
of  all  polite  and  impolite  amusements,  and  plunged  into 
every  extravagance  without  exception.  I  did  not,  how- 
ever, escape  without  the  punishment  I  deserved.  I  was 
seized  suddenly  with  a  dreadful  fever;  and  such  was  its  vio- 
lence, that  in  a  few  days  I  was  no  more  expected  to  recover. 
In  this  situation  I  lay  in  my  hammock  until  the  17  th,  with 
only  a  soldier  and  my  black  boy  to  attend  me,  and  without 
any  other  friend  :  sickness  being  universal  among  the  new- 
comers to  this  country,  and  every  one  of  our  corps  having 
so  much  to  do  to  take  care  of  themselves,  neglect  was  an 
inevitable  consequence,  even  among  the  nearest  acquain- 
tance. This,  however,  is  a  censure  which  does  not  apply 
to  the  inhabitants,  who  perhaps  are  the  most  hospitable 
people  on  the  globe  to  Europeans.  These  philanthropists 
not  only  supply  the  sick  with  a  variety  of  cordials  at  the 
same  time,  but  crowd  their  apartments  with  innumerable 
condolers,  who  from  morning  till  night  continue  prescribing, 
insisting,  bewailing,  and  lamenting,  friend  and  stranger 
without  exception  ;  and  this  lasts  until  the  patient  becomes 
delirious,  and  expires.     Such  must  inevitably  have  been 

my 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  iii 

my  case,  between  the  two  extremes  of  neglect  and  impor-  c  ii  a  p. 
tunity,  had  it  not  been  for  the  happy  intervention  of  poor 
Joanna,  who  one  morning  entered  my  apartment,  to  my 
unspeakable  joy  and  surprise,  accompanied  by  one  of  her 
sisters.  She  informed  ine  that  she  was  acquainted  with  my 
forlorn  situation  ;  that  if  I  still  entertained  for  her  the 
same  good  o})inion,  her  only  request  was,  that  she  might 
wait  upon  mc  till  I  should  be  recovered.  I  indeed  grate- 
fully accepted  her  oiter;  and  by  her  unremitting  care  and 
attention  had  the  good  fortune  so  far  to  regain  my  health 
and  spirits,  as  to  be  able,  in  a  few  days  after,  to  take  an 
airino;  in  Mr.  Kennedy's  carriage. 

CD  «-  O 

Till  this  time  I  had  chiefly  been  Joanna's  friend  ;  but 
now  I  began  to  feel  I  was  her  captive.  I  renewed  my  wild 
proposals  of  purchasing,  educating,  and  transporting  her 
to  Europe  ;  Avluch,  though  offered  with  the  most  perfect 
sincerity,  were,  by  her,  rejected  once  mor-e,  with  this 
humble  declaration : 

"  I  am  born  a  low  contemptible  slave.  Were  you  to 
"  treat  me  with  too  much  attention,  you  must  degrade 
"  yourself  with  all  your  friends  and  relations ;  while  the 
"  purchase  of  my  freedom  you  will  find  expensive,  diffi- 
"  cult,  and  apparently  ifnpossible.  Yet  though  a  slave, 
"  I  have  a  soul,  I  hope,  not  inferior  to  that  of  an  Euro- 
"  pean ;  and  blush  not  to  avow  the  regard  I  retain  for 
"  you,  who  have  distinguished  me  so  much  above  all  others 
*'  of  my  unhappy  birih.     You  have,  Sir,  pitied  me;  and 

"  now» 


112  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

"  iiow,  independent  of  every  other  thought,  I  shall  have 
"  pride  in  throwing  myself  at  your  feet,  till  fate  shall  part 
"  us,  or  my  conduct  become  such  as  to  give  you  cause  to 
"  banish  me  from  your  presence." 

This  she  uttered  with  a  down-cast  look,  and  tears  drop- 
ping on  her  heaving  bosom,  while  she  held  her  companion 
by  the  hand. 

From  that  instant  this  excellent  creature  was  mine  ; — 
nor  had  I  ever  after  cause  to  repent  of  the  step  I  had 
taken,  as  will  more  particularly  appear  in  the  course  of 
this  narrative. 

I  cannot  omit  to  record,  that  having  purchased  for  her 
presents  to  the  value  of  twenty  guineas,  I  was  the  next  day 
greatly  astonished  to  see  all  my  gold  returned  upon  my 
table  ;  the  charming  Joanna  having  carried  every  article 
back  to  the  merchants,  who  cheerfully  returned  her  the 
money. 

"  Your  generous  intentions  alone.  Sir,  (she  said)  were 
"  sufficient :  but  allow  me  to  tell  you,  that  I  cannot  help 
"  considering  any  superfluous  expence  on  my  account  as  a 
"  diminution  of  that  good  opinion  which  I  hope  yovi  have, 
"  and  will  ever  entertain,  of  my  disinterested  disposition." 

Such  was  the  language  of  a  slave,  who  had  simple  nature 
only  for  her  instructor,  the  purity  of  v.'hose  sentiments 
stood  in  need  of  no  comment,  and  these  ]  was  now  deter- 
mined to  improve  by  every  care. 

I  shall  now  only  add,  that  a  regard  for  her  superior 
5  virtues. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  113 

virtues,  so  singular  amongst  her  cast,  gratitude  for  her  par- 
ticular attention  to  me,  and  the  pleasure  of  producing  to 
the  world  such  an  accomplished  character  under  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  slave,  could  alone  embolden  me  to  risk  the 
censure  of  my  readers,  by  intruding  on  them  this  subject : 
let  this  be  my  apology,  and  if  it  be  accepted  but  by  few, 
I  shall  not  be  inclined  to  complain. 

In  the  evening  I  visited  Mr.  Demelly,  who,  with  his 
lady,  congratulated  me  on  my  recovery  from  sickness ;  and 
at  the  same  time,  however  strange  it  may  appear  to  many 
readers,  they,  with  a  smile,  wished  me  joy  of  what,  with 
their  usual  good  humour,  they  were  pleased  to  call  my 
conquest;  which,  one  of  the  ladies  in  company  assured 
me,  while  it  was  perhaps  censured  by  some,  was  applauded 
by  many,  but  she  believed  in  her  heart  envied  by  ail. — 
A  decent  wedding,  at  which  many  of  our  respectable 
friends  made  their  appearance,  and  at  which  I  was  as 
happy  as  any  bridegroom  ever  was,  concluded  the  cere- 
mony ;  with  which  I  shall  beg  leave  to  conclude  a  chapter, 
wliich,  methinks  I  hear  many  readers  whisper,  had  better 
never  had  a  beginning. 


Vol.  I.  Q 


lU  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 


CHAP.    VI. 

Account  of  a  dreadful  Execution — Fluctuating  State  of 
political  Affairs — Short  Glimpse  of  Peace — A71  Officer  shot 
dead ;  his  whole  Tarty  cut  to  Pieces,  and  the  general 
Alarm  revived  throughout  the  Colony. 

ON  the  21stof  May  our  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Lantmau, 
died,  and  a  number  of  our  officers  lay  sick. 
.  Instead  of  gaiety  and  dissipation,  disease  and  mortality 
now  began  to  rage  amongst  us ;  and  the  devastation  in- 
creased from  day  to  day  among  the  private  men,  in  a 
most  alarming  proportion.  The  remains  of  the  deceased 
officer  were  interred  with  military  honours,  in  the  centre 
of  the  fortress  Zelandia,  where  all  criminals  are  impri- 
soned, and  all  field  officers  buried.  At  this  place  I  was 
not  a  little  shocked  to  see  the  captive  rebel  negroes  and 
others  clanking  their  chains,  and  roasting  plantains  and 
yams  upon  the  sepulchres  of  the  dead ;  they  presented  to 
my  imagination  the  image  of  a  number  of  diabolical  fiends 
in  the  shape  of  African  slaves,  tormenting  the  souls  of 
their  European  persecutors.  From  these  gloomy  man- 
sions of  despair,  on  this  day,  seven  captive  negroes  were 
selected,  who  being  led  by  a  few  soldiers  to  the  place  of 
execution,  which  is  in  the  Savannah,  where  the  sailors  and 

soldiers 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  U5 

soldiers  are  interred,  six  were  hanged,  and  one  broken 
alive  upon  the  rack,  Avith  an  iron   bar ;  besides  which  a 
white  man  was  scourged  before  the  Court  House,   by  the 
public  executioner,  Avho  is  in  this  country  always  a  black. 
The  circumstance  which  led  me  to  take  particular  notice  of 
this  affair  was  the  shameful  injustice  of  shewing  a  partiality 
to  the  European,  who  ought  to  have  been  better  informed, 
by  letting  him  escape  with  only  a  slight  corporal  punish- 
ment; while   the  poor  uneducated  Afiican  for  the  same 
crime,  viz.  stealing  money  out  of  the  Town  Hall,  lost  his 
life  under  the  most  excruciating  tomients,  which  he  sup- 
ported  without  heaving  a  sigh  or  making  a  complaint ; 
while  one  of  his  companions,  with  the  rope  about  his  neck, 
and  just  on  the  point  of  being  turned  off,  uttered  a  laugh 
of  contempt  at  the  magistrates  who  attended  the  execution. 
I  ought  not  in   this  place  to  omit,   that  the  negro  who 
flogged  the  white  man  inflicted  the  punishment  with  the 
greatest   marks    of  commiseration.       These   transactions 
almost  induced  me  to  decide  between  the  Europeans  and 
Africans  in  this  colony,  that  the  first  were  the  greater  bar- 
barians of  the  two — a  name  which  tarnishes  Christianity, 
and  is  bestowed  on  them  in  too  many  corners  of  the  globe, 
with  what  real  degree  of  justice  I  will  not  take  on  me  to 
determine. 

Having  testified  how  much  I  was  hurt  at  the  cruelty  of 
the  above  execution,  and  surprised  at  the  intrepidity  Avith 
which  the  negroes  bore  their  punishment,  a  decent  looking 

Q  2  '    nian 


116  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

man  stepped  up  to  me.    "  Sir,  (said  he)  you  are  but  a  new- 
"  comer  from  Europe,  and  know  very  little  about  the 
"  African  slaves,  or  you  would  testify  both  less  feeling  and 
"  surprise.     Not  long  ago,  (continued  he)  I  saw  a  black 
"  man  suspended  alive  from  a  gallows  by  the  ribs,   be- 
"  tween  Avhich,  with  a  knife,  was  first  made  an  incision, 
"  and  then  clinched  an  iron  hook  with  a  chain  :  in  this 
"  manner  he  kept  alive  three  daj^s,  hanging  with  his  head 
"  and  feet  downwards,  and  catching  with  his  tongue  tlie 
"  drops  of  water  (it  being  in  the  rainy  season)  that  were 
"  flowing  down  his  bloated  breast.     Notwithstanding  all 
"  this,  he  never  complained,  and  even  upbraided  a  negro 
"  for  crying  while  he  was  flogged  below  the  gallows,  by 
"  calling  out  to  him — You  man  ?—Da  hoy  fasy  ?  Are  you 
"  a  man  ?  you  behave  like  a  boy.     Shortly  after  which  he 
"  Avas  knocked  on  the  head  by  the  commiserating  sentr}'^, 
"  who  stood  over  him,  with  the  butt  end  of  his  musket." — 
"  Another   negro  (said  he)  I  have  seen  quartered  alive  ; 
"  who,   after  four  strong  horses  Avere  fastened  to  his  legs 
"  and  arms,  and  after  having  had  iron  sprigs  driven  home 
"  underneath  every  one  of  his  nails  on  hands  and  feet, 
"  without  a  motion,  he  first  asked  a  dram,  and  then  bid 
"  them  pull  aAvay,  Avithout  a  groan  :  but  Avhat  afforded  us 
"  the  greatest  entertainment  (continued  he)  Avere  the  fel- 
"  loAv's  jokes,  by  desiring  the  executioner  to  drink  before 
"  him,  in  case  there  should  chance  to  be  poison  in  the 
"  glass,  and  bidding  him  take  care  of  his  horses,  lest  any 
11  "of 


',..ir.s..,:r' 


,  J^.    iry/y   /f/y/y    ^//V/v    /'7y  Mr    .^t/M^ -^  a    O^//^^/'.^ 


Lonih^n.ruNi.>luti  y3///i:'V/AV<"  ■f'fo/iMon.X'J'ujtlr  Outixii  Yard. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  117 

"  of  them  should  happen  to  strike  backwards.  As  for  old  chap. 
"  men  being  broken  upon  the  rack,  and  young  women  ^^' 
"  roasted  alive  chained  to  stakes,  there  can  be  nothing 
"  more  common  in  this  colon3^" — I  was  petrified  at  the 
inhuman  detail ;  and  breaking  away  with  execrations  from 
this  diabolical  scene  of  laceration,  made  the  best  of  my 
way  home  to  my  own  lodgings. 

On  the  24th,  having  received  a  supply  of  provisions 
from  Holland,  and  absolutely  doing  no  service  in  the  co- 
lony, it  was  universally  resolved  that  we  should  proceed 
home ;  our  regiment,  notwithstanding  its  being  partly  paid 
by  the  United  Provinces,  still  being  exceedingly  chargeable 
to  the  society  and  the  inhabitants,  who,  in  conjunction, 
paid  all  other  expenccs :  thus,  in  the  hopes  of  sailing  in 
the  middle  of  June,  the  transports  were  ordered  a  second 
time  to  wood,  water,  and  make  all  other  necessary  prepa- 
rations. 

I  must  say  nothing  of  M'hat  I  felt  on  this  occasion  :  I 
continued,  however,  not  long  in  this  state  of  suspense ; 
for  the  following  day  intelligence  being  brought  that  a 
plantation  was  demolished,  and  the  overseers  murdered 
l)y  the  rebels,  our  stay  was  prolonged  a  second  time,  at 
the  request  of  the  Governor  himself  and  inhabitants  ;  and, 
in  consequence,  the  three  transports,  Avhich  had  since  Fe- 
bruary the  9th  been  kept  waiting  at  a  great  expence,  were 
finally  put  out  of  commission,  and  the  provisions  stov/ed 

at 


118  NARRATIVE  OF  AN 

CHAP,   at  the  head-quarters  in  a  temporary  storehouse  erected 
^^'       for  that  purpose. 

The  minds  of  the  people  began  now  to  be  quieted,  find- 
ing at  last  that  the  troops  were  in  earnest  preparing  for 
actual  service,  a  circumstance  greatly  indeed  to  be  lament- 
ed as  to  the  occasion,  but  certainly  much  better  for  the 
colony,  than  to  let  the  regiment  linger  away  an  idle  life  at 
Paramaribo, 

Thus  our  warlike  preparations  for  some  days  proceeded, 
and  our  marines  appeared  in  excellent  spirits ;  when  again, 
on  the  7th  of  June,  to  our  unutterable  surprise,  we  were 
for  the  third  time  officially  acquainted,  that  things  seem- 
ing quiet,  and  presuming  that  tranquillity  was  at  last  re- 
established, the  colony  of  Surinam  had  no  farther  occasion 
for  our  services.  These  fluctuating  councils  did  not  fail 
to  produce  much  discontent  among  the  military,  as  well 
as  the  inhabitants ;  and  cabals  were  formed,  which  threat- 
ened to  break  out  into  a  civil  contest. 

Some  charged  the  Governor  ^vith  being  jealous  of  the 
unlimited  power  which  was  vested  in  Colonel  Fourgeoud, 
Avho  was  also  by  many  others  blamed  as  abusing  that 
power,  and  as  not  treating  the  Governor  with  that  civility, 
which  he  might  have  evinced  without  lessening  his  own 
consequence.  Thus,  while  one  party  acknowledged  us 
to  be  the  bulwark  of  the  settlement,  by  keeping  the  rebels 
in  awe,  the  Opposition  hesitated  not  to  call  us  the  locusts 

of 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  119 

of  Egypt,  who  were  come   to  devour  the  fruits  of  the    c  11  a  p. 
colony. 

Without  entering  into  the  merits  of  the  question,  it  is 
sufficient  to  say,  that  our  hfe  was  rendered  very  uncom- 
fortable, and  a  great  number  of  us  could  not  help  thinking, 
that  between  the  two  parties  we  were  but  ill  treated.  This 
same  day,  while  at  dinner  on  board  a  Dutch  vessel  in  the 
roads,  the  company  were  alarmed  b}'  the  most  tremendous 
clap  of  thunder  I  ever  heard  in  my  life.  On  ovn-  side  of 
the  continent,  sevei'al  negroes  and  cattle  were  killed  by 
lightning;  while,  on  the  other  side,  nearly  at  the  same 
time,  the  city  of  Guatimala,  in  Old  Mexico,  was  swallowed 
up  by  an  earthquake,  by  which  eight  thousand  families  are 
said  to  have  instantly  perished. 

On  the  1 1th,  the  ships,  being  taken  again  into  commis- 
sion, were  ordered  with  all  possible  expedition  to  prepare 
for  our  final  departure,  and  every  one  was  making  himself 
ready  for  the  voyage. 

Being  thus  apparently  disengaged  from  military  service, 
I  received  a  polite  invitation  from  a  Mr.  Campbel,  who 
was  lodged  with  a  Mr.  Kerry  at  my  friend  Kennedy's,  to 
accompany  him  on  a  visit  to  the  island  of  Tobago,  where 
I  might  recruit  my  debilitated  health  and  dejected  spirits. 
His,  plan  was  to  return  with  me  by  the  Leeward  Islands  to 
Europe.  It  was,  indeed,  to  me  a  most  agreeable  offer,  all 
things  considered,  and  I  should  certainly  Avith  pleasure 
have  accepted  it,  had  not  my  application  to  Colonel  Fourr 

geoud: 


120  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

geoud  been  prevented  by  a  fresh  alarm,  which  was  received 
on  the  15th.  The  substance  of  this  was  no  less,  than  that 
an  officer  of  the  Society  troops  had  been  shot  dead  by  the 
rebels,  and  his  whole  party,  consisting  of  about  thirty  men, 
entirely  cut  to  pieces.  So  alarming  a  piece  of  intelligence 
could  not  fail  to  throw  the  whole  colony  once  more  into 
the  utmost  confusion  and  consternation.  The  above  gen- 
tleman, Avhose  name  was  Lepper,  and  only  a  lieutenant, 
was  in  a  great  measure  the  cause  of  this  misfortune,  by  his 
impetuosity  and  intrepidity,  totally  unregulated  by  temper 
or  conduct  * :  but  as  this  censure  in  general  terms  may 
appear  severe,  it  becomes  in  some  degree  incumbent  on 
me  to  relate  the  particulars. 

The  period  when  this  unhappy  event  took  place  was 
that  which,  in  the  language  of  the  colony,  is  termed  the 
sliort  dry  season.  During  this,  ]\Ir.  Lepper  having  been 
informed  that  between  the  rivers  Patamaca  and  Upper 
Cormootibo  a  village  of  negroes  had  been  discovered  by 
the  rangers  some  time  before,  he  determined  with  his  small 
party,  which  was  only  a  detachment  from  the  Patamaca 
post,  to  sally  through  the  woods  and  attack  them.  But 
the  rebels  being  apprized  of  his  intentions  by  their  spies, 
which  they  constantly  employ,  immediately  marched  out 
to  receive  him  ;  in  his  way  they  laid  themselves  in  ambush, 

*    This    gentleman    formerly    be-     his   antagonist    through    the   heart 
longed  to  the  life-guards  in  Holland,     with  his  sword  in  a  duel, 
from  which  he  fled,  after  thrusting 

near 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM.  121 

near  the  borders  of  a  deep  marsh,  through  which  the  soldiers 
were  to  pass  to  the  rebel  settlement.  No  sooner  had  the 
unfortunate  men  got  into  the  swamp  and  up  to  their  arm- 
pits, than  their  black  enemies  rushed  out  from  under  cover, 
and  shot  them  dead  at  their  leisure  in  the  water,  while 
they  were  unable  to  return  the  fire  more  than  once,  their 
situation  preventing  them  from  reloading  their  musquets. 
Their  gallant  commander,  being  imprudently  distinguished 
by  a  gold-laced  hat,  was  shot  through  the  head  in  the  first 
onset.  The  few  that  scrambled  out  of  the  marsh  upon  the 
banks  Avere  immediately  put  to  death  in  the  most  bar- 
barous manner,  except  five  or  six,  who  were  taken  prisoners 
and  carried  alive  to  the  settlement  of  the  rebels.  The 
melancholy  fate  of  these  unfortunate  men  I  shall,  in  a 
proper  place,  describe,  as  I  had  it  since  from  those  that 
were  eye-witnesses  of  it. 

The  intelligence  had  scarcely  reached  Paramaribo,  than 
the  whole  town  was  in  a  tumult ;  some  parties  were  so 
vehement  that  they  were  ready  to  tear  the  Governor  and 
council  to  pieces,  for  having  dismissed  Colonel  Fourgeoud 
with  his  regiment ;  Avhile  others  ingenuously  declared, 
that  if  we  were  intended  for  no  further  use  than  v/e  had 
hitherto  been,  our  company  might  without  regret  be  dis- 
pensed with.  All  this  could  not  l)ut  be  exceedingly  galling 
to  our  officers,  avIio  wished  nothing  more  than  to  be  em- 
ployed on  actual  service  for  the  advantage  of  the  colon}'. 
On   the  other   side,    most  bitter  lampoons  were  spread 

Vol.  I.  R  through 


122  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

through  the  town  against  the  Governor  and  his  council; 
libels  of  such  a  black  and  inflammatory  nature,  that  no  less 
than  a  thousand  gold  ducats  were  offered  as  a  reward  for 
the  discovery  of  their  author,  with  a  promise  of  concealing 
the  name  of  the  informer  if  he  required  it ;  but  the  Avhole 
was  to  no  purpose,  and  neither  author  nor  informer  made 
their  appearance  :  the  general  clamour  however  still  con- 
tinuing, the  Governor  and  council  were  forced  a  third  time 
to  petition  us  to  remain  in  Surinam,  and  to  protect  the 
distracted  colony.  To  this  petition  -we  once  more  conde- 
scended to  listen,  and  the  ships  were  actually  a  third  time 
put  out  of  commission. 

We,  however,  still  continued  doing  nothing,  to  the  un- 
speakable surprise  of  every  person  concerned :  the  only 
part  on  duty,  hitherto,  having  consisted  of  a  subaltern's 
guard  at  the  head-quarters,  to  protect  the  Chief,  his  co- 
loxn's,  his  store-houses,  pigs,  and  poultry,  which  guard 
regularly  mounted  every  day  at  half  past  four  o'clock,  and 
another  on  board  the  transports,  until  the  provisions  had 
been  stowed  on  shore  in  the  magazines.  This,  a  few  field- 
days  excepted,  when  the  soldiers  were  drilled  for  porop 
alone  in  a  burning  sun  till  they  fainted,  comprehended 
the  whole  of  our  military  manoeuvres.  But  I  perceive  the 
reader  is  already  impatient  for  some  information  respect- 
ing these  two  extraordinary  men,  who,  from  their  inveteracy 
and  opposition  to  each  other,  as  well  as  from  other  causes, 
were  the  authors  of  these  unaccountable  and  fluctuating 

proceed- 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  123 

proceedings;  and  the  outlines  of  these  two  characters  may 
perhaps  assist  in  unravelling  the  mystery. 

As  the  ingredients  of  flattery  or  fear  make  but  a  small 
part  of  that  man  s  composition  who  presumes  to  give  them, 
and  who  pretends  perfectly  to  have  known  both,  the 
reader  may  depend  on  having  them  painted  in  their  true 
original  colours,  however  strong  the  shades. 

Governor  Nepveu  was  said  to  be  rather  a  man  of  sense 
than  of  learning,  and  w^as  wholly  indebted  to  his  art  and 
address  for  having  risen  to  his  present  dignity  from  sweep- 
ing the  hall  of  the  Court  House.  By  the  same  means  he 
was  enabled,  from  nothing,  to  accumulate  a  fortune,  by 
some  computed  at  no  less  than  eight  thousand  pounds 
sterling  annually,  and  to  command  respect  from  all  ranks 
of  people,  no  person  ever  daring  to  attack  him  but  at  a 
distance.  His  deportment  was  affable,  but  ironical,  with- 
out ever  losing  the  command  of  his  temper,  Avhich  gave 
him  the  appearance  of  a  man  of  fashion,  and  rendered  his 
influence  almost  unbounded.  He  Avas  generally  known 
by  the  appellation  of  Reynard,  and  Avas  most  certainly  a 
fox  of  too  much  artifice  to  be  run  down  by  all  the  hounds 
in  the  colony. 

Colonel  Fourgeoud  was  almost  exactly  the  reverse  of 
this  portrait.  He  was  impetuous,  passionate,  self-suflicient, 
and  revengeful :  he  was  not  cruel  to  individuals,  but  was 
a  tyrant  to  the  generality,  and  caused  the  death  of  hun- 
dreds by  his  sordid  avarice  and  oppression.     With  all  this 

R  2  he 


124  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

c  H  A  P.  he  was  partial,  ungrateful,  and  confused ;  but  a  most  in- 
defatigable man  in  bearing  hardships  and  in  braving 
dangers,  not  exceeded  by  Columbus  himself,  which,  like  a 
true  bucaneer,  he  sustained  with  the  most  heroic  courage, 
patience,  and  perseverance.  Though  unconquerably  harsh 
and  severe  to  his  officers,  he  was  however  not  wanting  in 
affability  to  the  private  soldiers.  He  had  read,  but  had 
no  education  to  assist  him  in  digesting  what  he  read.  In 
short,  few  men  could  talk  better,  but  on  most  occasions 
few  could  act  worse. 

Such  were  the  characters  of  our  commanders ;  while  the 
opposition  of  two  such  men  to  each  other  could  not  fail  to 
produce  unhappiness  to  the  troops,  and  operated  as  a  suf- 
ficient cause  for  the  fluctuating  state  of  political  affairs  in 
this  dejected  colony. 

As  we  still  continued  totally  inactive,  I  am  necessarily 
deprived  of  the  pleasure  of  relating  any  of  our  hero's 
warlike  achievements. — To  relieve  the  sameness  of  the 
narrative,  I  therefore  take  the  liberty  of  describing  one  of 
his  favourites. — This  was  no  other  than  a  bird  called  the 
toucan,  and  in  Surinam  banarabeck  or  cojacai,  either  from 
its  bill  having  some  resemblance  to  that  fruit,  or  from  its 
being  accustomed  to  feed  on  it,  and  perhaps  from  both. 
This  animal  the  Colonel  kept  hopping  tame  amongst  his 
poultry. 

The  toucan  is  not  larger  than  a  tame  pigeon,  and  yet 

its  beak  is  no  less  than  six  inches  in  length,  if  not  more. 

11  It 


<.>vx^'  tV/ '//<'////  (<)  Me  ^^"/t^-ca/<Y/f/: 


l.,"i,/,T7i    7'iihitJi-h^if  Drr''i*f 7-t}.i    h\  .T..r,'h/i.i^n .SH'tntl'f  Chur>tyh  liufi. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  125 

It  is  shaped  like  a  jackdaw,  carrying  its  tail  almost  per- 
pendicular, except  when  it  flies :  its  colour  is  black,  ex- 
cept a  little  white  under  the  throat  and  breast,  which  is 
bordered  with  red  in  the  form  of  a  crescent  reversed,  and 
a  few  feathers  above  and  under  its  tail,  some  white  and 
some  crimson.  The  head  is  large,  with  a  bluish  ring 
round  the  eyes,  of  which  the  iris  is  yellow,  and  its  ash- 
coloured  toes  are  much  like  those  of  a  parrot.  Its  remark- 
able beak  desei'ves  the  most  particular  attention,  which  is 
serrated,  and  of  a  size  utterly  disproportioned  to  its  body. 
This  beak,  however,  which  is  arched,  is  as  thin  as  parch- 
ment, and  consequently  very  light ;  it  is  yellow  on  the  top, 
and  on  the  sides  of  a  beautiful  deep  orange,  inclosing  a 
tongue  which  bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  a  feather. 
The  toucan  feeds  on  fruit,  especially  pepper,  and  is  very 
domestic. 

I  shall  here  also  take  the  opportunity  to  describe  another 
tame  bird,  which  I  saw  with  pleasure  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Lolkens,  and  which  I  take  to  be  what  we  call  the  fly- 
catcher; they  denominate  it  in  this  country  sun-fowlo, 
because  when  it  extends  its  Avings,  which  it  frequently 
does,  there  appears,  on  the  interior  part  of  each  wing,  the 
most  beautiful  representation  of  a  sun.  This  bird  is  about 
the  size  of  a  woodcock,  and  of  a  golden  colour,  but 
speckled ;  its  legs  are  very  long,  and  also  its  slender  bill, 
which  is  perfectly  straight,  and  very  pointed.  With  this  it 
darts  at  the  flies,  while  they  creep,  with  such  wonderful 

dexterity 


126  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

dexterity  and  quickness,  that  it  never  misses  the  object, 
which  seems  to  constitute  its  principal  food  ;  and  this  pro- 
perty renders  it  both  useful  and  entertaining.  This  bird 
might,  with  some  degree  of  propriety,  be  styled  the  per- 
petual motion,  its  body  making  a  continual  movement, 
and  its  tail  keeping  time  like  the  pendulum  of  a  clock. 

Having  described  these  two  contrasts  in  appearance,'  I 
must  add,  that  neither  they,  nor  any  of  those  birds  in 
Guiana  which  are  remarkable  for  their  beautiful  plumage, 
ever  sing  Avith  any  degree  of  melody,  three  or  four  perhaps 
excepted,  whose  notes  are  sweet,  but  not  varied.  Of  these 
I  shall  speak  at  a  proper  opportunity. 

^'  For  Nature's  hand, 


"  That  with  a  sportive  vanity  has  deck'd 
"  The  plumy  nations,  there  her  gayest  hues 
"  Profusely  pours.     But  if  she  bids  them  shine, 
"  Array'd  in  all  the  beauteous  beams  of  day, 
^'  Yet,  frugal  still,  she  humbles  them  in  song." 

One  bird  more  I  shall  only  mention  in  this  place,  which 
may  be  considered  as  the  rival  of  the  mock-bird,  viz.  the 
Caribbean  wren.  This  bird,  Avhich  is  called  by  the  Surinam 
colonists  Gadofowlo,  or  the  bird  of  God,  probably  from  its 
familiarity,  inoffensiveness,  and  its  delightful  music,  is 
rather  larger  than  the  English  wren,  which  in  its  plumage 
it  much  resembles  ;  it  frequently  perches  upon  the  window- 
shutters  with  the  familiarity  of  the  robin.  From  its  en- 
chanting 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  127 

chanting  warbling,  it  has  been  honoured  by  many  with  the 
name  of  the  South  American  nightingale. — But  to  proceed 
with  my  narrative. 

On  the  21st  died  Mr.  Renard,  one  of  our  best  surgeons, 
who  was  buried  the  same  afternoon,  a  process  quite  neces- 
sary in  this  hot  country,  Avhere  putrefaction  so  instanta- 
neously takes  place,  and  more  especially  when  the  patient 
dies  of  a  putrid  fever,  which  is  in  this  country  extremely 
frequent.  This  dreadfid  disease  first  appears  by  bilious 
vomiting,  lowness  of  spirits,  and  a  yellowish  cast  of  the 
countenance  and  eyes  ;  and  unless  proper  remedies  be 
immediately  applied,  the  distemper  becomes  fatal,  and 
certain  death  in  a  few  days  is  the  consequence.  The  belly- 
hatty,  or  dry-gripes,  by  some  compared  to  the  Devonshire 
cholic,  is  also  a  common  complaint  in  this  country,  and 
not  only  causes  excruciating  pains,  but  is  exceedingly 
dangerous.  This  also  had  now  attacked  a  great  number 
of  our  people.  As  to  the  causes  of  this  disorder  I  can 
give  no  account.  The  prevailing  symptom  is  an  obstinate 
costiveness,  which  they  endeavour  to  remove  by  a  quan- 
tity of  castor  oil  taken  internally,  and  also  injected  by 
the  rectum. 

It  was,  indeed,  lamentable  to  observe  the  state  to  which 
we  were  already  reduced,  from  a  corps  of  the  finest, 
healthiest  young  men  that  ever  sailed  from  Europe,  with 
blooming  fresh  complexions,  now  changed  to  the  sallow 

colour 


VI, 


128  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

CHAP,  colour  of  a  drum-head.  It  was  no  alleviation  of  the 
calamity  to  reflect,  that  all  this  waste  of  life  and  health 
had  been  hitherto  to  no  purpose;  though  some  persons 
chose  to  report,  that  the  whole  was  no  more  than  a  poli- 
tical scheme  to  have  another  regiment  added  to  the  war- 
establishment  in  Holland,  as  Colonel  De  Salve's  marines 
had  been  before :  but  to  this  others  gave  but  very  little 
credit. 

Of  the  hospitality  of  the  country  at  least  we  could  not 
complain,  since  this  was  actually  one  of  the  principal 
sources  of  our  misfortunes,  and  we  were  likely  in  a  few 
months  to  be  caressed  to  death  by  the  civilities  of  the  men, 
and  the  kindness  of  the  ladies :  a  circumstance  which 
rendered  Surinam  a  real  Capua  to  these  brave  fellows. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  the  gentleman-like  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Baron  de  Gersdorph  died,  much  regretted  indeed 
by  every  person  ;  Avhile  the  grim  King  of  Terrors,  consci- 
entiously beginning  at  the  head  of  the  corps  with  the  field 
officers,  could  not  fail  to  afford  some  consolation  to  the  in- 
ferior gentry  who  succeeded  to  their  places,  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  the  Commander  in  Chief, 
"who  himself  exhibited  as  yet  no  symptoms  of  mortality. 
Major  Becquer  was  now  made  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  a 
Captain  Rockaph  advanced  to  the  rank  of  ]\Iajor. 

The  European  animals  that  live  in  this  country  are  no 
less  debilitated  and  diminutive  than  the  human  species. 

The 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAAf.  icf) 

The  oxen,  for  instance,  are  very  small  *,  and  their  beef  c  u  a  p. 
not  near  so  delicate  as  it  is  in  Europe,  owing  probably  to  ^^* 
their  perpetual  perspiration,  and  the  coarseness  of  the  grass 
on  which  they  feed,  Avhich  is  not  so  good  as  that  of  the 
salt  marshes  in  Somersetshire.  On  the  banks  of  the  Oro- 
noque  the  oxen  run  wild,  and  are  sold  by  the  Spaniards 
for  two  dollars  per  head.  A  single  pieca  of  read3'-roasted 
beef  is  often  sent  from  Europe  to  Guiana  as  a  most  valu- 
able and  delicate  present.  The  manner  of  preserving  the 
meat  for  this  long  voyage,  when  roasted,  is  by  putting  it 
in  a  block-tin  box  or  canister;  then  filling  up  the  empty 
space  w^ith  gravy  or  dripping  till  it  is  perfectly  covered 
over ;  after  which  the  box  must  be  made  fast  and  soldered 
round  about,  so  that  neither  air  noi-  water  can  penetrate  : 
l)y  this  means,  I  was  told,  it  may  be  with  safety  carried 
round  the  globe. 

The  sheep  in  this  country  are  so  small,  that,  when 
skinned,  they  seem  not  larger  than  3'oung  lambs  in  White- 
chapel  market ;  they  have  no  horns  nor  avooI,  but  straight 
hair,  and  are  to  an  European  but  very  indifferent  eating  : 
the  more  so,  since  all  beef,  mutton,  &c.  must  be  consumed 
the  same  day  that  it  is  killed,  which  causes  it  to  eat  tough, 
wliile  keeping  it  longer  exposes  it  to  putrefaction.  Neither 
of  these  animals  are  natural  to  Guiana:  the  breed  has 

*  This  I  am  astoni&hed  to  see  con-  one  bullock  of  Smillifield  market 
tradicted  by  Dr.  Bancroft,  who  sa^'s  assuredly  weighs  down  two  of  the 
they  improve  in  South  America^  while      largest  in  Guiana. 

Vol.  I.  S  been 


130  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

been  imported  from  the  Old  Continent.  So  also  was  the 
breed  of  the  hog,  but  with  far  better  success ;  for  these 
animals,  in  my  opinion,  thrive  better  in  South  America 
than  in  Europe.  The  hogs  here  are  large,  fat,  good,  and 
plentiful ;  as  in  England,  they  feed  on  almost  every  thing 
that  is  eatable,  and  on  the  estates  are  often  fattened  with 
green  pine-apples,  a  fruit  which  grows  spontaneously  in 
this  climate,  and  of  which  they  are  exceedingly  fond.  As 
for  the  poultry,  nothing  can  thrive  better ;  the  common 
fowls  are  here  as  good  and  as  plenty  as  in  any  country, 
but  smaller,  and  their  eggs  differ  in  shape,  being  more 
sharp  pointed.  A  smaller  species  of  the  dunghill  kind, 
with  rumpled  inverted  feathers,  seems  natural  to  Guiana, 
being  reared  in  the;  inland  parts  of  the  country  by  the 
Indians  or  natives.  The  turkeys  are  very  fine,  and  so  are 
the  geese,  but  the  ducks  are  excellent,  being  of  the  large 
Muscovy  species,  with  crimson  pearls  betwixt  the  beak 
and  the  head  :  these  are  here  juicy,  fat,  and  in  great 
plenty. 

After  the  various  delays  we  had  experienced,  the  reader 
Avill  be  surprised  to  learn  that  the  hour  of  action  at  last 
arrived,  and  all  the  officers  and  men  were  ordered  to  be 
ready  at  a  minute's  Avarning  to  set  out  on  actual  service, 
though  our  little  corps  was  already  melted  doAvn  from  five 
hundred  and  thirty  able  men  to  about  three-fourths  of  that 
number,  by  death  and  sickness,  the  hospital  being  crowded 
by  invalids  of  every  kind.  The  loss  of  so  large  a  propor- 
tion 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  I3i 

tion  of  men  was  supplied  in  a  manner  tliat  will  appear 
extraordinary  to  an  European. 

There  wei-e  two  negroes,  one  called  Okera,  the  other 
Gowfavy,  two  desperadoes,  who  had  both  been  rebel  cap- 
tains in  the  colony  of  Berbice,  and  who,  for  taking  Atta 
their  chief,  and  delivering  him  to  the  governor  of  that 
settlement,  had  received  their  pardon.  By  these  tv/o  men 
the  most  inhuman  murders  had  been  committed  on  the 
Europeans  in  the  year  1762,  when  the  revolt  M^as  in  the 
above  colony.  These  were  now  admitted  as  private  sol- 
diers in  our  regiment,  and  were  Colonel  Fourgeoud's 
greatest  favourites. 

Before  we  left  Paramaribo,  I  had  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  two  very  extraordinary  animals  of  the  aquatic  kind  ; 
the  one  Avas  in  ]\lr.  Roux's  cabinet  of  curiosities,  and  is 
called  in  the  co\o\^y  jackee,  in  Latin,  rana  piscatrix.     This 
fish  is  about  eight  or  ten  inches  long,  without  scales,  ex- 
ceeding fat  and  delicate,  as  I  can  testify  by  experience, 
and  is  found  in  all  narrow  creeks  and  marshy  places.     But 
what  is  extremely  remarkable  is,  that  this  creature,  how- 
ever incredible  it  may  appear,  absolutely  changes  to  a 
perfect  frog,  but  not  from  a  frog  to  a  fish,  as  Merian,  Zeba, 
and  some  random  historians  (among  whom  I  am  sorry  to 
name  AVestley)  have  been  pleased  to  assert ;  and  of  this 
truth  I  was  at  this  time  fully  satisfied,  by  seeing  the  above 
animal  dissected,  and   suspended  in  a  bottle  with  spirits ; 
•when  the  two  hinder  legs  of  a  very  small  frog  made  their 

s  2  appear- 


132  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

at)pearance,  growing  inside  from  that  part  of  the  back  to 
vhich  usually  the  intestines  are  fixed.  1  nevertheless 
humbly  presume  to  suppose,  in  this  case,  that  thejackee 
is  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  kind  of  tadpole,  which 
grows  to  a  large  size  before  it  undergoes  the  usual  trans- 
formation. 

The  other  animal  I  saw  at  the  house  of  my  friend  Ken- 
nedy :  this  is  what  Dr.  Bancroft  calls  the  toi'porific,  and 
others. the  electrical  eel,  and  Avhich  Dr.  Firmyu  supposes 
to  possess  the  same  qualities  with  the  torpedo.  This  won- 
derful animal  is  of  a  lead-blue  colour,  formed  in  a  great 
measure  like  an  eel,  with  one  large  fin  that  runs  below 
from  head  to  tail,  not  vmlike  the  keel  of  a  ship.  It  lives 
only  in  fresh  water :  its  length  is  called  b}^  some  three 
feet,  and  by  others  is  asserted  to  be  not  less  than  four  or 
five  times  as  much  *.  When  this  animal  is  touched  by 
the  hand,  or  any  rod  of  metal  or  hard  wood,  it  communi- 
cates a  shock,  the  impulse  of  which  produces  the  same 
effect  as  electricity ;  and  Dr.  Firmyn  has  even  assured  me, 
that  the  shock  of  this  electrical  eel  has  been  communi- 
cated to  him  through  the  bodies  of  eight  or  ten  people,, 
who  stood  hand  in  hand  for  the  purpose  of  trying  the 
experiment. 

For  my  own  part,  all  that  I  can  say  concerning  this 
animal  is,  that  I  saw  it  in  a  tub  full  of  water,  where  it 

*  Mr.  Greenwood,  of  Leicester  Fields,  has  told  me  himself  that  he  killed 
one  of  eleven  feet  long. 

appeared 


EXPEDITION    TO   SURINAM.  133 

appeared  to  be  about  two  feet  long;  that  I  thre^V  off  my  c  ii  a  p. 
coat,  and  having  turned  up  my  shirt-sleeves,  tried  about  ^^* 
twenty  different  times  to  grasp  it  with  my  hand,  but  all 
without  effect,  receiving  just  as  many  electrical  shocks, 
which  I  felt  even  to  the  top  of  my  shoulder,  to  the  great 
entertainment  of  Mr.  Kennedy,  to  whom  1  lost  a  small 
Avager  on  the  occasion.  The  electrical  eel  swims  forward 
or  backward  at  pleasure :  it  may  be  eateii  with  the  greatest 
safet}',  and  is  even  by  many  people  thought  delicious. 

It  has  been  said,  that  this  animal  must  be  touched  with 
both  hands  before  it  gives  the  shock  *,  but  this  I  mast 
take  the  liberty  of  contradicting,  having  experienced  the 
contrary  effect :  it  is  also  alleged,  that  they  have  been 
found  in  Surinam  above  twenty  feet  long,  but  one  of  that 
length  never  3'et  came  within  the  scope  of  my  observation  ; 
nor  have  I  ever  heard  of  any  person  being  killed  by  them, 
according  to  the  account  which  is  given  by  the  same  au- 
thor, Alexander  Gardon,  m.d.  f.  ii.s.  in  a  letter  to  John 
Elhs,  Esq.  dated  Charlestown,  South  Carolina,  August 
14th,  1774. 

It  is  a  painful  circumstance,  that  the  narrative  of  my 
travels  must  so  frequently  prove  the  record  of  cruelty  and 
barbarity :  but  once  for  all  I  must  declare,  that  I  state 
these  facts  merely  in  the  hope  that  it  may,  in  some  mode 
or  other,  operate  for  tlieir  future  prevention.     Before  my 

*  Mr.  Walsh  purchased  an  electrical  eel,  which  he  shewed  to  many  of  the 
Royal  Society  and  others,  who,  all  joining  hands,  felt  the  stroke. E. 

depar- 


134  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

departure,  1  was  informed  of  a  most  shocking  instance  of 
depravity,  which  had  just  occurred.  A  Jewess,  impelled 
by  a  groundless  jealousy,  (for  such  her  husband  made  it 
appear)  put  an  end  to  the  life  of  a  young  and  beautiful 
Quadroon  girl,  by  the  infernal  means  of  plunging  into  her 
body  a  red-hot  poker.  But  what  is  most  incredible,  and 
what  indeed  will  scarcely  be  believed  in  a  civilized  country, 
is,  that  for  this  most  diabolical  crime  the  murderess  was 
only  banished  to  the  Jew-Savannah,  a  village  which  I  shall 
afterwards  describe,  and  condemned  in  a  trifling  fine  to  the 
fiscal  or  town-clerk  of  the  colony. 

Another  young  negro  Avoman,  having  her  ancles  chained 
so  close  together  that  she  could  scarcely  move  her  feet, 
was  knocked  down  with  a  cane  by  a  Jew,  and  beaten  till 
the  blood  streamed  out  of  her  head,  her  arms,  and  her 
naked  sides.  So  accustomed,  indeed,  are  the  people  of  this 
country  to  tyranny  and  insolence,  that  a  third  Israelite  had 
the  impudence  to  strike  one  of  my  soldiers,  for  having 
made  water  against  his  garden-fence.  On  this  miscreant 
I  took  revenge  for  the  Avhole  frateinity,  by  wresting  the 
offending  weapon  out  of  his  hand,  which  I  instantly  broke 
into  a  thousand  pieces  on  his  guilty  naked  pate. 

I  nevertheless  was  just  enough  to  flog  another  man  out 
of  the  regiment,  for  picking  a  Jew's  pocket :  and,  to  their 
credit  be  it  mentioned,  that  so  jealous  are  the  Dutch  sol- 
diers of  what  they  call  a  point  of  honour,  that  were  a  thief 
to  be  knoAvn,  and  kept  in  the  ranks,  the  whole  regiment 
1 1  would 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  135 

would  lay  clown  their  arms.     This  etiquette  is  of  great    chap. 

VI. 

utility,  and  Avould  be  no  bad  practice  to  be  introduced 
into  some  other  armies,  where  a  thief  is  too  often  accounted 
as  good  as  another,  if  he  is  so  fortunate  as  to  be  six  feet 
hi  oh. 

About  this  time  Colonel  Fourgeoud  issued  the  following 
orders,  viz.  that  in  case  it  ever  happened  that  two  officers, 
or  under-officers,  of  equal  rank,  the  one  of  the  European 
the  other  of  the  Society  corps,  should  meet  on  any  mili- 
tary duty,  the  first  should  always  take  the  command, 
independent  of  seniority,  imless  the  latter  bore  a  higher 
commission. 

We  now  seriously  prepared  for  victory  or  death,  on 
board  the  wooden  w  alls  of  the  Colony,  which  consisted 
of  half  a  dozen  crazy  old  sugar  barges,  such  as  are  used 
by  the  colliers  in  the  Thames,  being  only  roofed  over 
with  boards,  which  gave  them  the  appearance  of  so  many 
coffins ;  and  how  well  they  deserved  this  name,  I  am 
afraid  will  too  soon  appear  by  the  number  of  men  they 
buried. 

On  the  first  of  July  were  dispatched,  for  the  river  Co- 
mewina,  one  captain,  two  subalterns,  one  serjeant,  two 
corporals,  and  eighteen  men.  Of  this  captain,  I  cannot 
help  mentioning  a  very  singular  circumstance:  the  first 
day  we  landed  in  this  colony,  having  entered  the  lodging 
on  which  he  was  billetted,  his  landlady  declared  she  should 
ever  pride  herself  in  shewing  all  the  civility  in  her  power 

to 


136  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

to  eitiier  marines  or  naval  officers,  as  she  owed  her  hfe  to 
one  of  tlieni,  M'ho  had  some  years  before  picked  her  up 
in  an  open  boat  Avith  several  others,  after  they  had  been 
tossed  about  sixteen  days  without  either  compass,  sail,  or 
provisions,  a  little  sea-biscuit  and  water  excepted,  on  the 
Atlantic  ocean.  To  avoid  circumlocution,  this  very  gen- 
tleman, Vi'liose  name  was  Tulling  Van  Older  Barnevelt, 
proved  to  be  the  individual  officer  who  had  saved  her 
from  the  jaws  of  death,  as  he  at  that  time  belonged  to 
the  navy,  being  a  lieutenant  of  a  Dutch  man  of  war. 

This  same  day  we  also  dispatched  another  barge  with 
two  subalterns,  one  serjeant,  one  corporal,  and  fourteen 
men,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Count  Randwyck,  to 
the  river  Pirica  ;  and  in  the  evening,  having  entertained 
some  select  friends  in  mj'  house,  I  bade  farewell  to  my 
Joanna,  to  whose  care  I  left  my  all ;  and  herself  to  the 
protection  of  her  mother  and  aunt,  with  my  directions 
for  putting  her  to  school  until  my  return :  after  Avhich, 
I  at  last  marched  on  board,  with  four  subalterns,  two  Ser- 
jeants, three  corporals,  and  thirty-two  men  under  my 
command,  to  be  divided  into  two  barges,  and  bound  for 
the  upper  part  of  the  river  Cottica. — 

Now  my  Mulatto  cast  a  mournful  look, 
Hung  on  my  hand,  and  then  dejected  spoke ; 
Her  bosom  labour'd  with  a  boding  sigh, 
And  the  big  tear  stood  trembling  in  her  eye. 

The 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  137 

The  above  barges  were  all  armed  with  swivels,  blunder- 
busses, &c.  and  provided  with  allowance  for  one  month : 
their  orders  were  (that  wliicli  went  to  the  Jew's  Savanaali 
excepted)  to  cruise  up  and  down  tlie  upper  parts  of  the 
rivers,  each  barge  having  a  pilot,  and  rowed  by  negro 
slaves,  ten  of  which  were  on  board  of  each  for  tiie  [)iu-posc, 
and  which  made  my  com])1ement,  includmg  my  bhick  l)oy 
Quaco,  exactly  sixty-five,  thirty-five  of  which  enibarked 
with  myself.  ^Vith  this  ship's  company  was  I  now  stowed 
in  my  hen-coop ;  while  on  board  of  my  lieutenant's  barge 
the  crew  consisted  of  twenty-nine  only,  and  consequently 
Avere  less  crowded. 

I  must  take  notice  that  from  our  first  landing  in  Surinam 
till  this  time  our  private  men  Avere  paid  in  silver  coin, 
which  the  captains  had  proposed  to  exchange  for  card 
money,  at  the  rate  of  ten  per  cent,  gain  for  them  ;  by 
which  the  poor  fellows  would  have  benefited  between  two 
and  three  hundred  pounds  sterling  per  annum,  to  buy  re- 
freshment :  but  Colonel  Fourgeoud  insisted  they  should 
continue  to  receive  their  little  pittance  in  coin,  which  in 
small  sums  was  of  no  more  value  than  paper,  and  1 
thought  unaccountably  hard,  since  this  was  hurting  the 
whole,  without  profit  to  one  single  individual.  One  thing- 
more  I  must  remark,  Avhich  is,  that  all  the  officers  who 
were  now  proceeding  upon  duty  continued  to  pay  at  the 
mess,  which  cost  each  captain  at  tl^e  rate  of  forty  pounds ; 
but  for  Avhich,  in  his  barge,  he  wns  to  receive  in  provi- 
VoL.  I.  T  sions 


138  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

sions  after  the  rate  of  ten  pounds  (thus  he  lost  thirty 
pounds;  and  these  provisions  were  salt  beef,  pork,  and 
pease)  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  private  soldiers,  a  few 
bottles  of  wine  excepted.  But  certainly  some  greater  in- 
dulgence was  due,  and  I  must  say  necessary,  to  officers, 
who  were  going  to  be  stationed  where  absolutely  no  kind 
of  refreshment  was  to  be  had,  being  sinrounded  by  the 
most  horrid  and  impenetrable  woods,  beyond  the  hearing 
of  a  cannon-shot  from  any  port  or  plantation  whatever. 
This  was  not  the  case  Avith  the  other  barges,  Avho  were 
stationed  in  the  midst  of  peace  and  plenty,  being  Avithin 
view  of  the  most  beautiful  estates.  We  were  indeed  pitied 
by  all  ranks  without  exception  ;  who  foreseeing  our  ap- 
proaching calamities,  crowded  my  barge  with  the  best 
cornmodities  they  had  to  present,  which  they  insisted 
upon  my  accepting.  But  the  reader  will  have  a  better 
idea  of  the  liberality  of  my  benefactors  from  the  fol- 
lowing list,  than  from  any  encomiums  which  I  could  pass 
upon  it : 

24  Bottles  of  best  claret,  6  Bottles  of  muscadel, 

12  Ditto  of  Madeira,  2  Gallons  of  lemon-juice, 

]'2  Ditto  of  English  porter,  2  Gallons  of  ground  coffee, 

12  Ditto  of  English  cyder,  2  Large  Westphalia  hams, 

12  Ditto  of  Jamaica  rum,  2  Salted  bullocks  tongues, 
2  Large  loaves  of  white  sugar,    l  Bottle  of  Durham  mustard, 

2  Gallons  of  Brandy,  6  Dozen  of  spermaceti  candles. 

From 


VI. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  139 

Erom  this  specimen  the  reader  will  easily  perceive,  that  chap. 
if  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  colony  of  Surinam  shew 
themselves  the  disgrace  of  the  creation,  by  their  cruelties 
and  brutality,  others,  by  their  hospitality  and  social  feel- 
ings, approve  themselves  an  ornament  to  the  human 
species, — With  this  instance  of  virtue  and  generosity,  I 
therefore  conclude  this  chapter ;  and  trust  I  shall  ever  be 
found  more  ready  to  record  the  good  actions  of  my  fcUow- 
creatures,  than  to  remark  their  defects. 


T  a 


140  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 


C  II  A  P.    VII. 

Armed  Barges  afe'sent  tip  to  defend  the  Rivers — Description 
of  the  Fortress  New  Amsterdam — A  Cruise  in  the  tipper 
Parts  of  Rio  Cottica  and  Pafamaca — Great  Mortality 
among  the  Troops — J^iew  of  the  Military  Post  at  Devil  s 
IJarwar. 

N  the  third  of  July,  1773,  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  the  fleet  cast  off  from  their  moorings,  and 
with  the  ebb  tide  rowed  down  as  far  as  the  fortress  New 
Amstei'dam,  where,  being  wind  and  tide  bound,  we  dropped 
anchor  off  the  batter}^ 

It  may  not  be  improper,  in  this  place,  to  describe  the 
dress  of  our  marines,  which  was  blue  turned  up  with  scarlet, 
short  jackets,  and  leather  caps.  The}^  carried  a  musquet, 
sabre,  and  pistols ;  a  large  wallet  or  knapsack  across  one 
shoulder,  and  their  hammocks  slung  over  the  other.  While 
in  the  woods,  they  wore  trowsers  and  check  shirts,  with 
short  linen  frocks,  as  most  adapted  to  the  climate. 

Having  first  reviewed  both  my  ships'  companies,  viz.. 
four  subalterns,  two  Serjeants,  three  corporals,  thirty-two 
privates,  two  pilots,  twenty  negroes,  and  my  black  boy 
Quaco ;  and  having  placed  the  arms,  consisting  of  blun- 
derbusses, swivels,  &c.  stowed  the  luggage,  and  slung  the 

hammocks, 


S-:,"*''    ''^,»?^,--  '"i-'-'i'v  ..,' 


'■/ /?rM'u/e\    /u/,/y//^-  of  LiTi.  t^f'fTt/ rc/zxyr/y//  ( Y^r//.j 


'-' >■■"-'-' ■■'•■■■'■■■ ■■■^'-' 


2  .  Gtn'a'Tioiws  House 
1 .  Artdlery  OtHc^^ 

3  .  Victuallmq  Office 

4 .  Mam  Guard 

5 .  Infantry  OMcers 

6 .  Carpenirrj-  L  odpe 


7 .  The  Church 

8 .  Corn  IfuiflmiU 

9 .  •  ^ccTvlajy's  Office 

10.  Barracks 

11 .  Smiths  For^e 

12.  6-rove  of  Orange  Trees 


13 .  Gunpot*-der  Alatf azote 
i4-.FrG¥h   Wa/FT  Cistern 
IJ.  The  Great  Floodijate 
16.  The  Landmq  Phice 
J 7.  The  Great  Mud  bank 
Id .  Ground  tor  Ftaniums 


THE 


RUIEU 


SUJIINA^I    -e- 


7^/eM^S^y^/a^^c^/A^c/(?r/^re/j  e^/Z/'y/ .  "^n^^i^niY/'n^ 


T.tm,i,-7-.fm/pf 


L.mjML.Pu/ilMied  Dcc-rj'"i-;yiJ,v  J.Joluuon ,S.'l:,u/j  thnnii  t'.ir.l. 


EXPETDITION   TO   SURINAM.  i4i 

hammocks,  I  pemsed  my  orders,  which  Avere  to  cruise  up 
and  down  Rio  Cottica,  between  the  Society  posts,  La 
Rochelle  at  Patamaca,  and  Slans  Wclveren  above  the  last 
plantation,  to  prevent  the  rcliels  from  crossing  the  river, 
to  seize  or  kill  them  if  possible,  and  protect  the  estates 
from  their  invasions  :  in  all  which  operations  I  ^vas  to  be 
assisted,  if  necessary,  by  the  troops  of  the  Society  on  the 
above  posts,  with  whom  I  was  also  to  deliberate  on  the 
proper  signals  to  be  given  in  case  of  an  alarm. 

Having  now  time  and  opportunity,  I  visited  the  fortress 
called  New  Amsterdam. 

This  fortification  was  begun  in  the  year  1754,  and 
finished  in  1747.  It  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  regular  pen- 
tagon, with  five  bastions,  being  about  three  English  miles 
in  circumference,  surrounded  by  a  broad  fosse,  which  is 
supplied  from  the  river,  and  defended  by  a  covert  way, 
well  palisadoed.  Its  foundations  are  a  kind  of  rocky 
ground ;  and  its  principal  strength  by  water  a  large  bank- 
of  mud  off  the  point,  supported  by  a  strong  battery  of 
cannon,  which  prevents  even  flat-bottomed  vessels  from 
making  any  approach  in  that  quarter ;  and  by  crossing  the 
fire  of  the  guns  with  the  opposite  redoubts,  Leyden  and 
Purmerent,  it  protects  the  entry  of  both  the  rivers,  Su- 
rinam and  Comewina,  as  I  have  said  before  :  it  has,  be- 
sides, powder-magazines  and  victualling-offices,  and  is 
well  provided  Avith  all  the  other  necessary  buildings  for 
tlie  use  of  a  strong  garrison.  There  are  even  a  corn  wind- 
mill. 


142  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

null,  and  a  cistern  which  will  hold  above  a  thousand 
hoo'sheads  of  water.  This  in  fact  is  no  more  than  neces- 
sary ;  since,  according  to  my  opinion,  it  Mill  take  the 
Avhole  army  of  Surinam  to  defend  so  large  an  extent  for 
any  length  of  time.  Adjoining  to  the  fortress  is  also  a 
large  spot  of  ground,  well  stocked  with  plantains,  yams, 
&c.  in  order  to  feed  the  Society  slaves,  M'liich  are  kept 
liere,  at  the  colony's  expence,  to  work  at  the  fortifications, 
under  the  inspection  of  a  proper  overseer. 

In  this  fort  is  generally  stationed  a  small  garrison,  com- 
manded by  an  officer  of  the  artillery,  which  obliges  all 
vessels  whatever  to  bring-to,  shew  their  colours,  and  salute 
them  with  seven  guns  each,  the  compliment  being  an- 
swered with  three  guns  from  the  battery,  and  the  hoisting 
of  a  flag  on  the  ramparts.  I  shall  only  add,  that  this  for- 
tress is,  on  the  north-east  side,  surrounded  with  bogs  and 
impenetrable  bushes,  and  that  the  spot  was,  from  these 
circumstances,  formerly  called  the  Tyger's  Hole. 

Having  described  fort  New  Amsterdam,  I  cannot  leave 
it  without  taking  notice  of  some  very  remarkable  fish, 
Avhich  are  always  seen  in  great  quantities  near  this  fortress, 
and  which  have  actually  four  eyes,  swimming  constantly 
with  two  above  and  two  under  the  Avater.  These  fishes  are 
about  the  size  of  a  smelt,  and  swim  in  shoals  with  incre- 
dible velocity  ;  they  seem  principally  to  delight  in  brackish 
water,  are  accounted  no  bad  eating,  and  are  called  coot -eye 
by  the  inhabitants  of  the  colony. 

1 1  This 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  143 

Tliis  evening  my  sentinel  being  insulted  by  a  row-boat, 
which  damned  him,  and  spoke  of  the  whole  crew  in  the 
most  opprobrious  terms,  I  immediately  manned  the  canoe, 
and  gave  chase ;  but  by  the  help  of  hoisting  a  small  sail, 
and  the  intervention  of  a  dark  night,  the  rogue,  who  kept 
course  towards  Biaam's  Point,  had  the  good  fortune  to 
escape  my  resentment. 

On  the  fourth  of  July,  in  the  morning,  Ave  weighed  an- 
chor ;  and  having  doubled  the  Cape,  rowed  with  the  flood 
till  we  arrived  before  Elizabeth's  Hope,  a  beautiful  coffee 
plantation,  where  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Klynharas,  inviting 
us  on  shore,  shewed  us  every  civility  in  his  power,  and 
loaded  my  barge  with  refreshing  fruits,  vegetables,  &c. 
He  told  us  that  he  pitied  our  situation  from  his  heart,  and 
foretold  the  miseries  we  were  going  to  encounter,  the  rainy 
season  being  just  at  hand,  or  indeed  having  already  com- 
menced, by  frequent  showers,  accompanied  with  loud 
claps  of  thunder.  "  As  for  the  enemy,"  said  he,  "  you 
"  may  depend  on  not  seeing  one  single  soul  of  them  ;  they 
"  know  better  than  to  make  their  appearance  openl}-, 
"  while  they  may  have  a  chance  of  seeing  you  from  under 
"  cover :  thus.  Sir,  take  care  to  be  upon  your  guard — but 
"  the  climate,  the  climate  will  murder  you  all.  How- 
"  ever,"  continued  he,  "  this  shews  the  zeal  of  your  Com- 
"  mander,  who  Avill  rather  see  you  killed,  than  see  you  eat 
"  the  bread  of  idleness  at  Paramaribo." — This  pleasant 
harangue  he  accompanied  with  a  squeeze  by  the  hand. 

We 


144  NitRRATIVE    or    AN 

We  tlien  took  our  leave,  while  the  beautiful  i\Irs.  DutiT, 
his  daughter,  shed  tears  at  our  departure. — Tiiis  evening 
we  anchored  before  the  Matapaca  Creek. 

I  here  created  my  two  barges  men  of  war,  and  named 
them  the  Charon  and  the  Cerberus,  b}'  which  names  I  shall 
distinguish  them  during  the  rest  of  the  voyage  ;  though 
the  Sadden  Death  and  Uilful  Murder  Avere  much  more 
applicable,  as  "will  be  seen.  We  now  continued  rowing 
u])  the  river  Cottica,  having  passed,  since  we  entered  Rio 
Coniewina,  some  most  enchantingly  beautiful  estates  of 
coffex3  and  sugar,  v/iiich  line  the  banks  of  both  these  rivers, 
at  the  distance  of  one  or  two  miles  from  each  other. 

My  crew  having  walked  and  drcst  their  dinner  ashore 
on  the  plantation  I'Avanture,  we  anchored,  on  the  evening 
of  the  5  th,  before  Rio  Pirica. 

On  the  following  day  we  rowed  'stili  further  up  the  river 
Cottica,  and  went  on  shore  on  the  estate  Alia.  At  all  the 
above  plantations  we  v.ere  most  hospitably  received,  but 
we  iiiet  with  fewer  plantations  as  the  ri\'er  grew  narrower. 

On  the  7th  Ave  continued  our  course,  and  having  walked 
ashore  on  the  estate  Bockkestyne,  being  the  last  plantation 
up  the  river  Cottica  on  the  right,  except  one  or  two  small 
estates  in  Patamaca,  at  night  we  cast  anchor  at  the  mouth 
of  Coopman's  Creek.  This  day  the  Charon  was  on  fire, 
but  happily  it  was  soon  extinguished. 

On  the  8tl),  we  again  kept  rowing  upwards,  and  at 
eleven  o'clock,  a.m.  cast  anchor  off  the  post  Slans  Wel- 

varen. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  145 

varen,  which  was  guarded  by  the  troops  of  the  Society. 
Here  I  stepped  on  shore,  with  my  officers,  to  wait  on  Cap- 
tain Oriiinga,  the  commander,  and  delivered  three  of  my 
sick  men  into  his  hospital ;  where  I  beheld  such  a  spec- 
tacle of  miser}^  and  Avretchedness  as  baffles  all  imagination  : 
this  place  having  been  formerly  called  Devil's  Harzcrir,  on 
account  of  its  intolerable  unhealthiness — a  name  by  which 
alone  I  shall  again  distinguish  it,  as  much  more  suitable 
than  that  of  Slans  Welvaren,  which  signifies  the  welfare 
of  the  nation. 

Here  I  saw  a  few  of  the  wounded  wretclies,  who  had 
escaped  from  the  engagement  in  Avhich  Lieutenant  Lep- 
per,  with  so  many  men,  had  been  killed  ;  and  one  of  them 
told  me  the  particulars  of  his  own  miraculous  escape : — 
"  I  was  shot,  Sir,"  said  he,  "  with  a  musquet-bullet  in  my 
"  breast ;  and  to  resist  or  escape  being  impossible,  as  the 
"  only  means  left  me  to  save  my  life  I  threw  myself  down 
"  among  the  mortally  wounded  and  the  dead,  without 
"  moving  hand  or  foot.  Here  in  the  evening  the  rebel 
"  chief,  surveying  his  conquest,  ordered  one  of  his  cap- 
"  tains  to  begin  instantly  to  cut  off  the  heads  of  the  slain, 
"  in  order  to  carry  them  home  to  their  village,  as  trophies 
"  of  their  victory  :  this  captain,  having  already  chopped 
"  off  that  of  Lieutenant  Lepper,  and  one  or  two  more, 
"  said  to  his  friend.  Sonde  go  slethij,  caba  mclcewe  Uby  den 
"  tara  dogo  tmj  tamara  ;  The  sun  is  just  going  to  sleep,  we 
"  must  leave  those  other  dogs  till  to-morrow.    Upon  saying 

Vol.  I.  U  "  which, 


us 


NARRATIVE  OF  AN 
which,  (continued  the  soldier)  as  I  la}^  on  my  bleeding 
breast,  with  my  face  resting  on  my  left  arm,  he,  drop- 
ping his  hatchet  into  my  shoulder,  made  the  fatal  wound 
you  see,  of  which  I  shall  perhaps  no  more  recover. — ■■ 
I  however  lay  quite  still.  They  went  aAvay,  carrying 
along  with  them  the  mangled  heads  of  my  comrades, 
and  five  or  six  prisoners  alive,  with  their  hands  tied  be- 
hind their  backs,  of  whom  I  never  since  have  heard. 
AVhen  all  was  quiet,  and  it  Avas  very  dark,  I  found 
means,  on  my  hands  and  feet,  to  creep  out  from  among 
the  carnage,  and  get  under  cover  in  the  forest,  where  I 
met  another  of  our  soldiers,  w  ho  Avas  less  wounded  than 
myself;  with  whom,  after  ten  days  wandering,  in  tor- 
ment and  despair,  without  bandages,  not  knowing  which 
way  to  proceed,  and  only  one  single  loaf  of  black  bread 
for  our  subsistence,  we  at  last  arrived  at  the  military  post 
of  Patamaca,  emaciated,  and  our  putrefied  vvounds  full 
of  live  worms." 
I  gave  the  miserable  creature  half-a-crown  ;  and  having 
agreed  with  Captain  Orzinga  upon  the  signals,  Ave  left  this 
pest-house,  and  stepping  on  board  my  man  of  Avar,  roAved 
up  till  Ave  arrived  before  a  creek,  called  Barbacoeba,  where 
Ave  once  more  came  to  an  anchor. 

,  On  the  foUoAving  day  we  continued  to  row  farther  up 
the  river,  till  we  came  before  the  Cormoetibo  Creek,  Avhere 
Ave  moored  the  fleet,  as  being  my  head  station,  by  Colonel 
Fourgeoud's  command.  Here  Ave  saAV  nothing  but  Avater, 
11  Avood, 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  147 

wood,  and  clouds ;  no  trace  of  humanity,  and  consequently 
the  place  had  a  most  dismal,  solitary  appearance. 

On  the  10th  I  detached  the  Cerberus  to  her  station,  viz. 
Upper  Patamaca ;  for  which  place  she  rowed  immediately, 
with  a  long  list  of  paroles,  according  to  my  orders,  but 
which  were  never  of  any  service. 

We  now  tried  to  cook  the  victuals  on  board  ;  our  fur- 
nace was  a  large  tub  filled  with  earth,  and  we  succeeded, 
at  the  expence  of  having  almost  scalded  one  of  my  men 
to  death,  and  at  the  hazard  of  setting  the  barge  once  more 
on  fire.  As  we  had  no  surgeon  along  with  us,  this  office 
fell  to  my  lot ;  and,  by  the  help  of  a  small  chest  of  medi- 
cines, I  performed  so  well,  that  in  a  few  days  the  scalded 
marine  recovered. 

To  prevent,  however,  a  similar  accident  again,  I  sought 
an  opening  in  the  creek  above-named,  which  having  found 
not  very  far  from  the  mouth,  I  ordered  my  negroes  to  build 
a  shed,  and  my  men  to  dress  their  victuals  below  it,  placing 
sentinels  around  them  to  prevent  a  surprise,  and  in  the 
evening  we  returned  to  our  station.  This  cooking  we  con- 
tinued to  perform  every  day,  until  the  fourteenth,  when 
we  rowed  down  to  Barbacoeba. 

Here  we  built  another  shed  on  the  15th,  for  the  same 
purpose ;  and  then,  the  rain  already  beating  through  my 
decks,  we  rowed  down  to  Devil's  Harwar  for  repair,  where 
I  put  one  of  my  negroes  sick  in  the  hospital. 

u  2  On 


148  NARRATIVE  OF  AN 

On  the  l6th,  I  got  my  deck  caulked  and  payed,  and 
sent  an  account  of  our  arrival  to  Colonel  Fourgeoud. 

On  the  17th,  we  ret\irned  to  Cormoetibo  Creek,  having 
lost  an  anchor  among  the  roots  of  the  mangrove-trees  that 
on  both  sides  line  the  banks  of  all  the  rivers  in  the  colony. 
These  trees  are  of  two  species,  the  red  and  the  white,  but 
the  former  is  that  of  which  I  now  speak  :  it  rises  from  a 
number  of  roots  that  shew  themselves  above  ground  for 
several  feet  before  they  are  joined  together,  and  form  the 
trunk,  which  is  both  large  and  tall  ;  the  bark  is  grey  on 
the  outside,  but  the  inside  is  red,  and  used  for  tanning  lea- 
ther. The  wood  is  reddish,  hard,  and  good  for  building 
and  other  purposes  ;  but  the  most  remarkable  property  of 
this  tree  is,  that  from  its  extended  branches,  and  even  its 
trunk,  descend  thousands  of  ligneous  shoots,  like  the  ropes 
of  a  ship,  which  dropping  to  the  earth,  take  root  and  again 
re-ascend,  forming  for  a  great  circumference  an  impene- 
trable thicket,  while,  like  so  many  props,  they  keep  the 
tree  steady  in  all  weathers.  The  white  mangrove  is  found 
mostly  in  places  moie  distant  from  the  water. 

This  evening  my  sentinel,  when  it  was  very  dark,  called 
out  tl>at  he  saw  a  negro,  with  a  lighted  tobacco-pipe,  cross 
the  Cormoetibo  Creek  in  a  canoe.  We  lost  no  time  in  leap- 
ing out  of  our  hammocks  ;  but  were  not  a  little  mortified, 
when  one  of  my  slaves  declared  it  was  no  more  than  a  fire- 
fly on  the  wing — which  actually  w^as  the  case. 

These 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  Uj? 

These  insects  arc  above  an  inch  long,  with  a  round  patch  c  n  a  p. 
under  the  belly,  of  a  transparent  greenish  colour,  -^diich 
in  the  dark  gives  a  light  like  a  candle  :  its  eyes  are  also 
very  luminous,  and  by  the  light  of  a  couple  of  these  flies 
one  may  see  very  ^vell  to  read  small  print.  There  is  ano- 
ther species,  which  is  smaller,  and  only  to  be  observed 
when  they  fly  elevated,  at  which  time  they  appear  like  the 
intermitting  sparks  of  fire  emitted  from  the  forge  of  a 
blacksmith. 

On  the  18th,  having  nothing  else  to  do,  I  shot  a  bird, 
which  is  here  called  a  tigri-fordo,  or  tiger-bird,  but  which 
I  take  to  be  of  the  heron  species ;  it  is  about  the  size  of  a 
heron,  but  of  a  reddish  colour,  covered  over  Avith  regular 
black  spots,  from  which  it  has  derived  its  name :  its  bill, 
which  is  long  and  strait,  as  also  the  legs  and  toes,  are  of  a 
pale  green  colour,  and  seem  to  indicate  that  it  lives  upon 
fish:  the  neck  is  also  long,  from  which  hangs  down  a  kind 
of  hoary  feathers.  On  the  head,  which  is  small,  it  has  a 
roundish  black  spot,  and  its  eyes  are  a  beautiful  yellow.. 

By  a  Avater-patrol  from  the  Cerberus  I  received  intel- 
ligence this  evening,  that  the  men  began  to  be  sickly  ; 
and  on  the  following  day  I  was  informed,  that  on  the  spot 
where  we  had  dressed  our  victuals,  in  the  Cormoetibo 
Creek,  and  which  is  on  the  rebel  side  of  the  river,  a 
strong  detachment  had  lately  been  murdered  b^'  the  enemy. 
I  therefore  ordered  the  shed  to  be  burnt  to  the  ground, 
and  the  meat  to  be  dressed  on  board  the  barges.     Hers 

all 


150  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

CHAP,  all  the  elements  now  seemed  to  unite  in  opposing  us  ;  the 
^^^*  water  pouring  down  hke  a  deluge,  the  heavy  rains  forced 
themselves  fore  and  aft  into  the  vessel,  where  they  set 
every  thing  afloat;  the  air  was  infested  with  myriads  of 
musquitoes,  which,  from  sun-set  to  sun-rising,  constantly 
kept  us  company,  and  prevented  us  from  getting  any  sleep, 
and  left  us  in  the  morning  besmeared  all  over  with  blood, 
and  full  of  blotches.  The  smoke  of  the  fire  and  tobacco, 
which  we  burnt  to  annoy  them,  was  enough  to  choke  us  ; 
and  not  a  foot-step  of  land  could  we  find,  where  we  might 
cook  our  salt  provisions  in  safety.  To  all  this  misery  may 
be  added,  that  discord  broke  out  between  the  marines 
and  the  negroes,  with  whom,  as  promises  or  threats  had  as 
yet  no  weight,  I  Avas  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  other 
means.  I  tied  up  the  ringleaders  of  both  parties ;  and 
after  ordering  the  first  to  be  well  flogged,  and  the  latter  to 
be  horse-whipped  for  half  an  hour,  after  due  suspense  and 
expectation,  I  pardoned  them  all  without  one  lash.  This 
had  equally  the  effect  of  the  punishment,  and  peace  Avas 
perfectly  re-established  ;  but  to  prevent  approaching  dis- 
ease was  totally  out  of  my  power.  Not  all  the  golden  rules 
in  Doctor  Armstrong's  beautiful  poem  upon  health  could 
avail  in  this  situation. 

We  rowed  down  on  the  20th,  till  we  arrived  before  the 
Casepoere  Creek,  in  hopes  of  meeting  some  relief,  but 
Avere  equally  uncomfortable.      So  very   thick   were  the 
musquitoes   now,    that   by  clapping   my  tAVO  hands  to- 
gether. 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM.  15I 

gelher,  I  have  actually  killed  to  the  number  of  thirty- 
eight  at  one  stroke. 

In  rowing  down   to  Barbacoeba,  we  saw  one  or  two 
beautiful  snakes  swim  across  the  river.     In  the  course  of 
our  progress  Ave  occasionally  met  Avith  a  little  relief,  by 
stepping  ashore  under  the  shade.      I  now  had  recourse 
to   the   advice   of  an  old   negro. — "  Caramaca,"    said  I, 
'  Avhat  methods  do  you  take  to  preserve  your  health  ?" — 
'  SAvim  every  day  twice  or  thrice,  Sir,"  said  he,  "  in  the 
'  river.     This,  Masara,  not  only  serves  for  exercise  Avhcrc 
'  I  cannot  walk,  but  keeps  my  skin  clean  and  cool ;  and 
'•  the  pores  being  open,  I  enjo}'  a  free  perspiration.    With- 
'  out  this,  by  imperceptible  filth,  the  pores  arc  shut,  the 
'  juices  stagnate,  and  disease  must  inevitably  folloAv." — 
Having  recompensed  the  old  gentleman  Avith  a  dram,  I 
instantly  stripped  and  plunged  headlong  into  the  river. 
I  had,  however,  no  sooner  taken  this  leap,  than  he  called 
to  me  for  God's   sake  to  come  on  board ;  Avhicli  having 
done  Avith  much  astonishment,  he  reminded  me  of  the  alli- 
gators, as  Avell  as  of  a  fish  Avhich  is  here  called  pery. — 
"  Both  these,  Sir,"  said  he,  "  are  exceedingly  dangerous, 
"  but  by  following  my  directions  you  Avill  run  no  hazard. 
*'  You  may  SAvini  entirely  naked,  only  take  care  that  you 
"  constantly  keep  in  motion ;  for  the  moment  you  are 
"  quiet,  you  run  the  risk  of  their  snapping  off  a  limb,  or 
"  being  dragged  to  the  bottom." 

Having 


152  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

Having  mentioned  the  alligator,  I  shall  take  the  libertr 
to  offer  to  the  reader  (though  he  cannot  but  have  met  with 
some  account  of  this  creature  in  reading  different  voyages) 
some  particulars  which  I  have  myself  observed,  or  of  Avhich 
I  have  been  informed  on  the  best  authority.    - 

It  is  an  amphibious  animal,  and  found  in  most  rivers 
in  Guiana ;  its  size  is  from  four  to  eighteen  or  twenty 
feet  in  length  ;  the  tail  as  long  as  the  body,  both  of  which 
are  on  the  upper  part  indented  like  a  saw,  its  shape  being 
something  like  a  lizard  ;  the  colour  on  the  back  is  a  yel- 
lowish brown,  approaching  to  black,  variegated  on  the  sides 
with  greenish  shades,  the  belly  being  a  dirty  white  ;  the 
head  is  large^  with  a  snout  and  eyes  somewhat  resembling 
those  of  a  sow  ;  the  last  immoveable,  and  guarded  each 
by  a  large  protuberance  or  hSrd  knob.  The  mouth  and 
throat,  extremel}^  Avide,  are  beset  with  double  rows  of 
teeth,  that  can  snap  almost  through  any  bone  :  it  has 
four  feet,  armed  with  claws  and  hard  sharp-pointed  nails. 
The  whole  animal  is  covered  over  with  large  scales,  and  a 
skin  so  thick  that  it  is  invulnerable,  even  by  a  musquet- 
ball,  except  in  the  head  or  the  belly,  where  it  is  most 
liable  to  be  wounded ;  its  flesh  is  eaten  by  the  natives,  but 
is  of  a  musky  taste  and  flavour,  owing  it  is  said  to  a  kind 
of  bags  or  bladders  which  are  on  the  inside  of  each  limb. 
The  alligator  lays  its  eggs  on  the  shore  to  a  great  num- 
ber in  the  sand,  where  they  are  hatched  by  the  sun,  the 

males 


'  '^/w^j/y//^/////  /'/  ■ ,  7y/////^//  .J/^///r/fY  y/^//////// 


,:'/// r  '  v77y^^//'vvv  '   a^jf^mz^/  c/q/// // ///r/// 


L,m,loii,r'ihli.rli,d  D,c''j^/iy,ii,t>r  .fJolMJoit,,  S.'J'auly  Oairdil 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  153 

males  eating  the  greater  portion  of  them.  On  land  this 
animal  is  not  dangerous,  for  want  of  activity,  but  in  the 
rivers,  where  he  is  often  seen  lurking  for  his  prey,  with  his 
muzzle  alone  above  water,  something  like  the  stump  of  an 
old  tree,  he  is  truly  tremendous  to  all  that  approach  him  ; 
yet  of  man,  as  I  have  seen,  he  is  afraid,  during  the  time  he 
keeps  his  hands  and  feet  in  motion,  but  no  longer.  Some 
negroes  even  have  the  courage  to  attack  and  vanquish  the 
alligator  in  his  own  element,  notwithstanding  his  violent 
strength  and  unequalled  ferocity,  being  particularly  fond 
of  human  flesh. 

The  difference  between  the  above  animal  and  the  croco- 
dile (which  is  also  found  in  Surinam)  consists  not  merely 
in  the  name,  but  in  the  shape  and  in  the  nature  also,  the 
latter  being  longer  and  more  slender  in  proportion,  and 
not  so  ferocious ;  the  alligator  or  cayman  (as  called  by 
the  natives  and  negroes)  is  besides  more  frequently  met 
with  than  the  crocodile,  which  partly  may  be  the  cause  of 
its  being  supposed  to  be  more  destructive.  I  shall  only 
add,  that  in  Asia  there  is  a  considerable  difference  to  be 
found,  upon  a  nice  examination,  between  the  above  two 
reptiles,  Avhere  they  are  also  larger  than  they  are  in  any 
parts  of  America. 

Had  it  not  been  for  an  accident,  these  creatures  would 
never  have  been  known  by  any  other  name  than  that  of 
crocodile  :    for  had  the  first   navigators    seen   any  thing, 
more   resembling  their  form  than  a  lizard,    they   would 

Vol.  I.  X  have 


154  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

have  adopted  that  which  the  Indians  called  them  by,  viz. 
the  cayman ;  but  the  Spanish  sailors  remarking  their  great 
resemblance  to  that  little  reptile,  they  called  the  first  of 
them  which  they  saw  lagarto,  or  lizard.  When  our  coun- 
trymen arrived,  and  heard  that  name,  they  called  the 
creature  a-lagarto,  whence  is  derived  the  word  alligato,  or 
alligator. 

The  great  advantage  of  such  repositories  of  Natural 
History  as  the  British  Museum  is,  that  they  enable  the 
lover  of  nature  and  truth  to  be  satisfied  by  his  own  eyes 
of  the  extraordinary  and  almost  incredible  productions  of 
nature.  In  the  above-named  collection  may  be  seen  a 
crocodile,  differing  in  some  particulars,  but  chiefly  in  its 
dimensions,  from  the  creatures  of  the  same  name  in  other 
parts  of  India.  Though  so  numerous  in  Bengal,  I  never 
heard  upon  good  authority  of  one  much  larger  than  this, 
which  measures  above  twenty-one  feet.  It  was  taken  in 
the  river  Indus,  but  not  till  it  had  received  on  many  parts 
of  its  body  several  three-pound  balls,  many  of  which 
could  not  penetrate,  or  produce  the  least  effect  against 
his  scales. 

As  I  cannot  so  easily  produce  my  voucher,  I  must  pledge 
my  veracity  for  another  specimen,  which  I  have  myself 
seen;  which  proves  to  me  that  there  have  been  some  of 
this  species  of  more  than  twice  the  size  of  that  which  may 
be  measured  in  the  Museum. 

At  Maestricht,  in  1781,  I  saw  the  head  of  a  crocodile 

petrified. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  155 

petrified,  which  had  been  dug  out  of  Mount  Saint  Pierre : 
the  body  of  which,  by  calculation,  must  have  measured 
above  sixty  feet  in  length. — Query,  When,  or  how,  did 
this  animal  come  the7'e  ?  Yet  there  with  astonishment  I 
beheld  it,  in  the  possession  of  a  priest,  Avho  since  sent  it  to 
Paris  as  a  very  great  curiosity. 

In  Guiana  there  are  said  to  be  lizards  of  the  size  of  five 
or  six  feet ;  but  that  species  which  is  here  called  the  iguana, 
and  by  the  Indians  the  wai/amaca,  is  seldom  above  three 
feet  long.  Prom  the  head  to  the  extremity  of  the  tail,  it 
is  covered  over  with  small  scales,  reflecting  very  brilliant 
colours  in  the  sun ;  the  back  and  legs  are  of  a  dark  blue, 
the  sides  and  belly  of  a  yellowish  kind  of  green,  as  also  the 
bao-  or  loose  skin  which  hang-s  under  its  throat.  It  is 
spotted  in  many  parts  with  brown  and  black,  and  its  eyes 
are  a  beautiful  pale  red,  while  the  claws  are  of  a  deep 
chesnut  colour. 

This  lizard,  like  the  alligator,  has  its  back  and  tail  in- 
dented, both  which  are  formed  into  a  sharp  edge.  It  lays 
its  eggs  in  the  sand,  and  is  often  seen  among  the  shrubs 
and  plants,  Avhere  the  Indians  shoot  it  with  their  bows  and 
arrows.  These  people  esteem  its  flesh,  which  is  very  white, 
as  a  great  delicacy  ;  it  is  sold  dear  at  Paramaribo,  and 
bought  as  a  dainty  by  many  of  the  white  inhabitants.  This 
creature's  bite  is  extremely  painful,  but  seldom  attended 
with  bad  consequences. 

X  2  But 


156  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

But  to  return  to  my  negro,  Caramaca :  I  acknowledge 
his  account  at  first  discouraged  me  from  the  plan  of  daily 
bathing  for  health  ;  but  finding  by  following  his  direction 
that  the  dangers  he  represented  were  to  be  avoided,  I 
resolved  to  follow  it,  and  derived  great  benefit  from  the 
practice  as  long  as  I  remained  in  the  colony.  Tliis  negro 
also  advised  me  to  walk  bare-footed  and  thinly  dressed. 
"  Now  is  the  season,  Massera,"  said  he,  "  to  use  your 
"  feet  to  become  hard,  by  Avalking  on  the  smooth  boards 
"  of  the  vessel ;  the  time  may  come  when  you  will  be 
"  obliged  to  do  so  for  Avant  of  shoes,  in  the  midst  of  thorns 
"  and  briars,  as  I  have  seen  some  others.  Custom," 
said  he,  "  Massera,  is  second  nature :  our  feet  were  all 
"  made  alike.  Do  so  as  I  advise  you  ;  and  in  the  end 
"  you  will  thank  old  Caramaca.  As  for  being  thinly 
"  dressed,"  continued  the  negro,  "  a  shirt  and  trowsers  is 
"  fully  suflScient ;  which  not  only  saves  trouble  and  ex- 
"  pence,  but  the  body  Avants  air,  as  well  as  it  does  water : 
"  so  bathe  in  both  Avhen  you  have  the  opportunity." — 
From  that  moment  I  followed  his  counsels,  to  which,  be- 
sides being  cleanly  and  cool,  I  in  a  great  measure  ascribe 
the  preservation  of  my  life.  I  now  frequently  thought  on 
Paramaribo,  where  I  enjoyed  all  the  delicacies  of  life  ; 
while  here  I  was  forced  to  have  recourse  to  many  expe- 
dients much  worse  than  any  savage ;  yet  should  I  not  have 
repined  had  any  person  profited  by  our  sufferings. — But  I 

am 


VII. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  157 

am  forgetting  the  articles  of  war,  viz.  implicitly  to  obey,    chap. 
and  ask  no  questions. 

Having,  on  the  22d,  sent  my  serjeant  and  one  man  sick 
to  the  hospital  at  Devil's  Harwar,  we  now  rowed  again  to 
the  head  station  before  Cormoetibo  Creek. 

Here  one  of  my  negroes  caught  some  fish,  amongst 
which  was  the  torporific  eel  already  described,  which  he 
dressed  and  eat  with  his  companions  ;  the  others  were  the 
peri/  and  que-quee  :  the  pery  was  that  mentioned  by  the 
old  slave  as  dangerously  rapacious.  This  fish  is  some- 
times near  two  feet  long,  of  a  flattish  make,  scaly,  and 
of  a  bluish  colour;  the  mouth  large,  and  thick  set  with 
sharp  teeth,  Avhich  are  so  strong,  and  the  pert/  so  vora- 
cious, that  it  frequently  snaps  off  the  feet  of  ducks  when 
swimming,  nay  even  the  toes,  the  fingers,  and  the  breasts 
of  wonien.  The  que-quee  may  be  called  a  fish  in  armour, 
being  covered  over  from  head  to  tail  with  broAvn  coloured 
moveable  rings,  sliding  the  one  over  the  other,  and  joined 
like  those  of  a  lobster,  which  serve  for  its  defence  in 
place  of  scales.  This  last  is  from  six  to  ten  inches  long, 
with  a  large  head  and  of  a  roundish  shape.  Both  the 
pery  and  the  que-quee  are  very  good  eating. — But  1  must 
for  some  time  lay  aside  the  description,  and  return  to 
my  journal. 

The  23d  being  the  day  appointed  by  Captain  Orzinga 
and  myself  for  the  trial  of  the  signals,  at  twelve  o'clock 
precisely  the  whole  number  of  blunderbusses  and  swivels 

were 


158  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

were  fired  at  Devil's  Harwar  on  board  the  Charon,  and 
on  board  the  Cerberus,  still  stationed  at  Patamaca ;  which 
proved  to  be  to  no  purpose,  no  person  on  board  either  of 
the  vessels  having  been  able  to  hear  the  report  of  the  guns 
fired  by  the  other.  During  this,  however,  I  met  Avith  a 
small  accident,  by  firing  myself  one  of  the  blunderbusses, 
which  I  placed  like  a  musquet  against  my  shoulder ;  when 
I  received  such  a  stroke  by  its  rebounding  as  threw  me 
backward  over  a  large  hogshead  of  beef,  and  had  nearly 
dislocated  my  right  arm.  This  however  it  seems  was 
owing  to  my  ignorance  of  the  manner  of  using  the  blun- 
derbuss, as  I  have  since  been  informed  that  all  such  wea- 
pons ought  to  be  fired  under  the  hand,  especially  Avhen 
heavy  charged ;  and  then  by  swinging  round  the  body 
suddenl)^  the  force  of  the  rebound  is  broken,  and  the 
effect  scarcely  sensible.  I  insert  this  only  to  shew  in  Avhat 
manner  hea;vy-loaded  muscatoons  ought  always  to  be  fired ; 
especially  since,  without  any  aim,  the  execution  from  their 
wide  mouth  is  almost  equally  fatal. 

On  the  26th,  by  a  canoe  that  came  down  from  Pata- 
maca, I  received  intelligence  that  the  Cerberus  was  in 
danger  of  being  surprised  by  the  enemy,  who  had  been 
discovered  hovering  round  about  her ;  and  the  part  of 
the  river  where  she  was  moored  being  very  narrow,  I  con- 
sidered her  situation  as  critical.  I  therefore  immediately 
rowed  the  Charon  up  before  the  Pinneburgh  Creek ;  and 
having  manned  the  yawl,  as  being  the  most  expeditious, 
1  Avent 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  159 

went  myself,  M'ith  six  men,  to  their  assistance  :  but  was  c  n  a  v. 
agreeably  surprised  at  finding  the  whole  to  be  a  false 
alarm.  In  the  evening  we  returned  back  to  our  station. 
In  rowing  down  I  was  astonished  at  being  hailed  by  a 
human  voice,  which  begged  me  for  God's  sake  to  step  on 
shore.  This  I  did,  with  two  of  my  men ;  when  I  was  ac- 
costed by  a  poor  old  negro  woman,  imploring  me  to  afford 
her  some  assistance.  It  seems  she  was  the  property  of  a 
Jew,  to  whom  belonged  the  spot  of  ground  where  I  found 
her,  and  where  the  poor  creature  lived  quite  alone,  in  a 
hut  not  larger  than  a  dog-kennel,  surrounded  by  a  wilder- 
ness, with  only  a  few  plantain-trees,  yams,  and  cassava, 
for  her  support.  She  was  no  longer  of  use  to  work  on  the 
great  estate,  and  Avas  banished  here  only  to  support  her. 
master's  right  to  the  possession,  since  this  spot  had  been 
ruined  by  the  rebels.  Having  left  with  her  a  piece  of  salt 
beef,  some  barley,  and  a  bottle  of  rum,  I  took  my  leave, 
when  she  offered  me  in  return  one  of  her  cats  :  but  this  I 
could  not  accept ;  for  by  this  token,  I  mean  upon  the 
information  of  the  cats,  my  negro  rowers  firmly  insisted 
that  she  must  be  a  Avitch  ;  which  evinces  that  this  super- 
stition is  not  confined  to  Europe. 

In  this  creek,  the  banks  of  which  on  both  sides  are 
covered  with  mangrove  trees,  thorns,  and  briars,  we  found 
floating  on  the  surface  of  the  water  a  kind  of  large  white 
nut,  which  seemed  to  have  dropped  of  themselves  by  ripe- 
ness from  the  shell.  They  are  sweet,  crisp,  and  exceed- 
ingly 


160  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

ingly  good  eating  ;  but  I  neglected  to  inquire  from  what 
tree  they  had  fallen.  A  kind  of  water  shrub,  called  the 
mocco-mocco,  is  here  also  to  be  found  in  great  quantities. 
It  grows  about  six  or  eight  feet  high,  thick  at  bottom, 
jointed  and  prickly  all  the  way  to  the  top,  where  it  is  very 
small,  and  divided  into  three  or  four  large  smooth  oval 
leaves,  which  possess  almost  the  quality  of  blistering  by 
their  violent  adhesion  to  the  skin. 

As  we  approached  the  Charon  in  the  evening,  I  found 
my  sentinel  fast  asleep,  Avhich  enraged  me  so  much,  that 
having  quietly  entered  on  board  the  barge,  I  fired  my 
pistol  close  to  his  ear,  just  over  his  head,  assuring  him 
that  I  would  the  next  time  blow  it  through  his  brains  : 
the  whole  crew  flew  to  their  arms,  and  the  poor  fellow 
had  nearly  leaped  into  the  water.  But  however  it  might 
be  necessary  to  threaten  in  this  manner,  at  a  post  Avhere 
a  surprise  might  be  fatal,  it  would  have  been  excessive 
cruelty  to  have  executed  it  in  such  a  situation,  Avhere  the 
bite  of  the  musquitoes  rendered  it  impossible  to  reckon 
upon  sleep  ar,  stated  times ;  and  thus  the  interruption  of 
it  at  one  tmie  made  the  approach  of  it  unavoidable  at 
another. 

We  now  returned,  on  the  27th,  to  Cormoetibo  Creek, 
where  my  negroes,  having  been  ashore  to  cut  wood  for 
the  furnace,  brought  on  board  a  poor  animal  alive,  with 
all  its  four  feet  chopped  off  with  the  bill-hook,  and  which 
lay  still  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe.     Having  freed  it 

from 


>yA<'.'(J  ^"/rl^/A^/y/zu^y^,  /v/^^-.-^^^A-V_^^c^^' 


:.,;i,1i'H  ./'iil'/i.'-/icil  lhr':s'^'nt):^,lyj..h'lili.m,i.-'::raii>'-l'l>i"^'li  R/rf 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  I6i 

from  its  torment  by  a  blow  on  the  head,  I  was  acquainted    c  h  a  v. 
that  this  was  the  sloth,  called  loyaree  or  heo.ij  by  the  na- 
tives, on  account  of  its  plaintive  voice.     It  is  about  the 
size  of  a  small  water-spaniel,  with  a  round  head  some- 
thing like  that  of  a  monkey,  but  its  mouth  is  remarkably 
large  ;  its  hinder  legs  are  much  shorter  than  those  before, 
to  help  it  in  climbing,  being  each  armed  with  three  very 
large  and  sharp  claws,  by  which  it  holds  its  body  on  the 
boughs,  but  which,  as  being  offensive  Aveapons,  my  ne- 
groes had  so  cruelly  chopped  off:  its  eyes  are  languid,  and 
its  voice  is   squeaking,  like  that  of  a  young  cat.     The 
greatest  particularity  of  this  creature  however  is,  that  its 
motion  is  so  very  slow,  that  it  often  takes  two  days  to  get 
up  to  the  top  of  a  moderate  tree,  from  this  it  never  de- 
scends while  a  leaf  or  a  bud  is  remaining ;  beginning  its 
devastation  first  at  the  top,  to  prevent  its  being  starved  in 
coming  to  the  bottom,  when  it  goes  in  quest  of  another, 
proceeding  incredibly  slow  indeed  while  on   the  ground. 
Some  say,  that  to  avoid  the  pain  of  exercising  its  limbs,  it 
forms  itself  into  a  ball,  and  drops  down  from  the  branches : 
that  may  be  true  or  not,  but  this  I  know  to  be  a  fact,  that 
it  cannot  mend  its  pace. 

Of  these  animals  there  are  two  species  in  Guiana,  viz. 
the  Ai  and  the  Unan ;  i^ut  in  Surinam  distinguished  by 
the  names  of  the  Sicapo  and  Dago  luyaree,  or  the  Sheep 
and  the  Dog  Sloth,  on  account  of  their  hair;  that  of  the 

Vol.  I.  Y  first 


162  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

first  being  bush}^  and  of  a  dirty  gre^^  while  the  otlier  is 
lank  and  reddish-coloured.  This  last  has  also  but  two 
elaws  on  each  foot,  and  the  head  is  less  round  than  the 
former.  Both  theser  creatures,  by  forming  themselves  in 
a  clew,  have  often  more  the  appearance  of  excrescences 
in  the  bark,  than  that  of  animals  feeding  upon  the  foliage, 
which  frequently  prevents  them  from  being  discovered 
by  the  natives  and  negroes,  who  devour  their  flesh  with 
avidity. 

Now  came  down  from  Patamaca,  on  the  2Sth,  Lieu- 
tenant Siromer,  the  conmiander  of  the  Cerberus,  in  a 
burning  fever,  and  scorched  by  the  sun  in  an  open  canoe, 
drinking  cold  water  from  the  river  as  his  only  relief.  In 
this  situation,  a  Jew  soldier,  of  the  Society  post  La  Ro- 
chelle,  accompanied  him,  with  the  account  that  the  rebels 
had  actually  passed  the  creek  two  days  before,  one  mile 
above  the  Zos^  estate,  as  had  been  first  reported,  wi^.  march- 
ing from  east  to  west. — He  at  the  same  time  delivered  to 
me  a  negro  woman,  with  a  sucking  infant,  who  had  for- 
merly been  stolen  by  the  rebels,  and  had  uoav  found  means 
to  make  her  escape.  From  below  I  leceived  also  the 
news,  that  Major  Medlar  had  sent  to  town  from  the  Jew 
Savannah  two  dried  hands  of  the  enemy,  killed  by  the 
rangers;  that  an  officer  with  ten  men  and  some  provisions 
were  landed  at  Devil's  Harwar,  there  to  be  under  my  com- 
saand ;  and  that  one  of  my  marines  at  that  place  was  dead. 

The 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  \65 

'Rie  saiViC  dispatches  brought  an  order  for  me  to  look  out   c  H  a  p. 
for  a  dry  spot,  and,  if  possible,  to  build  a  temporary  store-       ^^^' 
house. 

I  immediately  detached  my  lieutenant,  ]\Ir.  Ilamcr,  to 
take  the  command  of  the  Cerberus,  and  having  weighed 
anchor,  i-owed  down  till  I  arrived  before  the  Casepory 
Creek,  where  we  passed  such  a  night  as  no  pen  can  de- 
scribe:— The  sick  groaned,  the  Jew  prayed  aloud,  the 
soldiers  swore,  the  negroes  intreated,  the  women  sung,  the 
child  squeaked,  the  fire  smoked,  the  rains  poured  down, 
and  the  whole  vessel  stunk  to  such  a  deo-ree,  that  I  be^an 
to  think  myself  but  little  better  off  than  the  unfortunate 
persons  who  were  confined  in  the  black  hole  at  Calcutta. 
At  six  o'clock  the  next  morning,  however,  the  joyful  sun 
broke  through  the  clouds,  and  I  dropped  down  with  the 
Charon  before  Devil's  Harwar. 

On  the  29th,  I  delivered  my  sick  officer  and  five  sick 
men,  besides  my  other  passengers,  for  whom  I  had  done 
all  that  was  in  my  power,  but  that  was  very  little  ;  and 
having  stowed  the  newly-arrived  provisions  in  a  proper 
place,  I  once  more  returned  to  my  dreadful  station,  where 
1  came  to  an  anchor  on  the  first  of  August. 

The  following  day,  between  the  shoivers,  we  saw  great 
numbers  of  monkies,  of  which  I  shot  one,  and  having  had 
no  fresh  meat  for  a  long  time,  I  ordered  it  to  be  dressed, 
and  eat  it  with  a  good  appetite.  We  were  at  this  time  in 
a  shocking  situation,  not  only  wanting  refreshment,  but 

y  2  the 


NARRATIVE    OF   AN 
the  men's  clothes  and  hammocks  were  rotting  from  day  to 
day,  not  only  from  their  being  almost  constantly  wet,  but 
being  also  composed  of  the  very  worst  materials  sent  from. 
Holland. 

On  the  third,  I  received  the  account  that  Lieutenant 
Stromer  was  dead  at  Devil's  Harwar. 

On  the  fourth,  v/e  dropped  down  before  the  place,  to 
bury  him  directly,  in  the  hope  of  doing  it  with  decency, 
but  Ave  were  disappointed  ;  for  having  contrived  to  make 
a  coffin  of  old  boards,  the  corpse  dropped  through  it  be- 
fore it  reached  the  grave,  and  exhibited  a  shocking  spec- 
tacle :  we  nevertheless  found  means  to  go  through  the  rest 
of  the  interment  with  some  decorum,  having  covered  it 
over  Avith  a  hammock  by  Avay  of  a  pall;  then  fired 
three  vollies  with  all  the  troops  that  had  strength  to  carry 
arms.  This  being  over,  I  regaled  the  officers  Avith  a 
glass  of  Avine,  and  once  more  took  a  farcAvell  of  Devil's 
HarAvar. 

On  the  sixth,  having  first  Avritten  to  Colonel  Fourgeoud, 
to  acquaint  him  that  the  rebels  had  passed  above  La 
Rochelle,  and  that  I  had  found  a  spot  for  a  magazine  at 
Barbacoeba,  I  informed  him  also  of  the  death  of  my 
lieutenant,  Mr.  Stromer ;  and  recommended  my  serjeant, 
who  had  been  an  officer  of  hussars,  for  advancement. 

To  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  this  spot  called  Devil's 
HarAvar,  I  Avill  here  take  the  opportunity  to  describe  it. 

Tliis  place  was  formerly  a  plantation,  but  is  noAv  entirely 

occupied 


f^€i^  of//i^..^^j^;f^J:z^^z^tZj  J^a^ 


oa//^//t//;  o/f  n 


^J4^/o  Oa/^/^/x  . 


V  ////" '  ^'fT^/z/r// '  y^M/rarj,  r<>//,  ///^f  /////,/  /y  (,////"  //r////M  /? . 


f.m.tU'it.  /^ttJ>tLi-Jit,i  D.-cSj-^tyitt,  hy  .A.folmyon.  S/Pitui:^  itiiirch  i',ir<l . 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  165 

occupied  by  the  military,  m^Iio  keep  here  a  post,  to  defend 
the  upper  parts  of  the  river  Cottica,  The  soil  is  elevated 
and  dry,  which  makes  it  the  more  remarkable  that  it  should 
be  so  extremely  unwholesome,  yet  such  it  certainly  is  :  and 
here  hundreds  of  soldiers  have  been  buried.  It  lies  on  the 
right  side  of  the  river  as  you  go  upwards,  and  had  formerly 
a  path  of  communication  with  the  river  Pirica,  on  which 
were  a  few  military  guards ;  but  this  is  now  little  frequented, 
and  quite  overgrown. 

The  buildings  on  Devil's  Harwar  are  all  made  of  the 
pina  or  manicole-tree ;  which  tree,  and  the  manner  of 
using  it  for  houses,  &c.  I  shall  afterwards  attempt  to  de- 
scribe :  but  now  must  content  myself  with  only  saying,  that 
on  this  post  the  buildings  consist  of  a  dwelling-house  for 
the  commanding-officer,  with  four  very  good  rooms ;  an- 
other for  the  subalterns  ;  a  good  lodge  for  the  private 
soldiers ;  and  an  hospital  for  the  sick,  which  is  large  and 
roomy :  but  this  is  no  more  than  is  necessary,  as  it  never 
is  without  inhabitants.  There  is  also  a  powder  and  vic- 
tualling magazine,  proper  kitchens,  a  bakehouse,  &:c. 
besides  a  well  with  fresh  water.  The  Society,  troops  feed 
a  flock  of  sheep,  pigs,  and  poultr}^  at  this  place,  for  the 
use  only  of  the  hospital :  here  was  also  at  this  time  a  cow, 
which  had  been  allotted  for  the  rangers  after  BoeccoAv 
was  taken,  but  the  feast  had  not  been  kept  at  this  place. 
She  had  now  a  calf,  and  afforded  milk  for  the  officers  to 
their  tea,  &c.  but  for  us  poor  fellows  in  the  barges  there 

was- 


IGG  NARRATIA'E    OF    AN 

Mas  notliing  at  all  of  the  kind.  I  may  add,  that  some  of 
the  officers  had  also  httle  gardens  here,  which  afforded 
them  sakid,  &c. 

The  circumstance  which  renders  Devil's  Harwar  so  un- 
healthy, in  my  opinion,  is  the  myriads  of  musquitoes  that 
prevent  the  people  from  rest,  and  the  multitudes  of  chigoes 
or  sand-fleas  which  abound  in  that  station. 

On  the  seventh,  I  arrived  again  at  Cormoetibo  Creek, 
where  I  resolved  to  make  a  landing  on  the  south  shore 
at  all  hazards,  for  my  own  soldiers  to  cook  their  beef  and 
barley  ;  concluding  it  as  well  to  be  shot  by  the  enemy 
at  once,  as  to  be  gradually  consumed  to  death  on  board 
the  Charon.  It  Avas,  however,  a  difficult  task  to  find  the 
smallest  spot  for  the  purpose,  the  whole  of  that  shore 
being  so  very  marshy,  and  over-grown  with  every  kind  of 
miderwood,  that  we  could  scarcely  put  our  new  project 
in  execution ;  till  at  last,  my  negroes  having  made  a  tem- 
porary kind  of  bridge,  to  step  from  the  yawl  upon  a  small 
speck  of  dry  ground,  and  having  formed  a  slight  shed  of 
manicole  leaves  to  keep  off  the  rain,  we  found  means  to 
keep  in  a  fire,  and  were  infinitely  more  comfortable  than 
we  were  on  board  the  Charon.  Our  danger  in  this  situa- 
tion, however,  was  certainly  greater  than  in  our  former 
station  ;  since  an  old  rebel  settlement  was  not  very  far 
from  this  place,  which  was  called  Pinneburgh,  from  a 
neighbouring  creek  ;  though  others  allege  that  it  obtain- 
ed this  name  from  the  sharp  pins  stuck  in  the  ground,  like 

croAV- 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  167 

crow-feet,  or  chevaux  de  frize,  with  which  the  rebels  had 
formerly  fortified  and  defended  it.  Notwithstanding  this 
village  had  been  demolished,  it  was  Avell  kno^vn  that  the 
rebels  still  frequently  visited  tlie  spot,  to  pick  up  some  of 
the  yams  and  casadas  (whicli  the  ground  continued,  in  its 
uncultivated  state,  to  produce)  for  a  temporary  subsistence. 
I  was  indeed  almost  absolutely  convinced  that  the  rebels, 
who  had  lately  passed  above  La  Rochelle  in  Patamaca, 
were  at  this  moment  encamped  at  the  above  spot  Piune^ 
burgh,  and  ready  to  comuiit  some  depredations  on  the 
estates  on  the  river  Cottica  or  Pirica,  if  not  to  attack  our- 
selves; on  this  account  I  always  kept  double  sentinels 
round  the  landing-place,  and  gave  orders  that  no  men 
should  be  allowed  to  speak  or  make  an}'  kind  of  noise  while 
on  that  spot,  in  order  that  we  might  hear  the  smallest  rust- 
ling of  a  leaf,  and  so  obviate  our  danger  by  vigilance  and 
alacrity. 

On  the  8th  my  other  officer,  Macdonald,  fell  sick,  but 
refused  to  be  sent  to  Devil's  Harwar,  as  he  would  not  suffer 
me  to  be  left  quite  by  myself. 

I  have  said  that  we  had  no  surgeon,  but  carried  with 
us  a  parcel  of  medicines,  which  consisted  of  emetics,  ca- 
thartics, and  powders,  of  which  I  knew  not  the  proper 
use.  At  their  desire,  however,  I  daily  distributed  them 
to  the  men,  who,  loading  their  stomachs  with  heavy  salt 
provisions,  and  using  no  exercise,  had  sometimes  occasion 
for  art  to  assist  nature.     But  these  briny  meals  of  pork 

and 


168  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

CHAP,   and   beef,  Colonel  Fourgeoud  insisted  were  much  more 
^^^'       wholesome  food  in  a  tropical  country  than  fresh  provi- 
sions ;  for,  by  a  most  curious  theory,  he  asserted  that  the 
latter  corrupted  in  the  stomach  by  the  heat,  whereas  the 
otliers  underwent  a  proper  digestion.     Unfortunately  for 
us,  there  were  but  few  on  board  either  the  Cerberus  or 
the  Charon  Avhose  stomachs   were   in  a  state   to  digest 
such  food.     I  had  also  some  plasters  on  board  the  barge, 
but  these  were  soon  expended  by  the  running  ulcers,  with 
which   the  whole  crew  was   covered  ;  aaid  this  was  easily 
accounted    for,    since  in  this    climate,    where  the  air   is 
impregnated  with  myriads    of   invisible  animalculee,  the 
smallest    scratch    immediately    becomes  a  running   sore. 
The  best  antidote  and  cure  for  such  complaints  in  this 
country  is  lemon  or  lime  acid,  but  this  we  had  not.     The 
next  best  mode  of  treatment  is  never  to  expose  an  open 
M'ound,  or  even  the  smallest  scratch,  to  the  air ;  but  the 
instant  they  are  received,  to  cover  them  with  grey  paper 
wetted  with  spirits,  or  any  kind  of  moisture,  so  that  it 
may  stick  to  the  skin.     For  my  own  part,  no  man  could 
enjoy  a  better  state  of  health  than  I  continued  to  enjo}^ 
wearing  nothing  but  my  long  trowsers,  and  checked  shirt 
loose  at  the  collar  and  turned  up  in  the  sleeves.     Nay, 
even  when  the  sun  was  not  too  hot,  I  stripped  all  together, 
and  twice  every  day  continued  to  plunge  into  the  water  : 
by  these  means  I  ^v^as  always  cool  and  clean ;  I  also  daily 
used  a  cheering  glass  of  wine,  having  first  hung  it  a  few 
1 0  fathoms 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  169 

fathoms  under  water,  which  rendered  it  much  more  cool 
and  pleasant. 

During  all  these  hardships,  I  must  not  forget  the  high 
gratification  which  was  afforded  us  one  day  by  a  few  mar- 
cusas  that  we  found  in  this  place,  which  had  been  left  there 
standing  ever  since  the  estate,  many  years  ago,  had  been 
destroyed.  There  was  indeed  but  one  single  old  tree,  I 
should  rather  say  a  shrub,  for  the  plant  which  bears  them 
falls  more  properly  under  that  description.  This  delicious 
fruit  is  of  an  oval  form,  and  of  an  orange  or  golden  co- 
lour ;  the  blossom  resembling  the  passion  flower.  They  are 
commonly  larger,  but  some  less  than  a  hen's  egg,  and  are 
broken  open  as  one  would  break  an  egg ;  they  are  then 
found  to  inclose  an  ash-coloured  succulent  jelly,  full  of 
small  seeds.  This  is  sipped  out  of  the  shell,  being  sweet 
mixed  with  acid,  of  an  exquisite  flavour,  and  so  cool  that 
it  reminds  one  of  ice  marmalade. 

Here  we  remarked  a  variety  of  beautiful  butterflies, 
particularly  some  of  an  azure  blue,  which  are  exceedingly 
large,  and  between  the  showers  skimmed  and  hovered 
amongst  the  green  boughs,  to  which  their  ultramarine 
hue,  brightened  by  the  sun,  bore  the  most  enchanting 
contrast :  but  as  I  could  not  catch  one  of  them  while  I 
staid  here,  I  must  defer  the  farther  description  to  another 
part  of  the  work. 

This  evening  we  heard  the  sound  of  a  drum,  Avhich  we 
Vol.  I.  Z  could 


170  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

CHAP,    could  suppose  to  be  no  other  than  that  of  the  rebels ; 
^'"       nevertheless  we  determined  to  conthme  dressing  our  vie- 
tuals  ashore,  still  keeping  on  our  guard,  according  to  the 
advice  of  Mr.  Klynhams. 

On  the  9th  Mr.  Macdonald  was  much  worse  ;  however, 
on  seeing  me  receive  a  letter  from  Colonel  Fourgeoud, 
he  seemed  to  revive,  as  we  all  did,  expecting  now  to  be 
relieved  from  our  horrid  situation.  But  what  was  our 
mortification,  at  reading  that  we  were  still  to  continue 
on  this  forlorn  station  !  This  letter  was  accompanied  by 
a  present  of  fish-hooks  and  tackle,  to  make  up  for  the 
deficiency  of  other  refreshments  ;  and,  indeed,  of  salt  pro- 
visions, which  began  daily  to  get  both  worse  and  less — 

Timeo  Danaeos  et  dona  ferentes. 

The  receipt  of  such  unwelcome  intelligence  made  the 
whole  crew  declare  they  were  sacrificed  for  no  manner 
of  purpose ;  while  the  negroes  sighed,  pronouncing  the 
words.  Ah  !  poty^  backera  !  Oh  I  poor  Europeans  !  By 
the  distribution  however  of  a  few  tamarinds,  oranges,  le- 
mons, and  Madeira  wine,  which  were  by  this  opportunity 
sent  me  by  my  best  friend  at  Paramaribo,  I  found  means 
to  impart,  not  only  to  my  oflScers,  but  also  to  my  droop- 
ing soldiers,  some  relief.  But  this  cheering  sun-shine 
could  not  last  long  :  and  the  day  following  we  were  as 
much  distressed  as  ever,  when  I  had  once  more  recourse 
1  to 


^    .        EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  171 

to  the  nimble  inhabitants  of  the  forest,  and  brought  down 
two  nionkies  with  my  gun  from  the  top  of  the  mangroves, 
where  they  were  sporting  in  flocks  consisting  of  some 
hundreds. 

On  the  11th,  I  sent  two  men  sick  to  the  hospital,  and 
the  same  evening  we  again  heard  the  drums.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day,  at  noon,  Ave  were  disturbed  by  a  hurricane ; 
the  Charon  broke  loose  from  her  anchors,  and  was  driven 
ashore,  her  upper  works  being  terribly  damaged  by  the 
stumps  of  trees,  &c.  that  hung  over  the  river,  while  the 
water  from  the  clouds  broke  in  upon  us  like  a  torrent,  and 
I  expected  no  less  than  a  shipwreck. 

On  the  15th  the  other  officer.  Lieutenant  Baron  Owen, 
came  doAvn  sick  from  the  Cerberus,  and  at  his  request  I 
ventured  to  send  him  down  to  Paramaribo.  I  now  re- 
ceived another  letter  from  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  with  a  little 
money  for  the  men  to  purchase  refreshments,  where  nothing 
■was  to  be  met  with  :  but  not  a  word  intimatinsr  that  we 
were  to  be  relieved. 

On  the  20th  I  received  a  feport,  that  the  Cerberus, 
having  only  four  private  men  left,  had  retired  to  the  post 
at  La  Rochelle;  and,  on  the  21st,  I  sent  two  of  my  men 
to  her  assistance,  and  ordered  her  back  to  her  former 
station. 

I  now  was  myself  at  last  attacked  with  a  fever,  and  upon 
the  whole  felt  myself  in  a  truly  distressed  condition ;  de- 

z  2  prived 


172  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

prived  by  sickness  of  my  two  only  officers,  and  my  serjeant. 
My  men  upon  the  three  stations  {viz.  the  two  barges  and 
Devil's  Harwar  together)  melted  down  to  fifteen,  from  the 
number  of  forty-two,  without  a  surgeon,  or  refreshment, 
surrounded  with  a  black  forest,  and  exposed  to  the  mercy 
of  relentless  enemies ;  who  must  be  formidable  indeed, 
should  they  be  informed  by  any  means  of  our  defenceless 
situation.  The  remaining  few  were,  w^ith  truth,  declaring 
tliey  were  doomed  to  destruction;  insomuch,  that  they 
could  with  difficulty  be  prevented  from  mutiny,  and  from 
proceeding  down  the  river  Cottica  with  the  Charon  against 
my  orders. 

For  my  own  part,  I  was  not  altogether  free  from  un- 
easiness. In  fact,  a  few  troops  from  all  quarters  ought 
to  have  marched  against  the  enemy,  when  they  crossed 
the  Patamaca  Creek ;  that  is,  from  La  Rochelle,  Devil's 
Harwar,  and  the  river  Pirica ;  when,  being  assailed  at  once 
from  three  quarters,  the  rebels  might  have  been,  if  not 
entirely  routed,  at  least  severely  punished  for  their  pre- 
sumption :  not  to  speak  of»the  happy  effect  Avhich  such  a 
check  must  have  had  in  saving  the  lives  and  property  of 
those  victims,  who,  after  such  incursions,  are  generally 
devoted  to  their  rage. 

On  the  23d  I  felt  myself  rather  better ;  and  between 
the  fits  of  the  fever  shot  a  couple  of  large  black  monkies 
to  make  some  broth,  to  supply  the  want  of  fresh  provi- 
sions : 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM. 

sions :  but  as  the  destruction  of  one  of  these  animals  was 
attended  with  such  circumstances,  as  for  ever  after  had 
ahiiost  deterred  me  from  going  a  monkey-hunting,  I  must 
beg  leave  to  relate  them  as  they  happened  : — Seeing  me 
on  the  side  of  the  river  in  the  canoe,  the  creature  made 
a  halt  from  skipping  after  his  companions,    and    being 
perched  on  a  branch  that  hung  over  the  water,  examined 
me  with  attention,  and  the  strongest  marks  of  curiosity  : 
no  doubt,   taking   mc    for    a  giant  of   his  own  species  ; 
Avhile  he  chattered  prodigiously,  and  kept  dancing  and 
shaking  the  bough   on   which  he   rested  with  incredible 
strength  and  agility.     At  this  time  I  laid  my  piece  to  my 
shoulder,  and  brought  him  doAv  n  from  the  tree  into  the 
stream  ; — but  may  I  never  again  be  a  witness  to  such  a 
scene !  The  miserable  animal  was  not  dead,  but  mortally 
wounded.     I  seized  him  by  the  tail,  and  taking  it  in  both 
my  hands  to  end  his  torment,  I  swung   him  round,  and 
hit  his  head  against  the  side  of  the  canoe ;  but  the  poor 
creature  still  continued  alive,  and  looked  at  me  in  the 
most  affecting  manner  that  can  be  conceived,  I  knew  no 
other  means  to  end  this  murder,  than  to  hold  him  under 
water  till  he  was  drowned,  Avhile  my  heart  felt  sick  on 
his  account:  for  his  dying  little  eyes  still  continued  to 
follow  me  with  seeming    reproach,    till   their   light  gra- 
dually forsook  them,  and  the  wretched  animal  expired. 
I  felt  so  much  on   this  occasion,   that   I  could   neither 
taste  of  him  nor  his  companion,  when  they  were  dressed, 

though 


174  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

CHAP,    though  I  saw  that  thej  afforded  to  some  others  a  dehcious 

VII.  , 

rejDast. 

That  monkies,  especially  when  young,  are  no  bad  food, 
may  easily  be  accounted  for,  since  they  feed  on  nothing 
but  fruits,  nuts,  eggs,  young  birds,  &c. ;  and  indeed,  in 
my  opinion,  all  young  quadrupeds  are  eatable  :  but  when 
one  compares  those  which  are  killed  in  the  woods  to  those 
filthy  and  disgusting  creatures  that  disgrace  the  streets, 
no  wonder  that  they  should  disgust  the  least  delicate  sto- 
mach. As  for  the  wild  ones,  I  have  eaten  them  boiled, 
roasted,  and  stewed,  and  found  their  flesh  white,  juicy, 
and  good :  the  only  thing  that  disgusted  me  was,  their 
little  hands  and  their  heads,  which  when  dressed,  being- 
deprived  of  the  skin,  appeared  like  the  hands  and  the 
skull  of  a  young  infant.  I  have  already  observed  that 
there  are  in  Guiana  many  different  species,  from  the  large 
ourang-outang  to  the  very  small  sarcawinkee.  The  for- 
mer, however,  I  never  have  seen,  nor  heard  described, 
while  I  Avas  in  this  countr}' ;  as  for  the  latter,  I  shall  de- 
scribe him  on  another  occasion,  and  shall  only,  for  the 
present,  give  an  account  of  those  which  1  met  with  on 
this  cruise.  That  which  I  shot  the  second  instant  is  what 
is  called  in  Surinam  micoo  :  it  is  nearly  the  size  of  a  fo;c, 
and  of  a  reddish  grey  colour,  with  a  black  head  and  very 
long  tail.  Those  I  killed  on  the  tenth  were  indeed  ex- 
ceedingly beautiful,  and  much  more  delicate  when  dressed 
than  the  former :  they  are  called  the  keesee-keesee  by  the 

inha- 


L<'n<irii  J'uHi.^t'.t  lh:'':-2"^'i-;!i:\.l'yj.jrlin.,'f^n .Si  fiiiii^  iytt,i-tit  Y,m1 , 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM. 

inhabitants,  are  about  the  size  of  a  rabbit,  and  most 
astonishingly  nimble.  The  colour  of  their  body  is  red- 
dish, and  the  tail,  which  is  long,  is  black  at  the  extremity  ; 
but  the  fore-feet  are  orange  colour.  The  head  is  very 
round,  the  face  milk  white,  with  a  round  black  patch  in 
the  middle,  in  which  are  the  mouth  and  the  nostrils ;  and 
this  disposition  of  the  features  give  it  the  appearance 
of  a  mask :  the  eyes  are  black,  and  remarkably  lively. 
These  monkies  we  saw  daily  pass  along  the  sides  of  the 
rivers,  skipping  from  tree  to  tree,  but  mostly  about  mid- 
day, and  in  very  numerous  bodies,  regularly  following 
each  other  like  a  little  army,  with  their  young  ones  on 
their  backs,  not  unlike  little  knapsacks.  Their  manner 
of  travelling  is  thus :  the  foremost  walks  to  the  extremity 
of  a  bough,  from  which  it  bounds  to  the  extremity  of  one 
belonging  to  the  next  tree,  often  at  a  most  astonishing 
distance,  and  with  such  wonderful  activity  and  precision, 
that  it  never  once  misses  its  aim  :  the  others  one  by  one, 
and  even  the  females,  with  their  little  ones  on  their  backs, 
which  stick  fast  to  the  mother,  follow  their  leader,  and 
perform  the  same  leap  with  the  greatest  seeming  facility 
and  safety  :  they  also  are  remarkable  for  climbing  up  the 
Bebees  or  natural  ropes,  with  which  many  parts  of  the  forest 
are  interwoven.  These  nebees  groAv  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
afford  the  appearance  at  first  sight  of  a  fleet  at  anchor. 

The  monkies,  I  am  told,  have  sometimes  two  young 
ones  sucking,  like  the  human  species.     I  have  been  a  wit- 
ness 


to 


176  NARRATIVE   OF    AN 

ness  how  these  animals  towards  sun-set  ascend  to  the  tops 
of  the  palm-trees,  some  of  Avhich  are  above  one  hundred 
feet  in  height,  where  they  sleep  safe  in  the  large  diverging 
branches.  The  keesee-keesee  is  such  a  beautiful  and  deli- 
cate fond  creature,  that  it  is  by  many  people  kept  as  a 
favourite,  when  it  wears  a  silver  chain.  Besides  its  mimic 
drolleries,  it  is  remarkable  for  its  good-nature  and  chir- 
rupping  voice,  which  pronounces  peefeeco  peeteeco  without 
intermission.  They  are  easily  tamed,  and  are  taken  by 
means  of  a  strong  glue  made  by  the  Indians,  which  is 
something  like  our  European  bird-lime. 

The  other  species,  of  the  shooting  of  which  I  have  just 
given  the  horrid  account,  were  called  by  my  negroes 
monkee-monkee.  The  only  facts  which  I  can  relate  farther 
of  them  is,  that  they  are  in  size  between  the  two  former 
described,  and  all  over  black.  One  circumstance  I  ought 
not  to  omit,  Avhich  is  very  remarkable,  viz.  that  one  morn- 
ing I  saw  from  my  barge  a  monkey  of  this  kind  come  down 
to  the  water's  edge,  rinsing  his  mouth,  and  appearing  to 
clean  his  teeth  with  one  of  his  fingers ;  he  was  first  disco- 
vered by  one  of  the  slaves,  who  pointed  him  out  to  my  great 
amusement. 

Here  I  shall  end  the  subject  for  the  present,  after  adding 
that  the  above  animals  are  sociable,  and  that  they  are 
very  tenacious  of  life,  as  I  have  shewn.     It  is  almost  su- 
perfluous to  rnention,  that  the  usual  distinction  between  ' 
what  are  called  monkies  and  apes,  consists  in  this,  that 

the 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  177 

the  first  have  all  tails,  of  which  the  latter  are  divested ; 
but  never  having  met  with  in  Guiana  any  of  the  latter 
description,  I  believe  them  more  to  be  the  inhabitants  of 
Asia  and  Africa,  than  of  the  part  of  the  new  world  dis- 
tinguished by  the  name  of  South  America.  The  monkies 
are  often  mischievous  near  the  plantations,  Avhere  they 
commit  depredations  on  the  sugar-canes,  &c.  yet  of  this 
I  but  one  time  have  been  a  witness. 

As  I  am  speaking  of  the  animals  found  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  I  must  not  omit  the  otters  here,  called  tavoits, 
which  in  the  Cormoetibo  Creek  frequently  attracted  our 
attention  by  their  disagreeable  noise :  as  they  are  amphi- 
bious, they  live  mostly  on  fish  ;  they  are  about  three  feet 
i^i  length,  grey-coloured,  and  all  over  spotted  with  white ; 
their  legs  are  short,  they  are  web-footed,  and  armed  with 
five  claws ;  the  head  is  round,  the  nose  beset  with  whis- 
kers like  a  cat ;  the  eyes  are  small,  and  placed  above  the 
ears  ;  the  tail  is  very  short.  This  animal  moves  aukwardly 
upon  land,  but  in  the  rivers  proceeds  with  great  velocit3\ 
In  Guiana  it  is  said  there  is  another  species  of  otters,  which 
are  much  larger,  but  these  I  never  saw- 
Notwithstanding  the  favourable  appearances  of  the  pre- 
ceding day,  I  was,  on  the  24th,  exceedingly  ill  indeed, 
not  being  able  to  sit  up  in  my  hammock,  luider  which 
the  black  boy  Quaco  now  lay,  crying  for  his  master,  and 
on  the  following  day  the  poor  lad  himself  fell  sick ;  at  the 
Vol.  I.  A  a  same 


178  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

same  time  I  was  also  obliged  to  send  three  men  in  a  fever 
to  Devil's  Harwar.  As  misfortunes  often  crowd  together, 
I  received,  at  this  fatal  period,  the  melancholy  account 
that  the  officer,  Mr.  Ow^er,  was  also  dead,  having  expired 
on  his  passage  downwards  at  the  Alida  estate,  where  he 
was  buried.  My  ensign,  Mr.  Cottenburgh,  who  had  since 
gone  to  Paramaribo,  died  next ;  and  for  myself  no  better 
was  now  to  be  expected.  In  the  height  of  a  burning  fever 
I  now  lay,  forsaken  by  all  my  officers  and  men,  without  a 
friend  to  comfort  me,  and  without  assistance  of  any  kind, 
except  what  the  poor  remaining  negro  slaves  could  afford 
me,  ))y  boiling  a  little  water  to  make  some  tea.  In  this> 
situation  the  reader  may  judge  of  the  consolation  which 
was  afforded  me,  the  very  evening  when  these  accumu- 
lated misfortunes  seemed  to  threaten  our  extinction,  by 
the  receipt  of  an  order  from  the  colonel,  to  come  down 
with  both  the  barges  to  Devil's  Harwar,  where  I  was  again 
to  take  post  on  shore,  and  relieve  Captain  Orzinga,  of  the 
Society  service,  who  with  his  men  was  to  proceed  to  La 
Rochelle  in  Patamaca,  to  strengthen  the  troops  already 
there.  Ill  as  I  was,  this  had  such  a  powerful  effect  on 
my  spirits,  that  I  immediately  ordered  the  Cerberus  down 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Cormoetibo  Creek,  where  she  joined 
me  that  evening. 

On  the  26th,  we  bade  farewel  to  this  destructive  place ;, 

and  having  weighed  anchor,  rowed  down  as  far  as  Barba- 

9  cceba. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  179 

coeba,  during  which  time  a  circumstance  happened,  which 
will  probably  prove  more  entertaining  than  the  repeated 
accounts  of  sickness  and  deaths. 

As  I  was  resting  in  my  hammock,  between  the  parox- 
ysms of  my  fever,  about  half  way  between  Cormoetibo 
and  Barbacoeba,  while  the  Charon  Avas  floating  down, 
the  sentinel  called  to  me  that  he  had  seen  and  challenged 
something  black  and  moving  in  the  brushwood  on  the 
beach,  which  gave  no  answer;  but  which,  from  its  size, 
he  concluded  must  be  a  man.  I  immediately  dropped 
anchor ;  and  having  manned  the  canoe,  ill  as  I  was,  I 
stepped  into  it,  and  rowed  up  to  the  place  mentioned  by 
the  sentinel.  Here  we  all  stepped  ashore  to  reconnoitre, 
as  I  suspected  it  to  be  no  other  than  a  rebel  spy,  or  a 
straggling  party  detached  by  tlie  enemy ;  but  one  of  my 
slaves,  of  the  name  of  David,  declared  it  was  no  negro,  but 
a  large  amphibious  snake,  Avhich  could  not  be  far  from 
the  beach,  and  I  might  have  an  opportunity  of  shooting 
it  if  I  pleased.  To  this,  however,  I  had  not  the  least  in- 
chnation,  fi'om  the  uncommon  size  of  the  creature,  from 
my  weakness,  and  the  difficulty  of  getting  through  the 
thicket,  which  seemed  impenetrable  to  the  water's  edge ; 
and  therefore  ordered  all  of  them  to  return  on  board.  The 
negro  then  asked  me  liberty  to  step  forward  and  shoot  it 
himself,  assuring  me  it  could  not  be  at  any  great  distance, 
and  warranting  me  against  all  danger.  This  declaration 
inspired  me  with  so  much  pride  and  emulation,  that  I 

A  a  2  deter- 


ISO  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

determined  to  take  his  first  advice,  and  kill  it  m3-self ;  prc-^ 
vided  he  Avould  point  it  out  to  me,  and  be  responsible  for 
the  hazard,  by  standing  at  my  side,  from  which  I  swore 
that  if  he  dared  to  move,  I  should  level  the  piece  at  him- 
self, and  blow  out  his  own  brains. 

To  this  the  negro  cheerfully  agreed  ;  and  having  loaded 
my  gun  with  a  ball-cartridge,  we  proceeded ;  David  cuf>- 
ting  a  path  with  a  bill-hook,  and  a  marine  following,  with 
three  more  loaded  firelocks  to  keep  in  readiness.  We  had 
hot  gone  above  twenty  yards  through  mud  and  water,  the 
negro  looking  every  way  Avith  an  uncommon  degree  of 
vivacity  and  attention ;  when  starting  behind  me,  he  called 
out,  "  Me  see  snakee !"  and  in  effect  there  lay  the  animal, 
rolled  up  under  the  fallen  leaves  and  rubbish  of  the  trees ; 
and  so  well  covered,  that  it  was  some  time  before  I  dis- 
tinctly perceived  the  head  of  this  monster,  distant  from 
me  not  above  sixteen  feet,  moving  its  forked  tongue,  while 
its  eyes,  from  their  uncommon  brightness,  appeared  to 
emit  sparks  of  fire.  I  now,  resting  my  piece  upon  a 
branch,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  a  surer  aim,  fired  ;  but 
missing  the  head,  the  ball  went  through  the  body,  Avhen 
the  animal  struck  round,  and  with  such  astonishing  force 
as  to  cut  away  all  the  underwood  around  him  with  the  fa- 
cility of  a  scythe  mowing  grass ;  and  by  flouncing  his  tail, 
caused  the  mud  and  dirt  to  fly  over  our  heads  to  a  consif- 
derable  distance.  Of  this  proceeding  however  we  were- 
not  torpid  spectators,  but  took  to  our  heels,  and  crowded 

into 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM.  isi 

into  the  canoe.  The  negro  now  intreated  me  to  renew  chap. 
the  charge,  assuring  me  the  snake  would  be  quiet  in  a  few 
minutes,  and  at  any  rate  persisting  in  the  assertion  that  he 
was  neither  able  nor  inclined  to  pursue  us  ;  which  opinion 
he  supported  by  walking  before  me,  till  I  should  be  ready 
to  fire.  And  thus  I  again  undertook  to  make  the  trial, 
especially  as  he  said  that  his  first  starting  backwards  had 
only  proceeded  from  a  desire  to  make  room  for  me.  I  now 
found  the  snake  a  little  removed  from  his  former  station, 
but  very  quiet,  with  his  head  as  before,  Ij'ing  out  among 
the  fallen  leaves,  rotten  bark,  and  old  moss.  I  fired  at  it 
immediately,  but  with  no  better  success  than  the  other 
time  :  and  now,  being  but  slightly  wounded,  he  sent  up 
such  a  cloud  of  dust  and  dirt,  as  I  never  saw  but  in  a 
whirlwind,  and  made  us  once  more  suddenly  retreat  to  our 
canoe ;  where  now,  being  heartily  tired  of  the  exploit,  I 
gave  orders  to  row  towards  the  barge :  but  David  still 
intreating  me  to  permit  him  to  kill  the  animal,  I  was,  by 
his  persuasions,  induced  to  make  a  third  and  last  attempt, 
in  company  with  him.  Thus,  having  once  more  disco- 
vered the  snake,  we  discharged  both  o\u'  pieces  at  once, 
and  with  this  good  eftect,  that  he  was  now  by  one  of  us 
shot  through  the  head.  David,  who  was  made  completely 
happy  by  this  successful  conclusion,  ran  leaping  with  jo}--, 
and  lost  no  time  in  bringing  the  boat-rope,  in  order  to  drag 
him  down  to  the  canoe  ;  but  this  again  proved  not  a  very 
easy  undertaking,  since  the  creature,  notwithstanding  its 

being 


182  '  NARRATIVE  OF  AN 

being  mortally  wounded,  still  continued  to  writhe  and 
twist  about,  in  such  a  manner  as  rendered  it  dangerous 
for  any  person  to  approach  him.  The  negro,  however, 
having  made  a  running  noose  on  the  rope,  and  after  some 
fruitless  attempts  to  make  an  approach,  threw  it  over  his 
head  with  much  dexterity ;  and  how,  all  taking  hold  of 
the  rope,  we  dragged  him  to  the  beach,  and  tied  him  to 
the  stern  of  the  canoe,  to  take  him  in  tow.  Being  still 
alive,  he  kept  swimming  like  an  eel ;  and  I  having  no  re- 
lish for  such  a  shipmate  on  boai-d,  whose  length  (notwith- 
standing to  my  astonishment  all  the  negroes  declared  it  to 
be  but  a  young  one  come  to  about  its  half  growth)  I  found 
upon  measuring  it  to  be  twenty-two  feet  and  some  inches, 
and  its  thickness  about  that  of  my  black  boy  Quaco,  who 
might  then  be  about  twelve  years  old,  and  round  whose 
waist  I  since  measured  the  creature's  skin. 

Being  arrived  alongside  of  the  Charon,  the  next  con- 
sideration was,  how  to  dispose  of  this  immense  animal ; 
when  it  was  at  length  determined  to  bring  him  on  shore 
at  Barbacoeba,  to  have  him  skinned,  and  take  out  the 
oil,  &c.  In  order  to  effect  this  purpose,  the  negro  David 
having  climbed  up  a  tree  with  the  end  of  the  rope,  let  it 
down  over  a  strong  forked  bough,  and  the  other  negroes 
hoisted  up  the  snake,  and  suspended  him  from  the  tree. 
This  done,  David,  with  a  sharp  knife  between  his  teeth, 
now  left  the  tree,  and  clung  fast  upon  the  monster,  which 
was  still  twisting,  and  began  his  operations  by  ripping  it 

up, 


M&rAx'      u/p 


'////■  ,t/-n, 


///////-' 


"/'y 


■.^//r^u.,  '-^ynaA-,  ^^>/ /y  /^^j^,!;/^^^ 


/^/la^i. 


i""iiii.r„hi,..ii,.i  u,,':z''.,ii,x,iy.r..Mui^n,i;r„ni.ici 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM.  183 

up,  and  stripjiing  down  the  skin  as  he  descended.     Though 
I  perceived  that  the  animal  was  no  longer  able  to  do  him 
any  injury,  I  confess  I  could  not  Avithout  emotion  see  a 
man  stark  naked,   black  and  bloody,  clinging  with  arms 
and  legs  round  the  slimy  and  yet  living  monster.     This 
labour,  however,  was  not  without  its  use,  since  he  not  only 
dexterously  finished  the  operation,  but  provided  me,  be- 
sides the  skin,  with  above  four  gallons  of  fine  clarified  fat, 
or  rather  oil,  though  there  was  wasted  perhaps  as  much 
more.     This  I  delivered  to  the  surgeons  at  Devil's  Harwar, 
for  the  use  of  the  wounded  men  in  the  hospital,  for  which 
I  received  their  hearty  thanks,  it  being  considered,  parti- 
cularly for  bruises,   a  very  excellent  remedy.     When  I 
signified  my  surprise  to  see  the  snake  still  living,  after  he 
was  deprived  of  his  intestines  and  skin,  Caramaca,  the  old 
negro,  v/hether  from  experience  or  tradition,  assured  me 
he  would  not  die  till  after  sun-set.     The  negroes  now  cut 
him  in  slices,  in  order  to  dress  and  feast  upon  him,  they  all 
declaring  that  he  was  exceedingly  good  and  wholesome ; 
but  to  their  great  mortification  I  refused  to  give  my  con- 
currence, and  we  rowed  down  with  the  skin  to  Devil's 
Harwar. 

Of  this  species  several  skins  are  preserved  in  the  Bri- 
tish and  Mr.  Parkinson's  Museums.  It  is  called  by  Mr. 
Westley  Lyhoija,  and  Boa  in  the  British  Encyclopaedia, 
to  which  publication  I  refer  the  reader  for  a  perfect  ac- 
count, and  an  excellent  engraving,  of  this  wonderful  crea- 
ture, 


184  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

t-tire,  v/hicli  in  the  colony  of  Surinam  is  called  Ahoma.     Its 
length,  when  full  grown,  is  said  to  be  sometimes  forty  feet, 
and  more  than  four  feet  in  circumference :  its  colour  is  a 
greenish  black  on  the  back ;  a  fine  brownish  yellow  on 
the  sides,  and  a  dirty  white  under  the  heWy  ;  the  back  and 
sides  being  spotted  with  irregular  black  rings,  with  a  pure 
white  in  the  middle.     Its  head  is  broad  and  flat,  small  in 
proportion  to  the  body,  with  a  large  movith,  and  a  double 
row  of  teeth  :  it  has  t\'/o  bright  prominent  eyes ;  is  cover- 
ed all  over  with  scales,  some  about  the  size  of  a  shilling  ; 
and  under  the  body,  near  the  tail,  armed  with  two  strong 
claws  like  cockspurs,  to  help  it  in  seizing  its  prey.     It  is 
an  amphibious  animal,   that  is,    it  delights  in  low  and 
marshy  places,  where  it  lies  coiled  up  like  a  rope,  and 
concealed  under  moss,  rotten  timber,  and  dried  leaves,  to 
seize  its  prey  by  surprise,  which  from  its  immense  bulk  it 
is  not  active  enough  to  pursue.     AVhen  hungry,  it  Avill  de- 
vour any  animal  that  comes  within  its  reach,  and  is  indif- 
ferent whether  it  is  a  sloth,  a  wild  boar,  a  stag,  or  even  a 
tiger ;  round  which  having  twisted  itself  by  the  help  of  its 
claws,  so  that  the  creature  cannot  escape,  it  breaks,  by  its 
irresistible  force,  every  bone  in  the  animal's  body,  which  it 
then  covers  over  with  a  kind  of  slime  or  slaver  from  its 
mouth,  to  make  it  slide  ;  and  at  last  gradually  sucks  it  in, 
till  it  disappears :  after  this,   the  ahoma   cannot  shift  its 
situation,  on  account  of  the  great  knob  or  knot  which  the 
swallowed  prey  occasions  in  that  part  of  the  body  where 

it 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  i85 

it  rests  till  it  is  dio-ested  ;  for  till  then  it  would  hinder  the 


a 


snake  from  sliding  along  the  ground.  During  that  time 
the  ahoma  wants  no  other  subsistence.  I  have  been  told 
of  negroes  being  devoured  by  this  animal,  and  am  disposed 
to  credit  the  account ;  for  should  thej^  chance  to  come 
within  its  reach  when  hungry,  it  would  as  certainly  seize 
them  as  any  other  animal.  I  do  not  apprehend  that  its 
flesh,  which  is  very  white,  and  looks  like  that  offish,  is  in 
any  respect  pernicious  to  the  stomach.  I  should  have  had 
no  objection  to  the  negroes  eating  it  till  it  was  consumed, 
had  I  not  observed  a  kind  of  dissatisfaction  anions  the 
remaining  marines,  who  would  not  have  been  pleased  with 
my  giving  the  negroes  the  use  of  the  kettle  to  boil  it.  The 
bite  of  this  snake  is  said  not  to  be  venemous  ;  nor  do  I  be- 
lieve it  bites  at  all  from  any  other  impulse  than  hunger. 

I  shall  only  add,  that  having  nailed  its  skin  on  the  bot- 
tom of  the  canoe,  and  dried  it  in  the  sun,  sprinkling  it  over 
with  wood-ashes  to  prevent  it  from  corruption,  I  sent  it  to 
a  friend  at  Paramaribo,  whence  it  was  since  sent  to  Holland 
as  a  curiosity. 

Plowever  extraordinary  this  account  may  appear  to  many 
readers,  let  them  peruse  the  narrative  which  is  related  by 
a  gentleman  in  the  island  of  Ceylon,  who  saw  a  tiger  killed 
there  by  a  snake  he  calls  the  oiiacunda,  but  in  a  (juite  dif- 
ferent manner,  and  their  wonder  will  cease.  I  must  add, 
however,  that  this  gentleman's  relation  is  so  very  marvel- 

VoL.  I.  B  b  lous. 


186  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

lous,  that,  notwithstanding  Avliat  I  liave  experienced,  I  must 
confess  it  very  greatly  staggered  my  faith*. 

Tliis  business  being  ended,  I  also  made  an  end  of  the 
cruise,  by  dropping  down  before  the  Society  post  Devil's 
Harwar,  in  order  the  next  day  to  assume  the  command. 

*  Doctor  Bancroft  mentions  the  can  I,  without  great  difficult}-,  at- 
power  of  fascination  in  the  aboma.  tribute  this  quality  even  to  the  rattle- 
This  I  am  obliged  to  contradict.  Nov      snake. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  IS7 


CHAP.    VIIL 

Three  Estates  burnt,  and  the  Inhabitants  murdered  by  the 
Rebels — Real  Picture  of  Misery  and  Distress — Specimen 
of  a  March  through  the  Woods  of  Surinam — Colonel  Four- 
geoitd  and  the  remaining  Troops  leave  Paramaribo. 

ON  the  27th  of  August  I  reUeved  Captain  Orzinga  c  11  a  p. 
with  his  men,  and  took  the  command  of  Devil's  ^  ^i^- 
Harwar,  having  been  on  board  the  Charon  exactly  fifty- 
six  days,  in  the  most  Avretched  condition  that  can  be 
described  :  but  I  hoped  now  to  get  the  better  of  my  com- 
plaint by  the  help  of  a  few  refreshments,  such  as  milk.  Sec. 
which  could  not  be  obtained  in  our  former  situation.  The 
Society  troops  (above  one  hundred  in  number)  being  to 
set  off  next  day  Avith  my  empty  barges  to  La  Rochclle,  in 
Patamaca,  I  reviewed  my  marines,  when  I  found  I  had 
left  out  of  five  officers  but  two,  who  were  both  sick,  the 
three  others  being  dead  ;  I  had  also  only  one  serjeant,  two 
corporals,  and  fifteen  privates,  out  of  fift^^-four  healthy 
men,  %vho  embarked  with  me  on  the  2d  day  of  last  July. 
This  army  was  not  more  than  sufficient  to  defend  the  hos- 
pital (which  was  crowded  with  sick),  the  ammunition  and 
victualling  magazine,  &c.  on  a  spot  where  lately  had  been 

B  b  2  kept 


]S8  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

kept  three  hundred  soldiers,  particularly  while  the  enemy 
were  certainly  lurking  not  far  off:  in  consideration  of 
which,  the  Society  Captain  reinforced  me  with  twenty  of 
his  men-  The  next  evening  he  entertained  me  and  my 
two  subalterns  with  a  supper  oi fresh  meat,  both  roast  and 
boiled,  to  our  great  comfort  and  surprise ;  but  which,  to 
my  unspeakable  mortification,  proved  to  be  the  individual 
poor  cow  with  her  calf,  on  whom  we  had  built  all  our  hopes 
for  a  little  relief  It  appeared  that  one  of  his  sentinels, 
as  concerted  between  them,  had  shot  it  by  a  wilful  mis- 
take. Thus  did  Captain  Orzinga,  for  the  sake  of  a  mo- 
mentary gratification,  deprive  us  all  of  that  lasting  comfort 
on  which  we  had  so  much  depended,  and  of  which  we  had 
so  much  need,  being  altogether  emaciated  for  want  of 
wholesome  and  nutritive  food. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2Sth  the  Society  troops  rowed 
to  Patamaca,  when,  examining  the  twenty  soldiers  they  had 
left  me,  they  proved  to  be  the  refuse  of  the  whole,  part  with 
agues,  wounds,  ruptures,  and  rotten  limbs,  and  most  of 
them  next  day  were  obliged  to  enter  the  hospital. 

On  the  29th,  having  bastinadoed  my  late  pilot  for  steal- 
ing from  the  soldiers,  I  dispatched  the  information  to  Co- 
lonel Fourgeoud,  that  I  had  taken  post,  and  acquainting 
him  with  my  weak  situation,  requested  a  proper  reinforce- 
ment.    In  the  evening  two  of  my  men  died. 

All  thin2;s  now  beinsr  regulated  and  settled,  I  thanked 
Heaven  in  the  expectation  of  getting  some  rest,   being 

still 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  isg 

still  extremely  weak ;  and  with  tliese  cheering  hopes  re- 
tired at  ten  o'clock  at  night  to  nij  hammock  ;  but  this 
tranquillity  was  again  of  short  duration,  for  having  scarcely 
•closed  my  eyes  I  was  awaked  by  my  serjeant,  and  the  fol- 
lowing letter  put  into  my  hand,  sent  by  an  express  from 
the  captain  of  the  militia,  or  bargcrs  in  Cottica, 

"  Sir, 
"  This  is  to  acquaint  you,  that  the  rebels  have  burnt 
"  three  estates  by  your  side,  Suyinghej^d,  Peru,  and  L'Es- 
"  perance,  the  ruins  of  which  are  still  smoking ;  and  that 
"  they  have  cut  the  throats  of  all  the  white  inhabitants 
"  that  fell  in  their  way.  As  on  their  retreat  they  must 
"  pass  close  by  where  you  are  posted,  be  on  your  guard. 
"  — I  am  in  haste^ 

"  Your's,  &c. 
(Signed)  "  Stoeleman." 

Consciovis  of  my  defenceless  situation,  I  immediately 
started  up  ;  and  the  express  who  brought  the  letter  hav- 
ing spread  the  news  the  moment  of  his  landing,  there  was 
no  necessity  for  beating  to  arms,  since  not  only  the  few 
soldiers  Avho  were  ■\ve\\,  but  the  whole  hospital  burst  out;, 
and  several  of  them,  in  spite  of  my  opposition,  crawling 
on  their  hands  and  feet  to  their  arms,  dropped  dead  upon 
the  spot. — May  I  never  behold  such  another  scene  of 
misery  and  distress!  Lame,  blind,  sick,  and  wounded,  in 

the 


190  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

CHAP,    the  hope  of  preserving  a  wretched  existence,  rushed  upon 
i^J^.^^.^^  certain  death  !     The\'  could  on!}',  in  a  word,  be  compared 
to   the  distressed  army   and  navy    at  Carthagena,  com- 
manded by  tlie  British  Admiral  Vernon,  Avhom  Thomson 
describes — 

"  You,  gallant  Vernon,  saw 


"  The  miserable  scene ;  you,  pitying,  saw 
"  To  infant  weakness  sunk  the  warrior's  arm  ; 
"  Saw  the  deep-racking  pang,  the  ghastly  form, 
"  The  lip  pale  quivering,  and  the  beamless  eye 
"  No  more  with  ardour  bright." 


'&' 


For  my  own  part,  I  was  in  a  very  weakly  condition  in- 
deed ;  however,  we  continued  to  lie  all  night  on  our  arms, 
during  which  I  pressed  the  messenger  to  staj^,  in  order  to 
add  one  to  our  miserable  number,  being  determined  to 
sell  our  lives  as  dearly  as  possible. — But  no  enemy  ap- 
pearing in  the  morning,  we  buried  the  dead  in  their  ham- 
mocks, not  having  a  board  to  make  a  coffin  on  the  whole 
•post.  In  this  situation  I  lost  all  patience,  and  had  the 
audacity  to  vrrite  to  my  conmiander,  that  (besides  what 
had  happened)  my  last  men  stood  upon  the  brink  of  the 
grave,  from  hardships  and  for  want  of  being  properly  sup- 
ported ;  the  very  waiters  of  the  hospital  having  deserted 
on  the  moment  of  my  arrival  here,  and  gone  to  Parama- 
ribo. Our  whole  number,  indeed,  w'as  now  melted  down 
.to  twelve  men,  who  were  to  protect  twelve  buildings,  and 
7  that 


-       EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM.  191 

that  with  no  inoie  than  two  very  ^'^all  cnosts  of  ammuni-- 
tion,  and  no  retreat  for  the  sick,  as  the  barges  were  gone 
to-Patainaca,  and  the  last  canoe  dispatched  with  my  let- 
ter to  Colonel  Fourgcoud  ;  for  I  hvA  set  adrift  that  be- 
longing to  the  express,  who  ^vas  a  book-keeper  of  a  neigh- 
bouring plantation,  in  order  to  prevent  him  or  any  other 
from  making  their  escape.  In  this  situation,  I  was  now 
obliged  to  convert  the  slaves  into  soldiers  :  these  I  armed 
with  a  hatchet,  not  daring  to  trust  them  with  a  firelock. 
For  this  whole  night  we  again  watched  under  arms,  and  in 
the  morning  found  two  more  of  our  little  party  dead  on 
the  ground. 

I  now  began  real  I  v  to  think  we  were  all  devoted  to 
destruction,  while  the  men,  regardless  of  all  order  (self- 
preserv^ation  excepted)  threw  out  the  most  bitter  invec- 
tives against  their  persecutor,  Fourgeoud,  which  I  could 
not  prevent ;  nor  can  I  help  remarking  tiie  generalship 
of  the  rebel  negroes,  who  had  kept  lying  quiet  till  the 
removal  of  the  Society  troops  from  Devil's  Harwar,  and 
seized  the  \  cry  iirst  day  of  tlieir  departure,  convinced  of 
its  being  guarded  only  by  my  sick  and  emaciated  soldiers, 
in  order  to  commit  their  depredations  on  the  Cottica 
estates.  They  well  knew  that  my  force  was  not  sufficient 
to  pursue  them,  nay,  hardly  to  stand  in  my  own  defence: 
all  this,  howx'scr,  was  but  according  to  my  expectation  ; 
while,  on  the  contrary,  hatl  my  strength  been  sutHcient, 
they  could  never  have  escaped  at  least  from  being  cut  off 

in 


192  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

ill  their  retreat,  especially  if  the  troops  in  Rio  Pirica  liad 
acted  conjointly  with  those  in  Cottica,  by  patroling  the 
path  between  the  two  rivers,  across  which  the  rebels  were 
twice  unavoidably  obliged  to  pass. 

.On  the  1st  of  September  we  waited  once  more  till  morn- 
ing, and  then  buried  another  of  my  poor  men  ;  while  I  yet 
cannot  conceive  how  any  one  was  able  to  survive  such  a 
series  of  toil,  in  such  a  debilitated  state,  and  in  a  tropical 
climate ;  3'et  some  did,  though  few.  At  length,  being 
persuaded  that  the  rebels  must  have  past  the  cordon,  with- 
out having  thought  proper  to  pay  us  a  visit  on  their  retreat, 
I  determined  to  let  the  remaining  few  watch  no  longer, 
but  permit  them  to  die  a  natural  death.  At  last,  in  the 
evening,  when  all  was  too  late,  there  came  down  by  water 
from  the  post  La  Rochelle  to  our  assistance,  one  officer 
and  ten  men — I  having  had  but  nine  left  to  do  the  duty 
at  the  time  of  their  arrival. 

On  the  2d  another  man  died ;  and  I  once  more  reviewed 
my  forces,  which  now  amounted  exactly  to  seven  marines, 
the  few  scarecrows  of  the  Society  excepted  ;  however,  the 
chance  of  being  massacred  by  the  rebels  was  at  this  time 
over,  thanks  alone  to  their  pusillanimity,  or  rather  their 
hurry  ! 

I  now  received  a  letter  from  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  con- 
doling with  me  on  the  loss  of  so  many  good  officers,  ac- 
quainting me  that  I  was  to  be  reinforced ;  and  that  on 
my  recommendation  my  scijeant,  Mr.  de  Cabanus,  was 

appointed 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  193 

appointed  an  ensign ;  which  gave  me  pleasure,  and  took 
place  at  a  very  suitable  time,  since  this  day  my  poor  en- 
sign Macdonald  was  sent  down  very  sick  to  Paramaribo. 
I  answered  to  all  this,  that  I  was  obliged  to  him  ;  adding, 
that  while  I  remained  without  reinforcement,  I  could  not 
be  accountable  for  what  consequences  might  happen,  in  a 
place  where  I  was  left  to  defend  a  whole  river  Avith  none 
but  sick  people ;  and  even  these  without  sufficient  ammu- 
nition, and  hourly  expiring  for  want  of  proper  medicines, 
or  a  suro-eon  to  attend  them,  there  beinsj  none  here  but  one 
or  two  surgeon's  mates  belonging  to  the  troops  of  the  So- 
ciety, who  could  do  little  more  than  occasionally  draAV 
blood,  and  cut  off  a  beard  or  a  corn. 

On  the  4th  w^e  buried  another  of  my  marines,  and  on 
the  following  day  another  died;  and  I  had  not  one  now 
remaining  who  was  not  ill,  or  who  was  not  rendered  unser- 
viceable, by  his  feet  being  swelled  with  the  insects  called 
chigoes  :  these  poor  men  were  mostly  Germans,  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  a  healthy  climate  in  their  own  coun- 
try. I  began  now  to  be  reconciled  to  putting  my  last  man 
under  ground,  and  almost  wishing  to  leap  into  the  grave 
after  him  myself;  when  a  barge  arrived  from  Paramaribo 
with  the  proper  reinforcement,  ammunition,  provisions, 
medicines,  a  surgeon,  and  an  order  from  my  chief  to  trace 
out  the  track  of  the  rebels  immediately,  on  the  former 
path  of  communication  called  the  Cordon,  between  Cot- 
tica  and  Perica,  and  to  write  him  the  result  of  my  disco- 

VoL.  I.  C  c  veries ; 


194  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

veries;  he  intimated  also  that  he  intended  to  keep  his 
magazines  at  Devil's  Harwar,  and  that  I  was  not  to  make 
use  of  the  spot  I  had  found  out  for  that  purpose  at  Bar'- 
bacoeba  Creek. 

On  the  6th  I  prepared  to  march  myself,  having  recover- 
ed a  little  strength,  on  the  grand  project  of  discovery,  and 
then  placed  the  ammunition  in  the  magazine. 

As  the  manner  of  marching  in  this  country  is  so  very 
different  from  that  in  Europe,  I  shall,  before  we  set  out, 
endeavour  briefly  to  describe  the  nature  of  these  expedi- 
tions. 

In  the  first  place,  in  Surinam  no  such  thing  is  practicable 
as  three  or  even  two  ranks ;  thus  there  is  no  marching  by 
divisions  or  platoons ; — but  the  Avhole  party  being  dressed 
in  one  rank,  face  to  the  right,  and  every  man  follows  his 
leader,  the  negro  slaves  interspersed  between  the  men,  in 
order  to  guard  their  persons  as  well  as  what  they  carry  ; 
and  this  manner  of  marching  is  called  Indian  file.  With 
a  detachment  of  sixty  men,  consisting  of  one  captain,  two 
subalterns,  two  Serjeants,  four  corporals,  one  surgeon,  and 
fifty  privates,  twenty  negro  slaves  at  least  ought  to  be  em- 
ployed, for  the  use  of  whom  their  masters  are  paid  at  the 
rate  of  two  shillings  sterling  a  day  by  the  colony  ;  and  this 
is  a  much  greater  expcnce  than  waggons  and  horses  would 
be,  which  in  this  country  cannot  be  employed  for  military 
service. 

The  manner  of  interspersing  them  amongst  the  troops 

iS' 


S)  lO      Jl      12     13     '/  '->" 


References    to    tlie     above    March., 

1      Tiro  Xeip-oM  iiitii  liiH  hooks  to  cf^iat  a  fath  

V      One  Coiporal  ^- tiro  1'rivatc.i- .  to  covei- tfic  Van 

.'{      One  Subiiltttyi  ,  Six Tiirativ.  i:  one  Corpoiul 


■<!1 


y  J'/ir  CiTf)faT7i  or  conmiandino  OiTicer . 

-'  J/ic  Oim/eojt  . 

.1  Tnn  Priidtiv ,to  cover  the Fowder  . 

I  -d  Xetjro  iift/t  1/  JSo.v  of  Hull  Otrtridges  ■ 

J  .  J'lio /'/y'i'ii/ey  . 

0'  A  Net^ro  ii'it/i  a  3ar  of  Ball  Cartridqes . 

7  .  J^ujhl  rnviUe.c 

S  .  One  Coiynrii/  . 

.9  .  Twelve  J'n\\ttej' . 

10  One  .  >'eri/.-<int 


o 


B 


:i  . 
4  ■ 
,) . 

<> . 
7  . 
if 

JO 

11 
Ji 

J3 
J4 
1.7 
16 
17 
IS 


-I  Suho/iiTn  Office/' 

Two  Pru  atc.c  . 

Three  J,'  <p-oe.t- ,  iri't/i  Jfed]eme.c,A'ettl^,i-,^ixe.r,  Spatie.'-,  Sec  . 

Tuo  Privates  . 

T/ave  JSi'eijroe.'  ivdh  .  I'olt  Beef,  SaltForJc  kc . 

Tuc  Privates  . 

Three  jS'etjroe.f ,  uitfi  Bhich  Bread  . or  Husk  Bjsiidl . 

One  Private 

Tuo  Ne^ijroes.  with  Kill-den'l.orScwliian  . 

One  Piivatc 

One  A'et/r-o,  with  the  Oitplains  Provisions  . 

One  Pn\ate  . 

(hie  Xcipro .  with  Proi-isions  for  tlie  tieo  Subaltem   Officer's. 

One  Private  . 

Tliree  JS^eip'oes   to  carry  the  Sick  X.-  Voimded  . 

.Civ  Privates. 

One  .(et\;eant . 

One  Corporal  k  two  Ptii'ote.e.  to  cover  tlic  Hear.. .... 


■ta 


O 


o^V 


p^ 


Marks  to  be  cut  on  the  Tree  s    on   a  March . 


Fouracoudii- 


Society's 


A    + 

-^•r*"  Column  ,   Sid).  A 
D    # 
If^  Cohwni      Sub .  T> 


•2'^  Bitt)}.  Suh.B 
2^  Dem,Sul>.E 


3^ Ditto,    Sub.   C 
3"  DHto  ,   Sub.    F. 


T.Cmdtr  Soj/pt 


I'/'f/^Vf'/  .     //^//y/  ////■(/  ///f    //rtv/t  ^-Z  '  '//t 


v/////^//// 


London.  PiJili.t/icd  Ditrj-:'  ijp±  hvJ.Johii.tmi  .  STJ'atUs  CJiuiv/i  yant. 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  195 

is  as  follows :  The  foremost  are  generally  two  negroes, 
with  bill-hooks  to  cut  a  way,  so  as  to  make  a  practicable 
path,  with  one  corporal  and  two  men  to  reconnoitre  the 
front,  and,  in  case  of  necessity,  to  give  the  alarm ;  and 
then  one  subaltern,  six  privates,  and  a  corporal,  form  the 
van.  Then  follows,  at  some  distance,  the  corps  in  two 
divisions ;  in  the  first,  one  captain,  one  corporal,  twch  e 
privates,  one  surgeon,  and  two  negroes  to  carry  the  pow- 
der; in  the  second,  is  one  serjeant  and  twelve  privates; 
and  then  again  follows,  at  some  distance,  the  rear  guard, 
consisting  of  one  subaltern,  one  serjeant,  one  corporal,  and 
eighteen  privates,  with  sixteen  negroes  to  carry  the  medi- 
cines, beef,  bread,  spades,  axes,  rum,  &c. ;  the  sick  also 
are  carried.  The  three  last  of  all  being  one  corporal  and 
two  men  at  a  distance,  to  give  the  alarm  in  case  of  an 
attack,  as  the  others  had  orders  to  do  in  the  front ;  m  hich 
ends  the  train. 

Every  thing  being  ready,  according  to  the  above  rules, 
for  my  small  party,  which  consisted  of  myself,  an  officer 
of  the  Society,  Mr.  Hertsbergh,  one  surgeon's  mate,  one 
guide,  two  Serjeants,  two  corporals,  forty  privates,  and  only 
eight  negro  slaves  to  cut  open  the  passage,  and  carry  the 
baggage,  we  faced  to  the  right  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  sallied  forth  into  the  woods,  keeping  our  course  directly 
for  the  Perica  river ;  and  having  marched  till  about  eleven 
o'clock  on  the  Cordon,  I  discovered,  as  1  had  expected, 
the  track  of  the  rebels  by  the  marks  of  their  footsteps  in 

c  c  2  the 


196  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

the  mud,  by  the  broken  bottles,  plantain-shells,  &c.  and 
found  that  by  appearance  it  bore  towards  Pinneburgh, 
already  mentioned. 

I  had  now  indeed  found  the  nest,  but  the  birds  were 
flown.  AVe  continued  our  march  till  eight  o'clock,  when 
we  arrived  at  the  Society  post  Soribo,  in  Perica,  in  a  most 
shocking  condition,  having  Avaded  through  water  and  mire 
above  our  hips,  climbed  over  heaps  of  fallen  trees,  and 
crept  underneath  on  our  bellies.  This,  however,  was  not 
the  worst,  for  our  flesh  was  terribly  mangled  and  torn  by 
the  thorns,  and  stung  by  the  Patat  lice,  ants,  and  wassi/- 
wassTf,  or  wild  bees.  This  last  is  an  insect  not  larger  than 
an  English  blue-bottle  fly,  and  is  of  a  black  colour,  quite 
different  from  our  bees ;  they  are  never  kept  in  hives,  but 
swarm  wild  in  the  forest,  Avhere  they  build  in  hollow  treea 
or  between  the  branches  ;  their  nests  being  sometimes  as 
large  as  an  inflated  cow's  bladder,  to  which  they  bear  na 
bad  resemblance,  both  in  colour  and  smoothness,  except 
in  being  less  regularly  oval ;  from  these  abodes  (when  the 
nest  and  the  branches  are  inadvertently  touched)  thousands 
of  warriors  sally  forth ;  and  this  little  flying  army  is  ex- 
tremely formidable,  pitching  always  by  instinct  on  the 
eyes,  lips,  and  hair,  whence  they  cannot  easily  be  dis- 
lodged ;  their  stings  generally  cause  a  fever,  and  swell  the 
parts  so  very  much  that  they  occasion  blindness  for  several 
hours ;  their  honey  is  of  a  dark-brown  colour,  and  so  is 
their  wax,  but  gummy,  being  both  of  little  value. 

11  .  The 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  197 

The  worst  of  our  sufferings,  however,  was  the  fatigue 
of  marching  in  a  burning  sun,  and  the  last  two  hours  in 
total  darkness,  holding  each  other  by  the  hand  ;  and  hav- 
ins;  left  ten  men  behind,  some  with  aoues,  some  stuno* 
blind,  and  some  with  their  feet  full  of  chigoes.  Being 
in  the  most  hospitable  manner  received  at  Soribo  by  the 
commanding  officer,  I  went  to  my  hammock  very  ill  of  a 
fever. 

On  the  following  morning  I  felt  myself  better  for  my 
night's  rest ;  but  neither  myself  nor  my  men  were  able 
to  march  back,  wherefore  the  other  captain  sent  a  small 
party  of  his  soldiers  to  pick  up  the  poor  marines  I  had 
lost  the  day  before,  and  of  whom  they  brought  with  them 
seven,  carried  in  hammocks  tied  to  poles,  each  by  two 
negroes,  the  other  three  having  scrambled  back  to  Devil's 
Harwar. 

During  our  stay  here  I  wrote  a  letter  to  Colonel  Four- 
geovid,  couched  in  such  terms  as  few  people  in  their  full 
senses  would  do  to  their  commanders,  viz.  that  I  had 
found  the  path ;  that  if  I  had  had  support  in  time  I  might 
have  cut  off  the  enemy's  retreat,  instead  of  finding  their 
footsteps  only  ;  but  that  now  all  was  too  late,  and  the 
party  all  knocked  up  to  no  purpose.  This  letter,  I  have 
been  since  told,  incensed  him,  as  it  is  easy  to  suppose,  in 
the  highest  degree.  Being  sufficiently  refreshed  to  renew 
my  march,  we  left  Soribo  on  the  9th,  at  four  o'clock  in 

the 


198  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

CHAP,  the  morning,  and  at  four  o'clock  p.m.  arrived,  after  in- 
^^]^  ,  describable  sufferings,  at  Devil's  Ilarwar,  covered  over 
with  mud  and  blood,  and  our  legs  and  thighs  cut  and 
torn  by  the  thorns  and  branches  ;  most  of  the  men  being 
without  shoes  and  stockings  of  necessity,  Avhile  I,  who 
had  gone  tJiis  march  in  the  same  condition  from  choice, 
had  absolutely  suffered  the  least  of  the  whole  party,  by 
having  inured  myself  gradually  to  walk  barefooted  on  the 
barges. 

At  Devil's  Plarwar,  I  now  found  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Westerloo  and  a  quarter-master  arrived  to  take  the  com- 
mand, his  troops  not  being  expected  till  the  next  day. 
I  was  by  this  circumstance,  hoAvever,  made  exceedingly 
happy,  hoping  at  last  to  meet  with  some  relief;  and  hav- 
ing ceded  him  my  written  orders,  the  magazine,  hospital, 
«Scc.  &;c.  I  stripped  and  plunged  into  the  river  to  wash  my- 
self and  take  a  swim,  by  which  (being  before  much  over- 
heated) I  found  myself  greatly  refreshed,  as  Avell  as  by 
receiving  a  quantity  of  fine  fruit,  Jamaica  rum,  wine  and 
sugar,  from  Joanna  ; — but  how  did  my  blood  chill,  when 
the  quarter-master  told  me,  as  a  secret,  that  my  serjeant, 
one  Fowler,  having  first  got  drunk  with  my  wine,  offered 
violence  to  this  poor  woman ;  and  that  he  was  to  be  at 
Devil's  Harwar  next  day,  when  I  should  see  the  marks  of 
her  just  resentment  on  his  face  ! 

The  reader  v/ill,  I  trust,   excuse  my  violence,  when  I 

tell 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  199 

tell  him,  that  I  vowed  immediate  destruction  to  the  vil- 
lain :  and  having  ordered  a  negro  to  cut  twelve  bamboo 
canes,  I  retired  like  a  person  deprived  of  his  senses,  deter- 
mined to  punish  him  according  to  his  supposed  crime. 

On  the  10th  there  arrived  two  subalterns,  with  a  se- 
cond barge  full  of  men,  amraunition,  medicine,  and  pro- 
visions, which  having  marched  into  quarters  and  stowed, 
I  sent  for  the  hapless  Fowler,  whose  face  being  in  three 
places  wounded,  I  locked  him  up  in  a  room,  and,  Avith- 
out  asking  one  question,  broke  six  of  the  bamboos  over 
his  head,  till  he  escaped  all  bloody  out  at  the  window, 
and  my  resentment  gradually  abated.  He  certainly  had 
suffered  much,  but  nothing  equal  to  what  were  my  sensa- 
tions, at  being  still  furtlier  informed,  that  Colonel  Four- 
geoud  had  seized  all  my  effects,  which  he  had  scaled  and 
locked  up  in  an  empty  store-room,  in  expectation  of  my 
decease,  which,  according  to  all  appearances,  migiit  be 
looked  for  ;  while  my  house  was  given  to  another,  by  which 
means  I  could  not  procure  so  much  as  a  clean  shirt  to 
relieve  me  from  my  disgraceful  tatters :  nevertheless,  by 
the  hope  of  going  down  myself,  my  spirits  were  supported. 
The  other  news,  of  more  importance,  was,  that  the  hero  in 
person,  with  most  of  the  troops,  had  at  last  left  Para- 
maribo ;  that  he  had  quartered  them  partly  at  Devil's 
Ilarwar,  in  Rio  Cottica,  the  estate  Bellair,  in  Rio  Perica, 
and  at  the  estates  Clarenbeek,  and  Cravassibo,  in  Rio 

Come- 


200  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

Comewina ;  whence,  conjunctly  Avith  the  troops  of  the 
Society  and  the  Rangers,  he  intended  to  move  in  quest  of 
the  rebels ;  that  he  had  also  ordered  all  the  barges  to  be 
relieved  at  last,  and  their  remaining  troops  to  reinforce  the 
above-mentioned  posts,  Av^hich  I  must  remark  was  a  very 
wise  and  well-planned  regulation. 

From  Patamaca  we  Avere  informed,  that  the  rebels,  on 
their  repassing  the  river  above  La  Rochelle,  had  again 
destroyed  a  small  estate,  and  murdered  its  proprietor,  a 
Mr.  Nyboor. 

It  was  either  about  this  time,  or  very  shortly  after,  that 
an  overseer  escaped  by  the  assistance  of  a  negro  boy,  who, 
desiring  him  to  leap  into  a  canoe,  and  lie  down  flat  upon 
his  belly,  leaped  himself  into  the  Avater,  where,  by  SAvim- 
ming  Avith  one  hand,  and  guiding  the  canoe  Avith  the 
other,  he  ferried  his  master  safe  over  the  creek  Pata- 
maca, through  a  shoAver  of  musquet  bullets,  the  rebels 
firing  upon  them  all  the  while,  but  Avithout  execution  ; 
hoAvever,  for  this  material  piece  of  service,  he  Avas  re- 
compensed the  AA-eek  after  Avith  three  hundred  lashes  by 
the  same  master,  only  for  having  forgotten  to  open  one 
of  the  sluices  or  flood-gates. — On  this  act  of  inhumanity 
I  shall  make  no  comment,  but  proceed  to  my  own  miser- 
able situation.  Having  remonstrated  Avith  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Westerloo  on  the  state  of  my  health,  which  dis- 
abled  me    from   joining   the    corps   on   their   march,   I 

requested 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  201 

requested  that  I  might  be  removed  to  Paramaribo  for  the 
chance  of  recovery  ;  but  this  he  peremptorily  refused  to 
allow  me,  by  Colonel  Fourgeoud's  express  command.  The 
refusal  of  so  reasonable  a  request  made  me  almost  dis- 
tracted, and  agitated  my  spirits  so  much,  that  on  the 
morning  of  the  12th,  determined  to  exchange  my  wretched 
existence  one  Avay  or  other,  I  insisted  on  being  imme- 
diately removed,  or  wished  for  death,  which  the  surgeons 
declared  must  be  the  consequence  soon,  if  I  was  not  per- 
mitted to  go  down,  and  in  the  meanwhile  I  vowed  that  I 
should  attribute  my  decease  to  their  unprecedented  bar- 
barity. A  consultation  Avas  now  held  on  the  subject ;  and 
at  last,  not  without  great  difficulties,  a  boat  was  ordered 
to  row  me  down  to  Paramaribo,  but  no  white  servant  was 
permitted  to  attend  me.  Thus  leaving  the  Lieutenant 
Colonel  employed  in  fortifying  Devil's  Harwar  with  palli- 
sadoes,  where  now  also  was  a  numerous  garrison,  I  at  twelve 
o'clock  at  noon  walked  to  the  water  side,  supported  by  a 
negro,  on  whose  shoulder  I  rested,  till  I  at  length  stepped 
into  the  boat,  followed  by  my  black  boy  Quaco,  and  finally 
left  the  diabolical  spot  where  I  had  buried  so  many  brave 
fellows. 

On  the  14th,  having  rowed  day  and  night,  at  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  arrived  at  the  town,  extremely 
ill  indeed;  where,  having  no  residence  of  my  own,  I 
was  hospitably  received  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.   De  La 

^^01"  I-  D  d  Marre, 


202  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

Marre,  a  merchant :  this  gentleman  not  only  received 
me,  but  immediately  sent  a  servant  for  poor  Joanna,  ^vlio 
was  at  her  mother's,  and  another  for  a  physician  to 
attend  me,  as  my  weak  and  hopeless  condition  now  re- 
quired every  assistance  that  the  town  of  Paramaribo 
could  aftbrd. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM. 


i-'OS 


CHAP.    IX. 


Some  Diseases  peculiar  to  the  CUmate-Group  of  Negroes 
newhj  imported  going  to  be  soM-Reflectious  on  the  Slave 
Trade— The  Voyage  from  Africa— Manner  of  selling  them 
in  the  Colony— Description  of  a  Cotton  Plantation. 


s 


EPTEI^IBEPv  1 5th,  I  found  myself  in  an  elegant  and    c  h  a  p. 
well-furnished   apartment,  encouraged  by  the  hopes 
given  by  the  physician,  caressed  by  my  friends,  and  sup- 
ported by  the  care  and  attention  of  my  incomparable 

Mulatto. 

A  Captain  Brant  having  at  this  time  the  command  in 
Colonel  Fourgeoud's  absence,  he  sent,  the  morning  after 
my  arrival,  my  trunks  and  baggage,  Avhich  had  been  sealed 
up ;  but  on  looking  into  them,  I  found  I  had  enemies  at 
home  as  Avell  as  abroad ;  since  most  of  my  shirts,  books, 
&c.  were  gnawed  to  dust  by  the  blatta  or  cock-roach, 
called  cackerlakke  in  Surinam  :  nay,  even  my  shoes  Avcro 
destroyed,  of  which  I  had  brought  with  me  twelve  pairs 
new  from  Europe,  as  they  were  extremely  dear  and  bad  in 

this  country. 

This  insect,  which  is  of  the  beetle  kind,  is  here  one 
inch  and  sometimes  two  inches  long,  oval,  flat,  and  ot  a 
dark  reddish  colour.      By  getting  through  the  locks  of 

D  d  2  t^^iests 


204  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

chests  or  boxes,  it  not  only  deposits  its  eggs  there,  but 
commits  its  ravages  on  linen,  cloth,  silk,  or  any  thing  that 
comes  in  its  way ;  by  getting  also  into  the  victuals  and 
drink  of  every  kind,  it  renders  them  extremely  loathsome, 
for  it  leaves  the  most  nauseous  smell,  worse  indeed  than 
that  of  a  bug.  As  most  West  India  vessels  (especially 
those  loaded  with  sugar)  bring  them  home  in  great  quan- 
tities, I  shall  say  nothing  more  concerning  them,  only 
that  they  are  seldom  seen  to  fly,  but  creep  very  fast ;  and 
that  the  best,  and  I  think  the  only  way  to  keep  the  boxes 
free  from  them  is,  to  place  them  on  four  empty  wine 
bottles  kept  free  from  dust,  which,  by  their  smoothness, 
prevent  the  insects  ascending  to  get  through  the  key- 
holes, or  even  the  smallest  openings  in  the  bottoms  ;  but 
this  precaution  had  been  neglected  by  my  good  friend 
Colonel  Fourgeoud.  I  found,  however,  linen  sufficient 
for  present  use,  and  by  the  industry  of  Joanna  I  was 
soon  provided  with  a  ne^v  stock.  None  can  conceive  the 
comfort  I  felt  in  being  properly  dressed  and  shifted  ;  my 
mental  faculties  were  recruiting  apace,  and  I  felt  with 
gratitude  the  blessing  of  a  strong  constitution  ;  but  poor 
Macdonald  was  still  ill  at  Mr.  Kennedy's,  who  had  hu- 
manely afforded  him  an  asylum  on  his  return  from  Devil's 
Harwar. 

Having  now  time,  I  inquired  concerning  Fowler's  con- 
duct ;  when,  to  my  infinite  surprise,  I  was  informed  that 
he  had  indeed  got  drunk,  as  was  reported  to  me,  by  which 
5  he 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  £05 

he  bnd  fallen  amongst  the  bottles  and  cut  his  face,  but  c  ii  a  p. 
that  he  never  had  attempted  the  smallest  rudeness:  so  '^' 
much  indeed  was  his  conduct  the  reverse  of  what  had 
been  reported,  that  his  inebriety  had  proceeded  from  his 
resentment  at  seeing  both  me  and  Joanna  ill  treated,  and 
my  property  transported  away  against  his  inclination.  I 
was  now  extremely  chagrined  at  my  past  conduct,  and 
was  gently  reproved  by  the  cause  of  it,  to  whom  I  promised 
to  be  Fowler's  friend  for  ever  after — and  I  kept  my  Avord. 
My  fever  was  now  much  abated,  but  I  was  infested  w^ith 
another  disorder  peculiar  to  this  climate,  and  which  1  am 
afraid  I  shall  but  indifferently  describe  :  it  is  called  in 
Surinam  the  ring-worm,  and  consists  of  long  scarlet  irre- 
gular spots,  particularly  on  the  under  parts  of  the  body, 
which  increase  in  magnitude  from  day  to  day,  unless  pre- 
vented by  timely  application.  Those  spots  are  surrounded 
with  a  kind  of  hard  callous  border,  and  are  as  troublesome 
by  their  itching  as  the  prickly  heat,  or  the  stmg  of  the 
musquitoes;  and  so  very  infectious  is  this  complaint,  that 
if  any  person  seats  himself  by  chance  on  a  chair  imme- 
diately after  another  who  has  the  disorder,  he  is  almost 
certain  to  be  infected  with  it :  it  is,  I  beheve,  very  difficult 
to  get  rid  of;  but  the  best  cure  is  to  rub  the  spots  with  a  com- 
position of  refined  saltpetre,  benzoin,  flower  of  brimstone, 
and  white  mercury,  mixed  with  fresh  butter  or  hog's-lard. 
The  numerous  inconveniences  to  which  the  inhabitants  of 
this  climate  are  exposed,  are  almost  inconceivable. 

On 


IX. 


'206  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

G  H  A  P.  Oil  the  C6th  I  had  a  relapse,  and  was  twice  bled  in  one 
day.  I  was  also  this  morning  visited  by  poor  Mr.  Hene- 
uian,  a  young  volunteer  I  have  not  before  mentioned,  who 
looked  like  a  ghost,  and  Avas  left  sick  at  Paramaribo  to 
manage  for  himself. 

On  the  2d  of  October  I  was  a  little  better,  and  was  ex- 
alted from  living  like  a  savage,  to  the  temporary  command 
of  a  few  troops  left  at  Farainariho,  Captain  Brant  being 
ordered  to  join  Fourgeoud  in  Rio  Comewina ;  when  the 
colours,  regiment's  cash,  &c.  were  transmitted  to  my  own 
lodging,  and  a  sentinel  placed  before  my  door. 

The  first  exercise  I  made  of  my  power  was  to  discharge 
the  sour  Avine,  which  had  been  bought  for  the  sick  officers 
as  Avell  as  the  men,  whom  I  supplied,  from  the  money  now 
in  my  possession,  with  good  Avholesome  claret ;  but  I  was 
sorry  not  to  be  able  also  to  exchange  the  salt  beef,  pork, 
and  pease,  that  were  left  at  the  hospital,  for  fresh  provi- 
sions. This  step  Avas  hoAvever  particularly  forbidden  by 
the  commander;  Avhile  the  butter,  cheese,  and  tobacco 
Avere  taken  away,  for  Avhich  they  got  one  quart  of  oil 
amongst  ten,  and  their  bread  reduced  to  two  pounds  each 
man  for  ^  ivhole  Aveek.  As  to  the  officers,  they  Avere  left 
to  shift  for  themselves,  or  submit  to  the  same  alloAvance, 
notAvithstanding  they  kept  on  paying  their  quota  to  a  regi- 
mental mess,  Avhich  noAV  no  longer  existed. 

On  the  3d,  I  took  the  air  for  the  first  time  on  horse- 
back, in  company  Avith  Mr.  Heneman,  though  Ave  coidd 

not 


^y/ic  ,^/i/i^^  ii  ^'//r/A'/r  .  i  ///r  ^^m^7yz/>?i  •    /A/r^///^ 


Lotuion,  Publuhfd  Df^.'Yf^ij^,  bv  J.  JolmsoTt.Sf Faille  CfiunfiTard- 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  207 

not  ride  above  three  English  miles  distance  out  of  town, 
on  a  species  of  gravel  that  leads  to  the  Wanica  Path, 
which  I  have  already  mentioned  as  communicating  with 
the  river  Seramica,  and  as  the  only  passable  road  in  the 
colony.  During  this  little  ride,  which  (on  account  of  the 
dry  season  being  commenced)  we  took  at  six  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  we  observed  a  great  number  of  those  large 
and  elegant  birds,  known  by  the  name  of  macaws,  but  in 
Surinam  called  ravens,  from  their  proportion  to  the  par- 
rots, which  may  be  looked  upon  as  a  kind  of  tropical 
crows. 

The  macaws  are  divided  into  diiferent  species,  of  which 
I  shall  only  describe  two,  wishing  to  say  nothing  for  which 
I  have  not  competent  authority,  as  I  am  sorry  to  observe 
too  many  authors  have  done,  among  whom  are  men  of 
genius  and  learning :  some  indeed  may  have  erred  from 
ignorance  or  wrono;  information,  but  numbers  for  the  gra- 
tification  of  vanity  have,  I  fear,  been  gudty  of  imposing 
on  the  too  credulous  public. 

The  blue  and  yellow  macaw  is  as  large  as  a  barn-door 
fowl,  with  short  legs  and  a  crooked  bill,  like  that  of  the 
common  parrot ;  the  former  dai'k  coloured,  with  four 
black  claws,  two  before  and  two  behind ;  the  latter  also 
black,  the  upper  mandible  alone  moveable.  Its  tail  is 
like  a  wedge,  and  consists  of  a  few  very  long  and  strait 
feathers.  The  back  of  this  bird,  from  the  head  (the  top 
of  which  is  a  sea-green)  to  the  extremity  of  the  tail,  is  a 

most 


i20S  NARRATIVE  OF  AN 

most  beautiful  azure  blue,  and,  underneath,  its  whole  body 
is  of  a  pale  orange  colour ;  round  its  eyes  it  is  perfectly 
white,  interspersed  with  black  rings,  composed  of  very 
small  feathers. 

The  other  is  called  in  Surinam  the  Amazon  macaw.  This 
is  rather  less  than  the  former ;  its  tail,  legs,  and  bill,  are 
formed  in  the  same  manner,  but  the  latter  is  of  a  dirty 
white  ;  the  head,  the  neck,  and  breast  of  this  bird  are  of 
a  bright  scarlet,  the  space  round  the  eyes  only  excepted, 
where  it  is  white,  A\ith  black  rings;  its  wings  may  be  said 
to  be  divided  by  bars  into  four  colours,  being  scarlet  at 
the  top,  next  green,  then  yellow  and  blue,  down  to  the 
extremity  of  the  tail,  which  in  the  sun  shines  with  a  bril- 
liancy and  eft'ect  unequalled  by  art.  The  macaws  fly  in 
couples,  and  have  a  shrill  disagreeable  shriek,  and  bite 
severely  ;  their  bill  being  very  hard  and  sharp,  which  is 
of  great  use  to  them  in  climbing  :  they  are  easily  tamed, 
and  may  be  taught  to  speak  like  other  parrots.  The 
Indians  frequently  bring  them  to  Paramaribo,  Avhere  they 
part  with  them  for  a  bottle  of  rum,  or  for  a  few  fish- 
hooks. 

This  evening  arrived  sick,  from  the  head-quarters  at  the 
estate  Crawasibo  in  Comewina,  Colonel  Texier,  the  com- 
manding officer  of  the  Society  troops.  This  gentleman 
had  intended  to  have  marched  conjunctly  with  Colonel 
Fourgeoud  through  the  woods,  in  quest  of  the  rebels; 
but  his  constitution,  already  weak,  not  being  able  to  sup- 
port 


*■  %■« 


\'y 


^.- ' ...,*' 


s«ii«i!iijii 


lljiiill  '  '':i':^!''llll| 


1/ /■/■>////  /y,^'y^'y/-/-t^r/,<'/,/  /////^V(^v^^  ^^ /y-    .lo/f/ //"/■•^yyU/Ayrj 


^t^^^iii^JtliitmmJiJimiik^Mui^ihtU 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  209 

port  the  regimen  of  the  Conunander  in  Chief,  and  to  live 
onl}'^  on  salt  provisions,  had  begun  to  flag  from  the  begin- 
ning, till  he  was  sent  home  to  Paramaribo  in  this  drooping 
condition. 

On  the  sixth  of  October  the  fever  had  left  me,  and  the 
ring-worms  began  to  abate  ;  but  the  misery  and  hardships 
which  I  had  so  lately  undergone  still  had  an  effect  upon 
my  constitution,  and  enormous  biles  broke  out  on  my  left 
thigh,  which  entirely  prevented  me  from  walking.  My 
physician,  however,  ordering  me  daily  to  take  the  air,  I 
had  an  opportunity  this  day  of  waiting  on  his  excellency 
the  Governor  of  the  colony,  by  the  help  of  my  friend  Ken- 
nedy's chaise ;  and  as  I  returned  homeward,  I  stopped  the 
carriage  at  the  water-side,  to  behold  h  group  of  human 
beings,  who  had  strongly  attracted  my  attention.  This 
group  I  shall  circumstantially  endeavour  to  describe.  They 
were  a  drove  of  newly-imported  negroes,  men  and  women, 
with  a  few  children,  who  were  just  landed  from  on  board 
a  Guinea  ship  that  lay  at  anchor  in  the  roads,  to  be  sold 
for  slaves.  The  whole  party  was  such  a  set  of  scarcely 
animated  automatons,  such  a  resurrection  of  skin  and 
bones,  as  forcibly  reminded  me  of  the  last  trumpet.  These 
objects  appeared  that  moment  to  be  risen  from  the  grave, 
or  escaped  from  Surgeons'  Hall;  and  I  confess  I  can  give 
no  better  description  of  them,  than  by  comparing  them  to 
walking  skeletons  covered  over  with  a  piece  of  tanned 
leather. 

Vol.  I.  .         E  e  •'  And 


210  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

"  And  the  Lord  caused  me  to  pass  by  them  round  about, 
"  and  behold  there  were  many  in  the  open  valley,  and  lo 
"  they  were  very  dry. 

"  And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  Man,  can  these  bones 
•'  live?  And  I  answered,  O  Lord  God  thou  knowest." — 
Ezekiel,  xxxvii.  ver.  2,  3. 

Before  these  Avretches,  which  might  be  in  all  about  sixty 
in  number,  Avalked  a  sailor,  and  another  followed  behind 
with  a  bamboo-rattan ;  the  one  serving  as  a  shepherd  to 
lead  them  along,  and  the  other  as  his  dog  to  worry  them 
occasionally,  should  any  one  lag  behind,  or  wander  away 
from  the  flock.  At  the  same  time,  however,  equity  de- 
mands the  acknowledgment,  that  instead  of  all  those  horrid 
and  dejected  countenances  which  are  described  in  pamph- 
lets and  newspapers,  I  perceived  not  one  single  downcast 
look  amongst  them  all ;  and  I  must  add,  that  the  punish- 
ment of  the  bamboo  was  inflicted  with  the  utmost  mode- 
ration by  the  sailor  who  brought  up  the  rear. 

Having  viewed  this  sad  assemblage  of  my  fellow-creatures 
with  amazement,  I  drove  home  to  my  lodgings  in  a  state 
of  perfect  humiliation ;  where  I  noted  down,  as  I  could 
learn  it  from  the  best  authority,  both  white  and  black, 
what  is  really  the  fate  of  these  people,  from  the  last  mo- 
ment of  their  liberty  in  Africa,  to  the  present  period  of 
their  slavery  in  America :  and  this  I  shall  endeavour  to 
relate,  preceded  by  a  few  of  my  own  unbiassed  sentiments 
upon  the  Slave  Trade,  which  has  lately  been  the  object  of 

both 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  £ii 

both  public  and  private  investigation  ;  and  this,  I  trust, 
I  shall  do  with  that  candour  and  impartiality  which  not 
only  e\ery  gentleman,  but  every  man,  should  think  it  ne- 
cessary to  be  possessed  of. 

It  has  been  said,  Will  you,  for  the  sake  of  drinking  rum, 
and  sweetening  your  coffee  with  sugar,  persevere  in  the  most 
unjust  and  execrable  barbarity? — To  this  it  is  answered, 
Take  care,  lest,  under  the  enthusiasm  of  humanity,  you  do 
not,  at  the  expence  of  your  neighbour,  and  perhaps  of  your 
country,  inconsiderately  give  up  your  advantages,  w^ithout 
the  least  chance  of  benefiting  or  improving  the  condition 
of  those,  whom  I  most  heartily  join  with  you  in  calling  our 
brethren. 

After  so  many  volumes  which,  Avithin  a  few  years,  have 
been  written  on  this  subject,  it  may  appear  great  presump- 
tion in  me  to  offer  my  poor  opinion  :  but  I  have  made  it  a 
rule,  among  the  various  subjects  I  have  mentioned,  to  dwell 
on  those  only  to  which  I  have  Ijcen  an  eye-witness ;  and 
which  I  am  convinced  there  are  few  others  in  this  country 
that  have  seen  and  so  accurately  observed.  I  have  seen 
the  most  cruel  tortures  inflicted,  for  submitting  to  the  de- 
sire of  a  husband,  or  for  refusing  the  same  to  a  libidinous 
master,  and  more  frequently  a  rascally  overseer  :  nay,  even 
on  the  most  innocent,  from  the  false  accusations  of  a  lust- 
ful Avoman,  prompted  alone  by  jealousy.  I  have  seen  in 
other  places,  negro  slaves  as  well  treated  as  the  most 
favoured  servants  in  England  ;  and  as  I  have  seen  some 

E  e  2  sailors, 


212  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

sailors,  soldiers,  and  apprentices  most  tyrannically  treated 
when  under  the  command  of  ill-tempered  despots,  I  must 
pronounce  the  condition  of  such  not  to  be  envied  even  by 
negroes.  If,  therefore,  so  much  depends  on  the  disposi-, 
tion  or  humour  of  those  who  are  exercising  a  permanent 
or  a  temporary  power,  we  must  duly  consider,  before  w& 
hastily  judge  the  whole  from  partial  information. 

Cruelty  is  too  often  exercised  in  our  plantations;  but  if 
not  so  shockingly  to  human  nature  as  in  other  countries, 
what  are  we  doing  by  a  sudden  emancipation,  but  turning 
the  poor  creatures  over  to  more  cruel  masters  ?  The 
quantum  of  sugar,  &c.  will  be  had,  and  must  be  provided 
by  negroes,  natives  of  Africa,  Avho  alone  are  born  to  endure 
labour  under  a  vertical  sua. 

The  national  character  of  these  people,  as  I  have  re- 
marked it,  where  they  are  as  free  to  act  by  their  own  will 
and  disposition  as  in  Africa,  is  perfectly  savage ;  the  twenty 
thousand  Ouca  and  Seramica  free  negroes  have  lived  sepa- 
rated, and  under  no  controul  of  Europeans,  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  yet  I  have  never  seen  any  marks  of  civiliza- 
tion, order,  or  government  among  them,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, many  examples  of  ungovernable  passion,  debauchery, 
and  indolence. 

I  love  the  African  negroes,  and  have  shewn  how  sin- 
cerely I  have  felt  for  them  on  many  occasions  ;  and  what- 
ever wrong  construction  may  be  put  on  what  I  have  said 
on  this  subject,  I  Avish,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  that 
7  my 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  213 

my  Avords  could  be  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  that 
respectable  body  the  British  parliament ;  and  so  far  be 
regarded,  as  to  prevent  the  fatal  decision  of  a  total  aboli* 
tion  of  slaAxry  till  1800,  or  the  beginning  of  next  century. 
For  if  such  a  measure  should  be  rashly  enforced,  I  take 
the  liberty  to  prophesy,  that  thousands  and  thousands^., 
both  white  and  black,  may  repent,  and  more  be  ruined  by 
it,  when  the  evil  can  no  more  be  redressed. 

From  what  I  have  learned  by  inquiry,  from  persons  well 
informed  on  the  subject,  it  clearly  appears^  that  numbers 
of  the  negroes  offered  for  sale  have  been  taken  in  battles,- 
and  made  prisoners  of  war  ;  while  many  others  have  been 
scandalously  kidnapped,  and  some  others  transported  for 
offences,  &c. ;  of  all  which  I  shall  produce  a  few  examples 
in  future. 

These  groups  of  people  are  marched  from  every  inland 
part,  to  the  factories  erected  by  different  nations  upon  the- 
coast,  where  they  are  sold,  or  more  propedy  speaking,, 
bartered,  like  the  other  productions  of  their  countrj',  viz. 
gold,  elephants  teeth,  &c.  to  the  Europeans,  for  bars  of 
iron,  firearms,  carpenters  tools,  chests,  linens,  hats,  knives,, 
glasses,  tobacco,  spirits,  &c.  Next  they  are  embarked  for 
exportation,  during  which  time  they,  without  contradic- 
tion, feel  all  the  pangs  that  mental  or  corporeal  misery  can 
inflict.  Being  torn  from  their  country  and  dearest  con- 
nectioiis,  stowed  hundreds  together  in  a  dark  stinking  hold, 
the  sexes  being  separated ;  while  the  men  are  kept  in 

chains 


i: 


214  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

CHAP,  chains  to  prevent  an  insurrection.  In  this  manner  are 
they  floated  over  turbulent  seas,  not  certain  what  is  to  be 
their  destiny,  and  generally  fed  during  the  passage  with 
horse-beans  and  oil  for  their  whole  subsistence.  But  these 
sufferinps  are  often  alleviated  with  better  food  by  the 
more  humane:  so  far,  that  none  or  few  of  the  cargo  die 
during  the  passage,  and  the  whole  crew  arrive  healthy  in 
•the  West  Indies.  I  even  remember  one  instance,  where 
the  captain,  mate,  and  most  of  the  sailors,  having  expired 
at  sea,  so  that  the  remaining  few  could  not  work  the  ship 
without  the  negroes  assistance,  yet  these  last  having  been 
well  treated,  helped  at  last  to  run  the  vessel  on  shore,  by 
which  means  they  not  only  saved  many  lives,  but  tamely 
and  even  cheerfully  allowed  themselves  to  be  fetched  and 
sold  to  any  person  who  would  please  to  buy  them. — Having 
made  these  reflections,  I  shall  now  brietl}^  proceed  with 
the  manner  in  which  the  slaves  are  disposed  of 

No  sooner  is  a  Guinea  ship  arrived,  than  all  the  slaves 
are  Jed  ujx)n  deck,  where  they  are  refreshed  with  pure  air, 
plantains,  bananas,  oranges,  &c.  and  being  properly 
cleaned,  washed,  and  their  hair  shaved  in  different  figures 
of  stars,  half-moons,  &c.  which  they  generally  do  the  one 
to  the  other,  (having  no  razors)  by  the  help  of  a  broken 
bottle  and  without  soap.  After  this  operation,  one  part 
of  them  is  sent  ashore  for  sale,  decorated  Avith  pieces  of 
cotton  to  serve  as  fig-leaves,  arm-bands,  beads,  &c.  being 
all  the  captain's  property;    while  the  others  spend  the 

day 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  215 

day  in  dancing,  hallooing,  and  clapping  hands  on  board 
the  vessel. 

Having  sufficiently  described  their  figures  after  landing, 
we  now  may  suppose  them  walking  along  the  Avater-side, 
and  through  the  streets,  -\\^here  every  planter  picks  out 
that  number  which  he  stands  in  need  of,  to  supply  those 
lost  by  death  or  desertion,  and  begins  to  make  a  bargain 
with  the  captain.  Good  negroes  are  generally  valued  at 
from  fifty  to  a  hundred  pounds  each.  Amongst  these, 
should  a  woman  chance  to  be  pregnant,  her  price  is  aug- 
mented accordingly ;  for  which  reason  I  have  known  the 
captain  of  a  Dutch  Guinea  vessel,  who  acknowledged 
himself  to  be  the  father,  take  advantage,  with  a  brutalit}^ 
scarcely  credited  in  the  story  of  Inkle  and  Yarico,  of 
doubling  the  value,  by  selling  his  own  offspring  to  the  best 
bidder ;  for  which  however  he  Avas  highly  censured  by  his 
companions. 

The  next  circumstance  that  takes  place  before  the  bar- 
gain is  struck,  is  to  cause  the  negroes  for  sale,  one  after 
another,  to  mount  on  a  hogshead  or  a  table,  where  they 
are  visited  by  a  surgeon,  who  obliges  them  to  make  all 
the  different  gestures,  with  arms  and  legs,  of  a  Merry- 
Andrew  upon  the  stage,  to  prove  their  soundness  or  un- 
soundness ;  after  which  they  are  adopted  by  the  buyer, 
or  rejected,  as  he  finds  them  fit  for  his  purpose,  or  other- 
wise. If  he  keeps  them,  the  money  is  paid  down  ;  and 
the  new-bought  negroes  are  immediately  branded  on  the 

breast 


21^  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

breast  or  the  thick  part  of  the  shoulder,  by  a  stamp  made 
of  silver,  with  the  initial  letters  of  the  new  master's  name, 
as  we  mark  furniture  or  any  thing  else  to  authenticate 
them  properly.  These  hot  letters,  which  are  about  the 
size  of  a  sixpence^  occasion  not  that  pain  which  may  be 
imagined,  and  the  blisters  being  rubbed  directly  with  a 
little  fresh  butter,  are  perfectly  well  in  the  space  of  two 
or  three  days.  No  sooner  is  this  ceremony  over,  and  a 
new  name  given  to  the  newlj^-bought  slave,  than  he  or 
she  is  delivered  to  an  old  one  of  the  same  sex,  and  sent  to 
the  estate,  where  each  is  properly  kept  clean  by  his  guar- 
dian, instructed  and  well  fed,  without  working,  for  the 
space  of  six  weeks  ;  during  which  period,  from  living 
skeletons,  they  become  plump  and  fat,  with  a  beautiful 
clean  skin,  till  it  is  disfigured  by  the  inhuman  flogging  of 
some  rascally  proprietor,  or  rather  his  overseer. 

Here  I  must  leave  them  for  some  time,  and  continue  my 
narrative,  after  observing  that  the  negroes  are  composed 
of  diflferent  nations  or  casts,  such  as  the 

Abo,  Congo,  Loango,  Pombo, 

Conia,  Gango,  N.  Zoko,  Wanway, 

Blitay,  Konare,  Nago,  &c.  &c. 

Coromantin,  Riemba,  Papa, 

With  most  of  which  I  have  found  means  to  get  acquainted, 
and  of  which  I  shall  speak  more  amply  in  another  place 
of  this  narrative. 

On 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  217 

On  the  10th,  the  surgeon  having  lanced  my  thigh,  I 
scrambled  out  once  more  to  witness  the  selling  of  slaves 
to  the  best  bidder.  After  what  has  been  related,  the 
reader  may  form  some  judgment  of  my  surprize  and  con- 
fusion, when  I  found  among  them  my  inestimable  Joanna  ; 
the  sugar-estate  Fauconberg,  with  its  whole  stock,  being 
this  day  sold  by  an  execution,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
creditors  of  its  late  possessor,  Mr.  D.  B.  who  had  fled. 

I  now  felt  all  the  horrors  of  the  damn'd.  I  bewailed 
again  and  again  my  unlucky  fortune,  that  did  not  enable 
me  to  become  her  proprietor  myself,  and  in  my  mind 
I  continually  painted  her  ensuing  dreadful  situation.  1 
fancied  I  saw  her  tortured,  insulted,  and  bowing  under  the 
weight  of  her  chains,  calling  aloud,  but  in  vain,  for  my 
assistance.  I  was  miserable,  and  indeed  nearly  deprived 
of  all  my  faculties,  till  restored  by  the  assurances  of  my 
friend,  JNIr.  Lolkcns,  who  providentially  was  appointed 
to  continue  administrator  of  the  estate  during  the  absence 
of  its  new  possessors,  IMessrs.  Passelege  and  son,  at  Am- 
sterdam, who  bought  it  and  its  dependants  for  only  four 
thousand  pounds. 

No  sooner  was  he  confirmed  in  his  appointment,  than 
this  disinterested  and  steady  friend  brought  Joanna  to  my 
presence;  and  pledged  himself,  that  in  every  service 
Avhicli  he  could  render  to  myself  or  her,  and  which  he  had 
now  more  in  his  power  than  ever,  no  efl:brts  on  his  side 
should  be  wanting.     This  promise  I  desired  him  to  keep 

Vol.  I.  r  f  in 


218  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

in  remembrance,  and  accordingly  he  ever  since  most  nobly 
persevered. 

Being  informed  that  Colonel  Fourgeoud  had  left  Craw- 
assibo  estate,  and  entered  the  woods  just  above  the  plan- 
tation Clarenbeck,  on  his  way  to  the  Wana  Creek,  to  try 
if  he  could  fall  in  with  the  rebels,  I  requested,  by  a  letter, 
that  I  might  join  him  there  as  soon  as  I  should  be  reco- 
vered, and  having  shipped  off  for  the  last-mentioned 
estate  medicines  and  such  surgeons  of  ours  as  had  been 
left  at  Paramaribo,  I  employed  Mr.  Greber,  the  surgeon 
of  the  Society,  on  my  own  authority,  and  at  the  regiment's 
expence,  to  attend  the  sick  officers  and  soldiers,  who  were 
left  in  town,  destitute  of  cash,  and  now  without  assistance. 
At  the  same  time  I  also  ordered  to  be  purchased  two 
more  ankers  of  the  best  claret  for  their  support.  Thus 
was  I  determined  properly  to  avail  myself  of  my  command, 
which  at  best  could  but  last  a  few  days  longer. 

This  evening  my  friend  De  La  Mara  took  his  depar- 
ture, with  his  twenty-five  free  mulattoes,  for  the  river 
Surinam  ;  he  being  a  captain  of  the  militia,  and  they  be- 
ing infinitely  preferable  to  the  European  scarecrows. 

I  Avas  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  ride  out  every 
morning,  when  the  following  ludicrous  adventure  hap- 
pened to  me  on  the  road  that  leads  to  Wanica.  In  this 
place  a  Mr.  Van  de  Velde,  boasting  how  fast  his  horse 
could  gallop,  proposed  to  me  to  run  a  race ;  to  which  I 
agreed,  allowing  him  the  start  at  twenty  paces  distance. 

The 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM. 

The  start  indeed  he  had,  but  did  not  long  retain  his  ad- 
vantange,  for  my  English  horse  passing  him  with  the  ra- 
pidity of  a  cannot-shot,  his  galloway  sprung,  rider  and 
all,  through  a  hedge  of  thick  limes,  and  left  poor  INIr. 
Van  de  Velde,  not  like  Doctor  Slop,  in  the  dirt,  but  like 
Absalom,  hanging  among  the  branches. 

The  horses  in  Surinam  are  little  better  or  laroer  than 
asses  (except  those  which  are  brought  from  North  America 
or  Holland,  the  latter  of  which  are  generally  employed 
for  carriages)  yet  they  are  useful  in  the  sugar-mills,  where 
a  number  of  mules  are  also  employed.  These  last  are 
brought  over  from  Barbary,  and  sometimes  sold  as  high 
as  fifty  guineas.  None  of  these  animals  are  indigenous 
to  Guiana;  but,  as  many  other  animals  have  been  im- 
ported, and  become  the  inhabitants  of  the  climate,  to  save 
unnecessary  repetition,  I  here  give  the  following  list  of  such 
quadrupeds  as  are  not  natives  of  the  new  continent : 


219 


The  Elephant, 

Sheep, 

Wild  Goat, 

Hipopotamus, 

Hog, 

Rabbit, 

The  Rhinoceros, 

Goat, 

Small  Guinea  Stag, 

Cameleopard, 

Dog, 

Ferret, 

Camel, 

Badger, 

Rat, 

Dromedary, 

Sable, 

Mouse, 

Lion, 

Stoat  or  Ermine 

,  Fat  Squirrel, 

Tiger, 

Hyaena, 

Garden  Squirrel, 

Panther, 

Jackall, 

JMarmot, 

rf  2 

Horse, 

220  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

Horse,  Genett,  Ichneumon, 

Ass,  Civet,  Jerboa, 

Zebra,  Cat,  Maki ;  and 

Ox,  Antelope,  several  kinds 

Buffalo,  Chamois  Goat,         of  Monkies. 

Should  the  number  of  this  list  seem  rather  great,  I  in 
that  case  refer  to  the  celebrated  Count  de  Buffon,  whence 
it  was  extracted. 

On  the  18th  arrived  sick  from  Devil's  Harwar  Ensign 
Mathew,  one  of  the  officers  by  Avhom  I  had  been  re- 
lieved; and  the  same  day  he  was  folloAved  by  his  com- 
mander and  friend.  Colonel  Westerloo,  supported  by  two 
soldiers.  They  had  ridiculed  me  for  complaining,  after  a 
confinement  of  so  many  weeks  on  board  the  barges ; 
while  these  gentlemen  had  been  out  but  a  few  days  and 
always  on  shore,  the  latter  of  them  having  attempted  to 
accompany  the  old  Colonel  Fourgeoud  to  Wana  (Avhom 
he  had  joined  at  La  Rochelle  in  Patamaca)  but  was  com- 
pletely unfitted  for  proceeding  by  his  very  first  entry 
into  the  woods.  I  was  at  dinner  with  a  Mr.  Day,  when 
I  saAv  him  pass  by  a  miserable  spectacle,  and  chusing  to 
forget  what  had  passed  at  Devil's  Harwar,  and  in  reality 
having  a  regard  for  this  gentleman,  I  started  up  imme- 
diately and  got  him  a  coach,  in  which  I  accompanied 
him  to  his  lodgings,  where,  having  placed  a  sentinel  be- 
fore his  chamber-door  to  keep  out  the  rabble,  I  sent  for 

a  Doctor 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM.  221 

a  Doctor  \'an  Dam,  as  well  as  a  Doctor  Kissam,  an  Ame- 
rican, to  attend  him,  forbidding  all  other  communication, 
that  of  an  old  negro  woman,  his  man  servant,  and  a 
black  boy  excepted,  and  by  these  means  I  apparently 
preserved  his  life. 

On  the  20th,  Lieutenant  Count  de  Randwyk  came 
down  also  indisposed  with  Ensign  Coene,  and  at  last 
my  poor  old  shipmate  Lieutenant  Hamer,  who  had  been 
kept  at  Devil's  Harwar  near  four  months,  till,  overcome 
by  disease,  he  obtained  leave  to  be  transported  to  Para- 
maribo. 

On  the  22d,  the  Governor  sent  me  a  cotton  twig,  which 
I  copied ;  and  as  I  cannot  have  a  better  opportunity,  I 
will  now  proceed  to  a  description  of  that  useful  plant, 
which  has  only  been  cultivated  in  Surinam  from  about 
the  year  1735,  but  not  with  advantage  till  about  the 
years  1750  or  1752.  There  are  several  species  of  the 
cotton-tree,  but  I  fliall  confine  myself  to  that  which  is  the 
most  common  and  the  most  useful  in  this  colony.  This 
species  of  cotton,  which  grows  upon  a  tree  about  six  or 
eight  feet  high,  bears  before  it  is  a  3'^ear  old,  and  pro- 
duces two  crops  annually,  each  of  about  tAventy  ounces 
in  weight ;  the  leaves  are  something  like  those  of  the 
vine,  of  a  bright  green,  and  the  fibres  of  a  cinnamon 
colour.  The  cotton-balls,  some  of  which  are  as  large  as 
a  small  hen's  egg,  and  divided  in  three  parts,  grow  on  a 
very  long  stalk,  and  in  a  triangular  pod,  which  is  first 

produced 


222  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

CHAP,    produced  by  a  yellow  flower,    and  when  ripe  opens  of 
itself,  and   discloses   the  globular   contents   as    white  as 
flakes  of  snow;    in   the  middle  of  these  are  contained 
small  black  seeds,  formed  not  unlike  those  that  are  usually 
found  in  grapes.     The  cotton  Avill    prosper  in  any  of  the 
tropical  soils,  and  produces  a  good  profit  if  the  crops  are 
not  spoiled  by  a  too  long  rainy  season,  being  cultivated 
with  very  little  trouble  and  expence :    all  indeed  that  is 
required  is,  to  plant  the  seeds  at  a  little  distance  from  each 
other,  Avhen  each  seed,  as  I  have  said,  produces  the  first 
year  it  is  put  in  the  ground.     The  separation  of  the  seeds 
from  the  pulp,  is  the  work  of  one  man  only,  by  the  help 
of  a  machine  made  for  the  purpose ;  after  which  the  cot- 
ton has  undergone  all  the  necessary  process,  and  is  put  in 
bales  of  between  three  and  four  hundred  pounds  weight 
each  for    transportation,    Avhich    bales  ought  to  be  well 
moistened  at  the  time  of  stowing  it,  to  prevent  the  cotton 
from  sticking    to  the  canvass.      In  the   year  before  my 
arrival  in  Surinam,  near  three  thousand  bales  of  cotton 
were  exported  from  this  colony  to  Amsterdam  and  Rot- 
terdam   alone,    Avhich    produced    about   forty    thousand 
pounds    sterling.      The    best    estates   make    tM'enty-five 
thousand  pounds  Aveight.     The  average  prices  have  been 
from  eight  pence  to  tAventy-two  pence  per  pound.     The 
raAv  material  is  spun  in  the  West  Indies  by  a  rock  and 
spindle,  and  extremely   fine,  when  by  the  negro  girls  it  is 
knit  into  stockings,  &c.    one  pair  of  Avhich  are  sometimes 
1  sold 


r^ 


// 


/.■m,l,ui.ri,/'/i.r/i,,l  D.,-ri"i^t)i  H  .r.,l,.hn.f,in,.i:>r<ml:r   iViiinii  I'miI ■ 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  223 

sold  for  the  price  of  a  Portuguese  joe,  or  sometimes  for 
two  guineas.  The  Indians  or  natives  of  Guiana  make 
very  good  hammocks  of  cotton,  which  they  barter  with 
the  inhabitants  of  Paramaribo  for  other  commodities. — 
In  the  annexed  plate  J  is  the  twig  itself,  B  the  pod, 
C  the  cotton  ball,  and  D  the  seed,  but  on  a  smaller 
scale  than  nature.  I  should  here  also  describe  the  coffee, 
cacao,  sugar,  and  indigo  plantations,  but  must  reserve 
them  till  another  occasion,  having  made  it  a  rule  to  speak 
of  things  only  as  they  occur,  which  is  more  pleasant  to 
myself,  and  better  adapted  to  diversify  my  narrative. 

Being  now  perfedlly  recovered,  I  resolved  to  join  Colonel 
Fourgeoud  at  the  Wana  Creek,  without  waiting  his  orders, 
and   to  accompany  him  on  his    excursions   through  the 
forest :  in  consequence   of  which,  having  first  cropt  my 
hair,  as  being  more   convenient  in  the  woods,  as  well  as 
more  cleanly,    and  provided  myself  with    the   necessary 
bush-equipage,   such  as  jackets,  trowsers,  &c. ;    1  waited 
on  the  Governor  to  ask  his  commands;  he  entertained  me 
in  a  most   polite  manner,   and  told  me,  that  what  I  was 
now  going  to  suffer  Avould  surpass  what  I   had   already 
undergone.     I  nevertheless   persisted   in    wishing   to   go 
without  waiting  an  order  from  the  chief,  and  accordingly 
applied  to  the  magistrates  for  a  boat,  and  the  necessary 
jnegroes  to  transport  me ;  which  being  promised  for  the 
Bucceeding  day,  I  transferred  the  colours  and  regiment's 
cash,  with  the  command  of  the  remaining  sick  troops,  to 

Lieutenant 


224  NARRi\TIVE    OF    AN 

Lieutenant  Meyer,  the  only  healthy  officer  then  at  Para- 
maribo. 

Indeed  the  colours,  the  cash,  and  the  sick  soldiers  were 
nearly  of  equal  use  in  Surinam,  the  first  never  having 
been  displayed  except  at  our  landing,  the  second  invisible 
to  all  except  to  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  and  the  third  dying 
away  one  after  another. 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  23,5 


CHAP.    X. 

Colonel  Foiirgeoud  inarches  to  the  JFana  Creek — Harasses 
the  Enemy — Account  of  the  Manicole  Tree,  xmth  its  va- 
rious Uses — March  to  the  Mouth  of  Cormoetibo  River — 
So?ne  Rebels  taken — Shockins^  Treatment  of  a  wounded 
captive  Negro. 

N  the  25th  of  October,  being  ready  to  proceed  chap. 
upon  my  second  campaign,  I  repaired  to  the  '^• 
water-side  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening ;  where,  instead 
of  a  tent  boat,  I  found  a  greasy  yawl,  with  a  few  drunken 
Dutch  sailors,  to  row  nic  to  an  estate  in  the  river  Come- 
wina,  whence  they  were  going  to  bring  their  captain 
back  to  Paramaribo,  and  from  which  place  I  might,  if  I 
pleased,  beg  the  rest  of  my  passage  upwards,  or  manage 
for  myself  in  the  best  manner  I  was  able.  I  had  already 
one  foot  in  the  boat,  when,  reflecting  that  I  was  going 
voluntarily  on  a  hazardous  expedition,  witiiout  orders, 
and  only  from  a  desire  to  serve  an  ungratefid  people,  I 
repented,  and  stepped  back  upon  the  shore,  where,  posi- 
tively declaring  I  would  not  move  in  their  defence  till  I 
should  be  decently  transported,  should  the  whole  colony 
be  on  fire,  I  was  seconded  by  all  the  English  and 
Americans  in  the  town,  and  a  general  tumult  took  place. 
Vol.  I.  G  g  The 


226  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

Tlie  Dutch  exclaimed  against  the  expence  of  a  tent-boat 
Avhich  would  cost  them  thirty  shillings,  Avhen  they  could 
have  the  other  for  nothing;  wiiile  the  others  declared 
they  were  a  set  of  mean  and  parsimonious  wretches, 
who  deserved  not  the  smallest  protection  from  Colonel 
Fourgeoud's  troops.  A  mob  collected,  and  a  riot  ensued, 
before  Mr.  Hardegen's  tavern,  at  the  water-side,  while 
hats,  wigs,  bottles,  and  glasses,  fle^v  out  at  his  windows. 
The  magistrates  were  next  sent  for,  but  to  no  purpose : 
and  the  fighting  continued  in  the  street  till  ten  o'clock 
at  night,  when  I  with  my  friends  fairly  kept  the  field, 
having  knocked  down  several  sailors,  planters,  Jews,  and 
overseers,  and  lost  one  of  my  pistols,  which  I  threw  after 
the  rabble  in  a  passion  ;  nor  would  it  have  ended  here, 
had  not  my  friend  Mr.  Kennedy,  who  was  member  of  the 
Court  of  Policy,  and  two  or  three  more  gentlemen  whom 
he  brought  with  him,  found  means  to  appease  the  dis- 
putants, by  declaring  I  had  been  very  ill  treated,  and  should 
have  a  proper  boat  the  next  day. 

Having  now  slept  and  refreshed  myself  a  few  hours,  I 
was  waited  on  by  four  American  captains,  viz.  Captain 
Timmons  of  the  Harmony,  Captain  Lewis  of  the  Peggy, 
Captain  Bogard  of  the  Olive  Branch,  and  Captain  Minet 
of  the  America,  who  insisted  on  my  refusing  any  vessel 
whatever  from  the  colony  this  time,  and  offering  to  send 
me  up  in  one  of  their  own  boats,  manned  by  their  own 
sailors  only,  to  which  each  would  equally  contribute.     I 

can 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  227 

can  aver,  that  notwithstanding  the  threatening  rupture   C  h  a  v. 
between  Great  Britain  and  her  Colonies,  which  seemed  ^  _^' 
then  upon  the  eve  of  breaking  out  into  open  violence, 
nothing   could   surpass  the  warm  and  cordial  friendship 
which  these  gentlemen  possessed,  not  only  for  me,  but 
for  every  individual  that  bore  a  British  name,    or  had 
any  connexion  with    that    island ;   professing,    that  they 
still   retained    the    greatest   regard    for    every    thing   in 
Britain,  but  its  administration.     I  accepted  of  their  very 
polite  proposal ;    after    which,    having    received  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Kennedy,  to  be  delivered  to  one  of  the  miUtia 
captains,  a  Mr.  N.  Reeder,  in  the  river  Comewina,  with 
orders  to  send  me  farther  up  in  a  proper  tent-boat ;  and 
having  arranged  matters  in  such  a  manner  at  home,  that 
jieither  Colonel   Fourgeoud  nor  the  cock-roaches  could 
injure  me,  I  shook  hands  with  my  IMulatto,  and  at  six 
in  the  evening  repaired   once    more   to   the  water-side, 
escorted  by  my  English    and  American  friends,    where, 
having  drank  a  bowl  of  punch,    we  separated.      I  then 
departed  for  my  station,  they  having  hoisted  the  colours 
on  board  all  their  vessels  in  the  road,  and   at  the  boat's 
going   off  saluted   me   with    three   cheers,    to  my  great 
satisfaction,  and  the  mortification  of  the  gaping  multitude 
by  which  we  were  suri'ounded.     AVe  soon  rowed  beyond 
tlie  view  of  Paramaribo. 

Being  arrived  at  the  fortress  of  New  Amsterdam,  we 
were  obliged  to  stop  for  the  return  of  the  tide,  to  row  up 

G  g  2  the 


228  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

the  river  Comewina.  In  this  interval,  I  was  genteelly 
entertained  with  a  supper  by  the  Society  officers  quar- 
tered there  ;  but  at  twelve  o'clock  we  got  aboard,  and 
having  rowed  all  night,  I  breakfasted  with  Captain 
Macneyl,  who  was  one  of  General  Spork's  captains  in 
1751  ;  after  Avhich  we  once  more  set  out,  and  arrived  at 
the  plantation  Charlottenburgh,  where  I  delivered  Mr. 
Kennedy's  letter  to  Mr.  Rceder,  who  promised  next 
morning  to  assist  me.  So  much  incensed  Avas  I  at  the 
usage  I  had  met  with  at  Paramaribo,  and  so  well  pleased 
with  the  English  sailors,  that  I  ordered  the  tars  a  dinner 
of  twelve  roasted  ducks,  and  gave  them  thirty-six  bottles 
of  claret,  being  my  whole  stock,  besides  a  guinea.  With 
the  ebb  tide  they  took  their  leave,  and  rowed  down  to 
their  vessels,  as  well  pleased,  and  as  drunk  as  wine  or 
strong  spirits  could  make  them. 

I  now  pursued  my  voyage  upwards  as  far  as  the  estate 
Mondesir  ;  afterwards,  having  viewed  the  ruins  of  the  three 
estates,  Zuzingheyd,  Peru,  and  L'Esperance,  which  had 
been  burnt  when  I  commanded  at  Devil's  Harwar,  I 
arrived  at  Lepair.  Here  one  of  the  overseers  gave  me 
an  account  of  his  miraculous  escape  from  the  rebels, 
which  I  shall  relate  in  his  own  Avords.  —  "  The  rebels, 
Sir,"  said  he,  "  had  already  surrounded  the  dwelling- 
house  in  which  I  Avas,  before  I  knew  of  their  being  in 
the  plantation,  and  Avere  employed  in  setting  fire  to  the 
four  corners  of  it,  so  that  to  run  out  of  doors  was  rushing 

on 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM.  i229 

on  certain  death.  In  this  dilemma  I  fled  to  the  garret, 
v'here  I  laid  myself  flat  upon  one  of  the  beams,  in  hopes 
of  their  dispersing  soon,  and  that  I  might  effect  my 
escape  before  the  building  should  be  burnt  down  ;  but  in 
this  I  Avas  disappointed,  as  they  still  remained  ;  and  at 
the  same  time  the  flames  encreased  so  fast,  that  the  heat 
became  insupportable  in  the  place  where  I  was,  and  I 
had  no  other  alternative  left,  than  to  be  burnt  to  ilcath, 
or  to  leap  from  a  high  garret  window  into  the  midst 
of  my  exasperated  enemies.  This  last  measure,  how- 
ever, I  resolved  upon,  and  had  not  only  the  good  fortune 
to  light  unhurt  upon  my  feet,  but  to  escape  without  a 
wound,  from  among  so  many  men  armed  with  sabres  and 
bill-hooks.  I  flew  to  the  river-side,  into  which  I  plunged 
headlong;  however,  not  being  able  to  swim,  I  immediately 
sunk  to  the  bottom ;  but  (said  he)  I  still  kept  my  full 
presence  of  mind,  and  while  they  concluded  me  to  be 
drowned,  found  means,  by  the  help  of  the  moco-moco  and 
mangi'ove  roots,  to  bring  myself  not  only  under  cover  of 
the  impending  verdure,  but  just  so  far  above  water  with 
my  lips  as  to  continue  in  a  state  of  respiration  till  all  was 
over.  Having  killed  every  other  person,  the  rebels 
departed,  and  I  was  taken  up  l)y  a  boat  from  my  very 
perilous  situation." 

On  the  30th  I  arrived  at  Devil's  Harwar,  and  the  fuc- 
ceeding  day  rowed  up  the  Cormoetibo  Creek;  where, 
having  tied  the  boat  to  a  tree  which  overspread  it  with 

thick 


!30  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

thick  branches,  we  quietly  lay  dowa  to  sleep  during  the 
night;  myself  and  Quaco  in  the  boat  upon  the  benches, 
and  the  negroes  under  the  seats,  except  those  whom  I 
ordered  alternately  to  keep  watch,  and  awake  me  if  they 
heard  the  least  rattling  in  the  woods,  forbidding  them  all 
absolutely  to  speak  or  make  any  noise,  lest  the  rebels, 
Avho  were  hovering  on  both  sides  of  the  Creek,  miglit 
hear  and  surprize  us.  As  for  myself,  who  was  the  only 
white  person  amongst  them  all,  I  was  confident  I  should 
not,  in  such  a  case,  escape  their  fury.  After  these  pre- 
cautions, we  ail  lay  down  and  slept  soundly,  from  nine 
o'clock  till  about  three  in  the  morning,  at  which  time 
Quaco  and  myself  were  both  suddenly  thrown  down 
from  our  benches,  by  the  boat  all  at  once  heeling  upon 
one  side,  while  all  the  negroes  leaped  overboard  into 
the  water.  I  instantly  cocked  my  pistol,  and  jumping 
up,  asked  aloud  what  was  the  matter  .'*  positively  deter- 
mined to  defend  myself  to  the  last  extremity,  rather  than 
be  taken  alive  by  so  relentless  an  enemy.  For  the  space  of 
a  few  seconds  I  obtained  no  answer,  when  again  the  boat 
suddenly  rectifying  itself  (by  the  motion  of  which  I  was 
thrown  off  my  feet)  one  of  the  swimming  negroes  called 
out,  "  IMasera,  da  wan  sea-cow  ;"  and  to  my  great  happi- 
ness it  proved  to  be  no  other  than  the  manati,  or  sea-cow, 
which  is  called  in  Cayenne  the  lamentyti.  By  the  account 
of  the  negroes  it  had  slept  under  the  boat,  which,  by  the 
creature's  awaking,  had  been  lifted  up  and  thrown  upon 
1  one 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  23i 

one  side,  and  again  replaced  when  the  manati  made  its  c  h  a  v. 
escape  from  underneath  it.  I  did  not  so  much  as  see  the 
creature,  nor  indeed  hai'dly  had  the  negro,  owing  to 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  Avhich  lasted  some  hours 
after ;  but  during  that  time  we  had  no  farther  inclination 
to  rest.  At  last  tlie  sun's  bright  beams  began  to  dart 
through  the  trees  and  gild  the  foliage  ;  on  which  we 
cast  oflf  from  our  moorings,  and  continued  rowing  up 
Cormoetibo  Creek  (which  was  now  very  narrow)  till  near 
noon,  when  we  discovered  a  smoak,  and  at  last  came  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Wana  Creek,  Avhich  runs  into  the 
!Marawina,  and  Avhich  was  the  place  of  rendezvous,  Avhere 
however  the  troops  were  not  yet  arrived;  and  opposite  to 
which  were  encamped  a  few  of  the  rangers,  to  guard 
the  provisions  that  were  Avaiting  the  arrival  of  Colonel 
Fourgeoud  and  his  party  from  Crawassibo,  and  last  from 
Patamaca.. 

One  of  the  rangers  having  killed  a  tattu  or  armadillo, 
called  in  Surinam  capasce,  I  shall  embrace  this  opportu- 
nity of  describing  it. — ^This  animal  is  with  propriety 
sometimes  stiled  a  hog-in-armour ;  its  head  and  ears 
being  much  like  those  of  a  roasting  pig,  and  its  whole 
body  covered  over  with  hard  shells  like  shields,  sliding  in 
moveable  rings,  like  those  of  the  qiiee-quee  fish  already 
mentioned,  the  one  over  the  other,  except  on  the 
shoulders  and  the  rump,  which  are  covered  something- 
like   turtle,    with    one  solid   mass   of  unmoveable  bone, 

called 


232  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

called  by  some  a  cuirass  and  a  helmet.  Of  this  creature 
there  are  many  species  in  Guiana,  the  largest  being 
from  the  snout  to  the  tip  of  the  tail  above  three 
feet  in  length,  of  a  reddish  colour,  and  marked  all 
over  with  hexangular  figures.  Its  eyes  are  small,  the 
tail  long  and  thick  at  the  root,  and  tapering  gradually 
like  a  carrot  towards  the  point,  and  is  covered  over  like 
the  body  with  moveable  rings.  This  animal  has  four 
short  legs  with  four  toes,  armed  Avith  two  claws  on  the 
fore-feet,  and  five  on  those  behind.  The  armadillo  walks 
generally  during  the  night,  being  seldom  seen  through 
the  day,  and  sleeps  in  burrows  under  grovmd,  Avhicli  it 
makes  with  great  facility,  and  in  which  it  sticks  so  fast 
that  the  strongest  man  cannot  draw  it  out,  though  he 
were  to  pull  its  tail  with  both  hands.  AVhen  attacked 
or  terrified,  it  forms  itself  into  a  round  ball  like  a  hedge- 
hog, making  its  cuirass  and  helmet  meet  together,  in 
Avhicli  are  enclosed  its  head,  feet,  and  whole  body. 
This  creature  feeds  on  roots,  insects,  fruits,  birds,  &c. 
and  when  dressed  appeared  to  me  a  tolerably  good 
dish,  though  in  general  by  Europeans  it  is  accounted 
no  great  delicacy ;  the  Indians  are,  however,  extremely 
fond  of  it. 

I  shall,  in  this  place,  also  take  the  opportunity  of  men- 
tioning the  Guiana  porcupine,  which  is  frequently  called 
here  the  adjora.  This  animal,  which  is  from  its  muzzle 
to  the  root  of  ihe  tail  sometimes  three  feet  in  length,  is 

covered 


ry/i^^f^^^//y/^//<rA//^> ,/-^ll^/iiry  /"/  /O/z/t'/z/aJ^. 


I.r'iulnn  ./•lilli.'/ii-il  IJ,  ,:L-":'iyij;;hy  ./..r,'/ill.-fll..>'.'  I'finl,  (liiir.  I:  ),„;l , 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  233 

covered  with  hard  prickles,  the  feet,  the  face,  and  part  of  chap. 
its  tail  excepted.  These  prickles  are  about  three  inches  ^^^,,_  1^^ 
long,  yellow  at  the  root,  a  dark  chesnut  colour  in  the 
middle,  and  white  at  the  points ;  they  are  extremely 
sharp,  highly  polislied,  and  moveable,  serving  for  the 
creature's  defence,  which,  when  irritated,  it  dresses  in 
array,  and  makes  a  formidable  appearance  before  its  ad- 
versary ;  at  othor  times  these  prickles  lie  flat  on  its  back, 
something  lik'e  the  bristles  of  a  hog.  The  head  of  the 
porcupine  is  of  a  roundish  make,  and  joined  to  the  body 
by  a  remarkably  thick  short  neck;  its  eyes  are  large, 
bright,  and  placed  under  the  ears,  which  are  very  small 
andi  round ;  it  never  bites.  On  each  side  of  its  nose  it  has 
j'jng  whiskers,  very  like  the  otter  or  the  cat ;  its  feet  are 
shaped  much  like  those  of  a  monkey,  Avhich  assist  it  in 
climbing  trees  to  seek  for  its  food,  in  which  its  long  taper- 
ing tail  is  also  very  serviceable,  which,  like  a  fifth  limb,  it 
twists  about  the  branches,  and  which  near  the  extremity, 
is  covered  over  with  hair  like  the  face,  the  under  part  near 
the  tip  only  excepted,  Avhich  is  perfectly  callous  and  black, 
as  are  also  the  inside  of  all  its  feet.  The  hedge-hog  of 
this  country  is,  I  think,  little  difterent  from  that  of  the 
old  continent,  being  about  eight  or  ten  iiKihes  in  length, 
covered  over  with  pale  yellow  prickles,  but  with  hair  on 
the  face  and  under  the  belly,  which  is  rather  softer  and 
longer  than  in  the  hedge-hog  of  Europe.  It  has  dark 
.torown  spots  like  eye-brows  over  its  eyes,  and  no  ears  but 
Vol.  I.  H  h  auditory 


234  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

c  H  A  P.  auditory  holes,  and  five  toes  with  bended  claws  on  each, 
foot;  its  tail  is  very  short,  and  its  defence  consists  in  form- 
ing itself  into  a  round  ball  in  the  manner  of  the  armadillo. 
Its  food  consists  of  fruit,  roots,  vegetables,  insects,  &c,, 
and  its  flesh  is  not  disestecmed  b}'  the  Indians  or  natives 
of  the  country. 

Colonel  Fourgeoud  not  having  yet  arrived,  I  amused 
myself  with  swimming,  and  paddling  up  the  mouth  of  the 
deep  Wana  Creek,  with  a  canoe;  during  \\rhich  time  a 
Mr.  Rulagh,  one  of  our  officers  who  was  with  me,  ob- 
served (in  the  top  of  a  mangrove-tree)  a  battle  between  a 
snake  and  a  frog ;  and  for  an  additional  proof  that  frogs 
are  to  be  found  in  trees,  I  refer  the  reader  to  the  MontJxly 
Review  for  March  1785,  page   199,  where,  in  the  Abbe 
Spallanzani's  Dissertation  upon  Frogs,   the  Tree  Frog  is 
particularly  mentioned.     But  finding  this  animal  amongst 
the  branches  did  not  so  much  excite  my  surprize,  as  the 
contest  between  a  snake  and  a  frog,  which  I  fliall  dis- 
tinctly relate,  and  in  which  the  poor  frog  lost  the  battle. 
Indeed    when    I    first    perceived     him,     his     head    and 
shoulders  were  already  in  the  jaws  of  the  snake,  which 
last   appeared   to  me  about  the  size  of  a  large  kitchen 
poker,   and   had  its  tail   twisted  round  a  tough  limb  of 
the  mangrove ;   while  the  frog,   who  appeared  to  be  the 
size  of  a  man's  fist,  had  laid   hold  of  a  twig  ^vith   the 
claws  of  its   hinder  legs,    as  with  hands.     In   this  posi- 
tion were  they  contending,   the   one  for  life,    the   other 
10  for 


X. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  235 

for  his  dinner,  forming  one  straight  line  between  the  chap. 
two  branches,  and  thus  I  beheld  them  for  some  time, 
apparently  stationary,  and  without  a  struggle.  Still  I  was 
not  without  hope,  that  the  poor  frog  might  extricate 
himself  by  his  exertions ;  but  the  reverse  was  the  case, 
for  the  jaws  of  the  snake  gradually  relaxing,  and  by 
their  elasticity  forming  an  incredible  orifice,  the  body 
and  fore-legs  of  the  frog  by  little  and  little  disappeared, 
till  finally  nothing  more  Mas  seen  than  the  hinder  feet 
and  claws,  which  were  at  last  disengaged  from  the  twig, 
and  the  poor  creature  was  swallowed  whole  by  suction 
down  the  throat  of  his  formidable  adversary,  whence  he 
was  drawn  some  inches  farther  down  the  alimentary 
canal,  and  at  last  stuck,  forming  a  knob  or  knot  at 
least  six  times  as  thick  as  the  snake,  whose  jaws  and 
throat  immediately  contracted  and  re-assumed  their  for- 
mer natural  shape.  The  snake  being  out  of  our  reach, 
we  could  not  kill  him,  as  we  wished  to  do,  to  take  a 
further  examination.  Thus  wo  left  him,  continuijig  in 
the  same  attitude  Avithout  moving,  and  twisted  round  the 
branch. 

On  the  third  of  November,  one  party  of  the  troops 
being  arrived,  and  encamped  on  the  south-west  side  of  the 
Cormoetibo  Creek,  about  one  mile  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Wana  Creek,  I  went  with  a  couple  of  rangers  to  pay 
them  a  visit ;  when  Major  Rughcop,  the  commanding 
officer,  informed  me  that  Colonel  Fourgeoud  had  marched 

H  h  2  last 


236  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

last  from  Patamaca  in  two  columns,  of  which  he  led  the 
one,  while  the  other  was  hourly  expected ;  and  that  the 
rest  of  the  regiment  was  divided  between  the  rivers  Cot- 
tica,  Perica,  and  Comewina,  excepting  those  that  wero 
sick  in  the  hospital  at  Paramaribo.  I  was  now  in  excel- 
lent health  and  good  spirits ;  and  in  the  hopes  of  being- 
reconciled  to  Fourgeoud  by  this  voluntary  proof  of  my 
zeal  for  the  service,  I  retvirned  to  the  rangers'  camp  to 
wait  his  arrival.  I  was  indeed  well  acquainted  Avith  his 
irreconcileable  temper,  and  at  the  same  time  conscious  of 
my  own  wild  and  ungovernable  disposition,  when  I  thought 
myself  ill  treated  ;  but  soon  forgot  trifling  injuries,  and  was 
now  determined,  by  my  active  and  affable  behaviour,  to 
make  him  my  friend  if  possible. 

At  length  the  wished-for  hour  arrived  ;  and  being  ap- 
prised of  Colonel  Fourgeoud's  approach,  I  went  half  a 
mile  from  the  camp  to  meet  him,  acquainting  him  that  I 
was  come  pour  participer  de  la  gloire,  and  to  serve  under 
his  immediate  command,  which  he  having  answered  with 
a  boAv,  I  returned  it,  and  we  marched  together  to  the 
rangers'  camp. 

The  occurrences  in  this  march  were  the  troops  tak- 
ing from  the  enemy  three  villages,  particularly  one 
called  the  Rice  Country,  on  account  of  the  great  quan- 
tity of  rice  wliich  was  found  there,  some  ripe  and  some  in 
full  blossom,  which  we  totally  destroyed,  after  putting  the 
rebels  to  flight.    These  were  comnianded  by  one  Bonny,  a 

relentless 


Cj2v%'-   ')  Av///,) ,'/    A'r//._/('A//^//;'^,  A'/-  r/ /f/.u//lf^i/. 


f.,inl,;,.i;,lli.,lml   ll,,-'':i1l-o:i.ly J  J-'i"-'"  ■  ■'■'  I'.n.l.^  i/iunh   l.irl. 
.2i_ 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  237 

relentless  Mulatto,  who  was  born  in  the  forest,  and  was  c  n  a  f. 
quite  unconnected  with  Baron's  party,  which  had  lately  ^' 
been  driven  from  Boucou.  We  further  learned  that  they 
had  found  seven  human  skulls  stuck  upon  stakes,  under 
which  lay  mouldering  the  bodies  above  ground,  and  part 
of  the  garments,  (as  may  be  seen  in  the  annexed  plate) 
and  which  proved  them  to  be  the  remains  of  the  unfortu- 
nate Lieutenant  Lepper,  with  six  of  his  unhappy  men,  most 
of  whom  being  taken  alive,  had  one  by  one  been  stripped 
naked  by  the  rebel  negroes  at  the  arrival  in  their  village, 
and  (for  the  recreation  of  their  wives  and  children)  by 
Bonny's  orders  flogged  to  death.  This  information  we  got 
from  a  rebel  woman,  who  had  been  made  a  prisoner  by 
Fourgeoud  on  his  march  through  the  above  village  or  rice 
eondre,  and  whom  we  treated  with  every  kindness. 

This  inhuman  conduct  in  Bonny  was  directly  opposite 
to  that  of  Baron,  who,  notwithstanding  all  his  threats 
and  menaces,  it  was  wx:ll  known  had  sent  back  to  Para- 
maribo ditferent  soldiers,  whom  he  might  have  killed. 
He  even  assisted  in  concealing  them  from  his  enraged 
accomplices,  and  furnished  them  with  provisions,  per- 
fectly sensible  that  they  were  not  the  cause  of  the  dis- 
turbance. But  not  a  ranger,  as  I  have  said  before,  that 
had  the  misfortune  to  fall  into  his  hands  could  escape  his 
ungovernable  fury. 

On  further  conversation,  we  found  that  the  whole  part}^ 
being  nearly  starved,  had  conjimctly  called  out  for  bread, 

as 


S38  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

as  it  was  knoAvn  that  there  was  plenty  in  the  boxes,  but 
that  it  had  been  kept  back  three  days,  and  rice  served  out 
in  its  stead.  'J'o  suppress  this  kind  of  mutiny,  the  officers 
had  rushed  in  amongst  the  men  with  cocked  pistols  and 
drawn  swords,  and  indiscriminately  laying  hold  of  the 
first  in  their  way,  had  unluckily  seized  a  poor  man  named 
Skmidt,  whom,  notwithstanding  all  the  others  averred  to 
be  innocent,  they  had,  for  an  example  to  the  rest,  basto- 
naded  between  two  corporals,  till  the  blood  gushed  out 
of  his  mouth  like  a  fountain  ; — and  thus  ended  the  revolt. 
One  of  the  conductors,  named  Mongol,  disdaining  at  all 
to  serve  under  Colonel  Fourgeoud's  command,  had  left 
him  without  asking  his  consent,  after  which  he  forsook  the 
service  entirely.  These  were  the  particulars  of  the  march 
in  both  columns,  from  Crawassibo  in  Comewina  to  the 
"VVana  Creek, 

Whilst  I  was  now  about  noon  resting  in  my  hammock 
very  contentedly,  I  was  accosted  by  my  friend  Lieutenant 
Campbell,  who  acquainted  me,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  that 
the  evening  before  Colonel  Fourgeoud  had  given  to  the 
officei"s  of  the  Surinam  Society,  not  only  of  that  brave 
and  gallant  corps  the  Scots  brigade  in  the  Dutch  service, 
but  of  the  British  in  general,  the  most  unmerited  cha- 
racter that  could  be  invented.  I  immediately  started  up; 
and  having  got  Campbell's  information  confirmed,  Avent 
to  Fourgeoud,  and  asked  him  in  public  the  cause  of  this 
unmanly    slander.      He   replied   with   a  stare,    that   his 

observations 


X. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  239 

observations  only  regarded  my  petticoat-trovvsers,  which  I  chap. 
wore  fo]-  coohiess  and  conveniency,  as  many  British  sea- 
men do,  and  which  he  had  never  seen  on  the  mountains 
of  Switzerland.  But  as  to  the  rest  of  what  was  said  re- 
specting us,  he  laid  it  totally  to  the  charge  of  Mr.  Stocbnan, 
captain  of  the  Cottica  militia,  who  Avas  absent.  Thus  I 
could  only  answer  by  denouncing,  in  the  severest  terms, 
vengeance  upon  this  assassin  of  our  reputation  ;  and  after 
promising  to  transform  my  short  trowsers  into  long  ones, 
w^e  coolly  separated. 

An  hour  however  after  this,  I  received  a  sudden  order 
to  cross  the  Cormoetibo  River,  and  be  henceforth  under 
the  command  of  Major  Rughcop,  who  was  with  his  party 
or  column  at  this  time  encamped  on  the  south-side  at  the 
mouth  of  Wana  Creek.  "  Force  is  indeed  the  ruling  prin- 
"  ciple  in  military  afiairs,"  says  a  certain  author;  and,  upon 
the  whole,  could  the  ingenious  advice  given  to  a  commander 
in  chief,  as  published  in  a  late  pamphlet,  have  been  read 
by  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  I  must  have  imagined  he  had 
studied  it,  sentence  after  sentence,  since  nothing  could 
better  correspond  with  his  general  character. 

Being  arrived  in  Major  Rughcop's  camp,  and  having 
got  a  couple  of  negroes  to  serve  me,  the  next  measure 
was  to  build  a  hut,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  a  shed 
over  my  hammock,  to  keep  me  free  from  the  rain  and 
the  sun ;  which  was  done  within  the  space  of  one  hour. 
As  these  huts  are  of  very  material  and  of  general  use  in 

tropical 


240  NARRATIVE  OF  AN 

tropical  marches  and  campaigns,  Avhere  no  tents  can  be, 
pitched,  and  where  (as  I  have  seen  so  many  thousands  of 
these  temporary  erections)  I  will  describe  the  manner  in 
which  they  are  constructed,    being  not  only  extremely 
curious,  but  very  useful  on  different  occasions — curious, 
because  neither  hammers  nor  nails,  nor  indeed  any  kind 
of  carpenter's  tools  are  required  ;    a  strong  cutlass  or  bill- 
hook being  all  that  is  wanted, — and  useful,  as  they  are 
instantly  raised,  and  form  not  only  lasting,  but  the  most 
delightful  and  convenient  habitations,  with  even  two  stories, 
one  above  the  other,    if  required. — For  these   erections 
not  more  than  two  articles    are    wanting  ;    the  first  the 
n)anicole,  by  the  French  called  latanie,  and  here  parasalla, 
or  the  pine-tree ;  and  the  second  the  nebees,  called  by  the 
French  Imnnes,  by  the  Spaniards  bejucos,  and  in  Surinam 
iay-taij. 

The  manicole-tree,  which  is  of  the  palm-tree  species, 
is  mostly  found  in  marshy  places,  and  is  always  a  proof 
of  a  rich  and  luxurious  soil.  It  is  about  the  thickness  of 
a  man's  thigh,  very  straight,  and  grows  to  the  height  of 
from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  from  the  ground  :  the  trunk, 
which  is  jointed  at  the  distance  of  two  or  three  feet,  is 
of  a  light-brown  colour,  hard  externally  for  the  thickness 
of  half  an  inch,  but  pithy,  like  the  English  elder,  and 
good  for  nothing  within,  except  near  the  top,  where  the 
wood  becomes  green,  and  incloses  a  delicious  kind  of 
white  fruit,  called  cabbage,  and  which,  being  peculiar  to 

all 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  2H 

all   the  palm-trees,    I   fliall   on  another   occasion  amply 
describe.     On  the  top  of  all  this  the  nianicole-trce  spreads 
in  beautiful  oreen  bouo'hs,  uith  leaves  hansins;  straioht 
downwards    like    silk    ribbons,    which    form    a    kind   of 
umbrella.     The  manner  of  usins;  it  for  buildinG:  huts  or 
cottages,    is  by  cutting  the  trunk  in  pieces  of  as  many 
feet  long  as  you  w  ish  to  have  the    partition    high  ;    for 
instance,  seven  feet,  which  pieces  are  next  split  into  small 
boards,    the  breadth  of  a  man's  hand,    and  divested  of 
their  pith}'  substance,  and  then  they  are  fit  for  immediate 
use.     Having  cut  and  prepared  as  many  of  these  laths  as 
you  may  want  to  surround  the  dwelling,  nothing  remains 
but  to  lash  them  in  a  perpendicular  position  and  close  to 
each  other  to  two  cross  bars  of  the  same  tree  fixed  to 
the  corner  posts,  and  the  whole  is  cut  and  shaped  with 
the  bill-hook  alone,  and  tied  together  by  the  nebees  or 
tay-tay,  which  I  think  have  derived  their  name  from  our 
verb    to  ■  tie,    since   the   English    had    possession    of    the 
colony.     The  nebees  are  a  kind   of  ligneous   ropes  of  all 
sizes,  both  as  to  length  and  thickness,   that  grow   in  the 
woods,  and  climb  up  along  the   trees  in  all  directions  ; 
they  are    so    plentiful    and  wonderfully  dispersed,    that, 
like  the  ligneous  cordage  of  the  mangrove,  they  make  the 
forest  appear  like  a  large  fleet  at  anchor,  killing  many 
of  the  trees  by  mere  compression,  and  entwining  them- 
selves with  each  other  to  the  thickness  of  a  ship's  cable, 
without   any   kind   of  foliage,  which   gives  them  some- 
VoL.  I.  I  i  times 


242  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

tiiues  a  wonderful  appearance,  particularly  when  ascend- 
ing lofty  trunks  in  a  spiral  manner  to  the  top,  from 
which  they  next  hang  down  to  the  earth,  take  root,  and 
re-ascend.  Sometimes  the  thin  nebees  are  so  closely  in- 
terwoven, that  they  have  the  appea?ance  of  fishing  nets, 
and  game  cannot  get  through  them.  These  nebees  are 
exceedingly  tough,  and  may  be  used  for  mooring  large 
vessels  to  the  shore.  Having  only  to  add,  that  some  of 
the  species  are  poisonous,  especially  those  that  are  flat, 
grooved,  or  angular,  I  shall  proceed  to  the  roofing  of  the 
cottage. 

This  is  done  by  the  green  boughs  or  branches  of  the 
same  manicole-tree  that  made  the  walls,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner :  each  bough,  Avhich  I  can  compare  to 
nothing  so  well  as  to  the  shape  of  a  feather,  and  which  is 
as  large  as  a  man,  must  be  split  from  the  top  to  the 
bottom  in  two  equal  parts,  as  you  would  split  a  pen, 
when  a  number  of  these  half  boughs  are  tied  together 
by  their  own  verdure,  and  form  a  bunch  ;  you  next  take 
these  bunches,  and  tie  them  with  nebees  one  above  an- 
other upon  the  roof  of  your  cottage,  as  thick  as  you 
please,  and  in  such  a  manner  that  the  verdure,  which 
looks  like  the  mane  of  a  horse,  hangs  downwards.  This 
covering,  which  at  first  is  green,  but  soon  takes  the 
colour  of  the  English  reed-thatching,  is  very  beautiful, 
lasting  and  close,  and  finidies  your  house,  as  I  have  said, 
without  the  help  of  a  hammer  or  nails ;  the  doors 
10  and 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  243 

and  M'indows,  tables,  seats,  &c.  are  niade  in  the  same 
manner,  so  are  the  inclosures  for  gardens,  or  other  places 
for  keeping  cattle  ;  and  by  this  conveniency  it  is  that  the 
rebel  negroes  never  want  good  houses,  which,  if  burnt 
to  ashes  one  day,  are  again  perfectly  rebuilt  the  next, 
though  they  never  rebuild  them  exactly  in  the  places 
where  they  have  once  been  discovered  by  Europeans.  The 
Indians,  instead  of  the  manicoles,  generally  cover  their 
wigwams  with  las  or  with  trooly,  of  which  I  shall  speak 
on  another  occasion.  I  ought  not  to  forget,  that  the 
seeds  of  these  trees  are  contained  in  a  spatha,  near  the 
top,  of  thirty  or  forty  knotty  fibres,  forming  a  species  of 
broom,  for  which  they  are  used  throughout  the  colony ; 
thus,  while  the  manicole  supplies  the  materials  for  a 
house,  it  affords  also  the  means  of  keeping  it  clean. 
This  tree  produces  also  the  cabbage,  which,  as  I  have 
said,  is  found  in  all  the  other  palm-trees,  &c.  The  hut 
that  I  now  lay  under  was  not  built  in  the  convenient  man- 
ner above  described  ;  it  was  not  requisite,  for  the  short 
time  we  generally  continued  in  one  place :  my  habitation 
consisted  only  of  a  roof  or  cover  without  any  walls.  The 
manner  of  erecting  these  little  sheds,  which  every  private 
soldier  builds  for  himself,  is  simply  by  planting  four  forked 
poles  in  the  ground,  at  such  a  distance  that  a  hammock 
can  conveniently  hang  between  them ;  next,  to  rest  two 
short  poles,  strong  enough  to  support  the  weight  of  the 
body  in  the  above  forks,    the  one  at  the  head  and  the 

1  i  2  other 


244  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

other  at  the  feet,  to  which  are  fastened  the  clews  of  the 
hammock.  On  the  other  extremities  of  these  are  laid  two 
long  sticks,  and  on  them  again  two  short  ones,  and  thus 
alternately  two  long  and  two  short,  all  which  diminish  by 
degrees.  When  the  whole  is  finished,  the  top  must  be 
covered  with  branches  from  the  manicole,  exactly  as  they 
grow,  without  either  splitting  or  tying  them,  and  as  thick 
as  the  season  may  require. 

When  this  temporary  fabric  is  completely  finished,  it 
will  not  only  keep  dry  both  the  inhabitants  and  their 
boxes,  but  (by  the  help  of  the  nebecs)  fuzees,  swords, 
pistols,  &c.  may  be  suspended  from  the  rafters.  As  I 
have  been  describing  the  manicole,  I  am  induced  also  to 
mention  the  cocoa-nut  tree,  as  I  think  it  resembles  that 
more  than  any  of  the  palm  species.  This  tree,  which  is 
so  much  celebrated,  as  afibrding  to  man  food,  clothing, 
shelter,  &c.  possesses  not,  in  my  opinion,  all  those  qualities, 
but  still  is  well  worthy  of  notice.  It  grows  like  the  for- 
mer, in  a  tall  jointed  trunk,  sometimes  from  sixty  to  above 
eighty  feet  high,  and  is  thick  in  proportion,  but  seldom 
perpendicularly  straight :  its  bark  is  of  a  grey  colour ;  the 
wood  is  hard  without,  but  pithy  within,  hke  tlie  elder  in 
Great  Britain  ;  its  branches  are  larger,  and  of  a  deeper 
green,  than  those  of  the  manicole-tree,  but  are  equally 
divided,  with  pinnated  leaves  on  both  sides,  which  in  the 
other  I  compared  to  green  ribbons ;  but  they  neither 
hang  so  straight  downwards,  nor  are  the  branches  regu- 
larly 


^A^y.y7u/'/zih<y^if/i4^y^6fC477Zy  -^.yy///'^  .^^ree/^. 


London, Pub lijhrd  Dr^rL^ij^i.br  J.Johnjon.X' PtilM  tYmn^i  Tanl. 

■  2»" 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  245 

larly  arched,  which  gives  them  the  appearance  of  lai-fre 
feathers,  and  they  spring  up  at  the  top,  in  proportion  as 
they  fade  and  go  off  at  the  bottom  :   tlie  cocoa-tree  also 
produces  a  cabbage  at  its  summit,  but  is  too  vakiable  to 
be  cut  down  for  the  sake  of  a  prize  so  inadequate  to  the 
loss  of  its  other  produce.     It  bears  the  nuts  when  six  or 
eight  years  old,  after  which  period  it  is  never  seen  with- 
out them  ;   they  grow  usually  six  or  eight  on  one  stalk, 
which  diverges  from  the  heart  of  the  tree  ;  they  arc  the 
size  of  a  man's  head,  but  more  conical.    The  nut,  it  is  w^ell 
known,  when  divested  of  its  husk,  is  exceedingly  hard,  and 
requires  a  hammer  to  break  it,  or   to  be  sawed  throuo-h 
the  middle  to  procure  the  nourishment  it  affords  ;   when 
young,  this  consists  of  a  white  liquid,  which  I  can  com- 
pare to  nothing  better  than  to  milk  and  water  mixed  with 
sugar,  and  which  is  an  exceedingly  cool  and  agreeable 
beverage ;    but    at   a  riper  period  this  is  formed  into  a 
crisp  kernel,  which  adheres  close  to  the  inside  of  the  shell 
for  about  half  an  inch  thick,  while  it  remains  perfectly 
hollow  within.     This  kernel,  which  has  a  fine  flavour,  and 
tastes  hke  the  liquid,  is  good  eating,  as  most  of  my  readers 
have  probabl}^  experienced. 

In  the  plate  annexed,  J,  is  the  manicole-tree ;  B,  the 
trunk  split  into  laths ;  C,  the  nebees  to  tie  them  together ; 
D,  the  leaf  split  from  the  top  downwards ;  and  E,  the 
same  tied  into  bunches ;  F,  is  the  cocoa-nut  tree ;  G,  the 
figure  of  one  of  its  branches ;  //,  the  cocoa-nut  in  the 

green 


£46  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

green  husk ;  and  /,  the  same  divested  of  that  outer  sub- 
stance. 

But  to  proceed  with  my  narrative. — While  Ave  conti- 
nued in  this  station,  one  morning,  being  returned  from  a 
patrole,  with  twenty  marines  and  twenty  rangers,  and 
sitting  round  a  species  of  table  to  take  some  dinner  with 
the  other  officers,  I  was  rudely  insulted  by  a  Captain 
Meyland,  of  the  Society  troops,  who,  as  I  said,  with 
Lieutenant  Fredericy,  had  taken  Boucou,  and  who  was 
Colonel  Fourgeoud's  countryman  and  friend.  The  affront 
consisted  in  INIeyland's  handing  round  to  each  a  drop  of 
claret,  he  having  indeed  but  one  bottle  left,  and,  in  an 
impertinent  manner,  excepting  me  alone,  although  I  held 
the  glass  in  my  hand  to  receive  it.  Justly  suspecting  this 
insult  to  originate  from  my  commander  in  chief,  rather 
than  appear  to  seek  a  quarrel,  I  endeavoured  to  make  an 
apology,  telling  him,  I  had  inadvertently  erred  in  holding- 
out  my  glass,  not  imagining  I  was  to  be  distinguished 
from  the  other  officers ;  assuring  him  it  was  not  for  the 
value  of  his  wine,  which  I  politely  relintjuished  to  my 
next  neighbour ;  but  this  concession  had  no  other  effect 
than  to  increase  the  wrath  of  my  fierce  adversary,  who, 
apparently  mistaking  it  for  pusillanimity,  became  over- 
bearing and  scurrilous,  in  which  he  was  seconded  by  all 
the  other  Swiss  and  Germans  without  exception.  1  said 
no  more,  and  having  tore  away  a  wing  of  a  boiled  bird 
called    powese,   that   stood    before  me   (which   bird   had 

been 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  247 

been  shot  by  one  of  the  rangers)  I  devoured  it  with  little 
ceremoQ}'-,  and  left  the  table,  with  a  determination  to 
support  my  character  or  die.  Thus  resolved,  I  first 
went  to  the  hut  of  a  sick  soldier,  whose  sabre  I  boiTowed 
(m}"^  o^vn  being  broken)  on  pretence  of  going  out  to  cut  a 
few  sticks;  after  this  I  went  in  quest  of  Mr.  Meyland, 
and  found  him  contentedly  smoking  his  pipe  by  the 
water-side,  looking  at  one  of  his  friends  who  was  angling. 
Having  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder,  I  hastily  told  him, 
before  the  other,  that  now  if  he  did  not  fight  me  that 
instant  like  a  gentleman,  I  was  determined  to  take  revenge 
another  way,  with  the  flat  of  my  sabre,  where  he  stood. 
He  at  first  declared  that  he  had  only  meant  a  joke,  and 
seemed  for  peace;  but  perceiving  that  I  persisted,  he  with 
great  sang  froid  knocked  the  tobacco-ashes  from  his 
pipe  against  the  heel  of  his  shoe  ;  then  having  brought 
his  sabre,  we  walked  together  without  seconds  about  half 
a  mile  into  the  wood  :  here  I  stopt  the  captain  short, 
and  drawing  my  weapon,  now  desired  him  to  stand  on 
his  defence ;  this  he  did,  but  at  the  same  time  observed, 
that  as  the  point  of  his  sword  was  broken  off,  Ave  were 
unequally  armed ;  and  so  indeed  we  Mere,  his  being 
still  near  one  foot  lons-er  than  mv  own  ;  therefore  callins 
to  him  that  sabres  were  not  made  to  thrust,  but  to  cut 
with,  I  offered  to  make  an  exchange ;  but  he  refusing, 
I  dropped  mine  on  the  ground,  and  eagerly  with  both 
hands  endeavoured  to  wrest  his  from  him,  till  (as  I  had 

hold 


24S  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

liold  of  it  by  the  blade)  I  saw  the  blood  trickle  down  all 
my  fingers,  and  I  was  obliged  to  let  go.  I  noAv  grasped 
my  own  sabre,  with  which  I  struck  at  him  many  times, 
but  without  the  least  effect,  as  he  parried  every  blow  with 
the  utmost  facility ;  at  last,  with  all  his  force,  he  made 
a  cut  at  my  head,  which,  being  conscious"  I  could  not 
xvard  off  by  my  skill,  1  bowed  under  it,  and  at  the  same 
instant  striking  sideways  for  his  throat,  had  the  good 
fortune  to  make  a  gash  in  the  thick  part  of  his  right  arm 
at  least  six  inches  long,  the  two  lips  of  which  appeared 
through  his  blue  jacket,  and  in  consequence  of  which 
his  right-hand  came  down  dangling  by  his  side.  I  had, 
however,  not  escaped  entirely  unhurt,  for  his  sabre, 
having  passed  through  my  hat  without  touching  my  scull, 
had  glanced  to  my  rig"ht  shoulder,  and  cut  it  about  one 
inch  deep.  At  this  time  I  insisted  on  his  asking  my 
pardon,  or  on  firing  both  our  pistols  left-handed  ;  but  he 
chose  the  first,  which  ended  the  battle.  I  now  reminded 
him  that  such  Swiss  jokes  were  always  too  serious  to 
Englishmen  ;  when  we  shook  hands,  and  I  conducted 
him,  covered  with  blood,  to  the  surgeon  of  his  own 
corps,  who  having  sewed  up  the  wound,  he  went  to 
his  hammock,  and  for  the  space  of  several  weeks  per- 
formed no  duty.  Thus  was  I  reconciled  to  Captain 
Meyland ;  and  what  gave  me  the  greatest  satisfaction,  was 
his  acknowledging  the  affront  was  offered,  as  finding  it 
would  be  agreeable  to  Fourgeoud  to  have  me  mortified  ; 

and 


X. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  249 

and  indeed  ever  after  this  acknowledo;nient  we  lived  in  c  11  a  p. 
the  utmost  intimacy.  Peace,  however,  was  not  yet  de- 
creed to  be  my  lot,  for  that  very  afternoon  I  found  myself 
under  the  necessity  of  challenging  two  other  officers,  mIio 
had  espoused  Meyland's  quarrel  against  me  at  dinner; 
but  in  this  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  establishing  my 
character  without  violence  or  bloodshed,  both  of  the 
gentlemen  acknowledged  their  error;  and  I  became  at 
once  the  favourite  of  the  camp. 

On  the  9th  of  November  both  columns  met,  and  en- 
camped together  on  the  north  side  of  the  Wana  Creek, 
near  its  mouth,  where  it  runs  into  the  Cormoetibo,  placing 
advanced  guards  at  both  creeks,  at  one  mile  distance 
from  it ;  and  this  very  evening  I  took  the  opportunity  of 
acquainting  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  that  I  had  nearly  cut 
off  the  head  of  his  beloved  countryman  in  a  duel  (well 
knowing  he  must  be  informed  of  it  by  others) ;  which 
trespass  he  was  not  only  pleased  graciously  to  pardon,  but 
to  tell  me  with  a  smile  that  I  was  a  brate  garpn,  but  in 
those  smiles  I  put  no  more  trust  than  I  Avould  in  the  tears 
of  a  crocodile. 

My  doubts  of  his  friendship  were  soon  confirmed,  since 
my  only  true  friend,  Campbell,  going  doAvn  sick  to  Devil's 
Harwar,  he  would  not  so  nmch  as  allow  the  boat  or  pon- 
kee  to  wait  till  I  had  finished  a  letter,  directed  to  Joanna, 
for  some  clean  linen  ;  however,  a  ranger  (of  which  corps 
I  by  this  time  was  become  a  remarkable  favourite)  found 

Vol.  I.  K  k  means 


250  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

meaos  to  enable  me  to  overtake  this  poor  young  man  in 
a  corialla  or  small  canoe,  composed  of  one  single  piece  of 
timber;  Avhen,  shaking  hands  with  Campbell,  we  sepa- 
rated with  tears,  and  I  never  saw  him  more,  for  he  died 
in  a  few  days  after.  Colonel  Fourgeoud  now  being  de- 
termined to  scour  the  north  banks  of  the  Cormoetibo,  we 
broke  up  in  two  columns,  viz.  his  own  first,  and  that  of 
Major  Rughcop,  to  which  last  1  still  belonged,  follow- 
ing; we  left  behind  a  strong  guard,  with  the  provisions 
for  the  sick.  Before  we  set  out,  I  shall  specify  the  sub- 
stance of  our  orders  to  be  observed  on  a  march,  as  issued 
since  by  the  chief  on  the  15th  of  August  \774'  at  Cara- 
vassibo,  and  which,  though  nine  months  after  this  date, 
(being  rather  late)  are  so  judicious,  that  they  do  infinite 
honour  to  his  Adjutant  Captain  Van  Giurike,  who  had  the 
principal  share  in  their  composition  :  in 

Article  I.  Quietness  and  sobriety  was  strongly  recom- 
mended. 

Article   II.      On  pain  of  death   none   to  fire  without 
receiving  orders. 

Article  III.     Also  death  to  whoever  quits  or  loses  his 
arms. 

Article  IV.     The  same  punishment  for  those  who  dare 
to  plunder  while  they  are  engaging  the  enemy. 

Article  V.     An  officer  and  serjeant  to  inspect  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  victuals  at  all  times ;  and 

Article 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  251 

Article  VI.  Each  officer  to  be  limited  in  the  number 
of  his  black  attendants. 

The  other  orders  were,  "  That  in  case  om'  marines 
"  marched  in  two  or  three  divisions  or  columns,  they 
"  were  to  mark  the  trees  with  a  sabre  or  bill-hook,  to 
"  give  intelligence  to  each  other  where  they  had  passed, 
"  in  the  manner  noticed  on  Plate  XX.  where  A,  B,  and  C, 
**  denote  the  marks  cut  by  our  first,  second,  and  third 
"  division  or  column,  and  J),  E,  and  F,  the  marks  made 
"  by  the  several  divisions  or  columns  of  the  troops  of  the 
"  Surinam  society ;  which  marks  were  to  be  cut  in  such 
"  trees  only  as  were  on  the  left  side  in  marching.  Also 
"  when  the  troops  marched  over  sandy  desarts,  heaths,  or 
"  savannahs,  they  were  occasionally  to  drop  small  twigs 
"  or  reeds,  tied  together  in  the  form  of  a  cross :  and  in 
"  each  camp,  on  the  troops  leaving  it,  were  to  be  left  a 
"  bottle  and  blank  paper ;  but  if  any  thing  particular 
"  should  happen,  the  same  to  be  specified  thereon.  In 
"  case  of  the  troops  being  attacked  on  a  march,  a  small 
"  entrenchment  was  to  be  formed  of  the  baggage-boxes, 
"  at  the  back  of  which  the  negro  slaves  were  to  lie  flat  on 
"  the  ground ;  and  this  entrenchment  to  be  defended  by 
"  the  rear-guard  only,  while  the  other  troops  had  orders 
"  not  to  linger  on  the  defensive,  but  vigorously,  with 
"  bayonets  fixed,  to  rush  in  upon  the  enemy's  fire ; 
"  nevertheless  humanely  giving  quarter  to  all  such  as 
*'  should  be  taken  alive,  or  suiTcnder  themselves  to  the 

K  k  2  "  troops." 


252  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

"  troops."      These  were  the  stated  rules  of  our  future 
mihtary  conduct ;    but    for    the  present  I  beg  leave  to 
observe,  that  every  thing  was  in  the  most  unaccountable 
hurry  and  confusion.  In  this  way,  however,  we  proceeded, 
keeping  our  course  toward  the  mouth  of  the  Cormoetibo 
Creek,  each  officer  provided  with  a  pocket  compass,  by 
which  we  were  to  steer,  like  sailors,  through  a  dark  wood, 
where  nothing  is  to  be  seen  but  the  heavens,  as  at  sea 
nothing  appears  but  clouds  and  water:  thus  those  who 
were  acquainted  with  navigation  were  the  best  qualified  for 
marching,  and  ran  the  least  hazard  of  losing  themselves  in 
a  black  unbounded  forest.     But  those  wretches  who  most 
deservedly  attracted  my  pity,  Avere  the  miserable  negro 
slaves,  who  were  bending  under  their  loads;  whose  heads, 
on  which  they  carry  all  burthens,  bore  the  bald  marks  of 
their  servitude ; — the}-^  were  driven  forward  like  oxen,  and 
condemned  to  subsist  on  half  allowance,  Avhile  they  per- 
formed double  drudgery.     In  short,  to  increase  our  mis- 
fortune, though  in  the  dry  season,  the  rains  began  to  pour 
down  from  the  heavens  like  a  torrent,  continuing  all  night : 
during   this    deluge    (according   to  Colonel  Fourgeoud's 
order)   we  were  all  ordered  to  encamp  without  huts  or 
other   covering    of    any   kind,    slinging    our   hammocks 
between  two  trees,  under  which,  upon  two  small  forked 
sticks,    were  placed  our  fire-arms,    as  the  only  method 
of  keeping  the  priming-powder  dry  in  the  pan ;    above 
this   piece    of  architecture    did  I  hang,    like  IMahomet 

betwixt 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  253 

betwixt  the  two  loadstones,  Avith  my  sabre  and  pistols  in    chap. 
my  bosom,  and,  in  spite  of  wind  and  weather,  fell  most 
profoundly  asleep. 

On  the  14th,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  was 
awaked  by  the  sound  of  Up  !  up !  up  !  when  the  rain  still 
continuing,  the  half  of  the  officers  and  men  were  sick, 
and  I  rose  from  my  hammock  soaked  as  in  a  wash-tub  ; 
having  secured  the  lock  of  my  firelock,  in  miitation  of  the 
rangers,  with  a  piece  of  the  bark  of  a  palm-tree,  and 
swallowing  a  dram,  with  a  piece  of  dry  rusk  biscuit,  for 
my  breakfast,  we  again  marched  on.  But  I  ought  not  to 
forget  mentioning  the  negroes,  who  had  the  whole  night 
slept  in  the  water  on  the  ground,  and  yet  were  in  better 
health  than  any  of  the  Europeans.  Had  we  now  been 
attacked  by  the  enemy,  we  must  inevitably  have  been  all 
cut  to  pieces,  being  disabled  from  resisting  with  our  fire- 
arms, in  which  not  only  the  priming  but  even  many  of 
the  cartridges  were  completely  wet ;  this  might  have 
been  prevented  by  having  cased  and  waxed  down  our 
arms,  as  is  practised  by  the  buccaneers  of  America;  but 
these  were  trifles  not  to  be  thought  of:  one  thing,  how- 
ever, now  happened  which  threatened  to  be  no  trifle,  and 
that  Avas,  that  the  provisions  were  gone,  and  those  we 
expected  to  meet  us  in  the  creek  not  arrived,  having  by 
some  mistake  been  neglected.  By  this  accident  we  were 
now  reduced,  officers  and  men  without  exception,  to 
subsist  on  one  rusk  biscuit  and  water  for  our  allowance  for 

twenty- 


254  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

twenty-four  hours,  to  keep  us  from  starving  * :  while  it 
is  to  be  remarked,  that  Monsieur  Laurant,  our  hero's 
French  valet-de-chambre,  who  had  charge  of  the  provi- 
sion, was  blown  down  to  Baram's  point,  and  another  time 
sunk  with  all  the  provisions  ;  which  produced  the  imper- 
tinent remark  from  some  of  the  soldiers,  that  the  devil 
had  mistaken  him  for  his  master.  In  the  midst  however 
of  this  distress,  we  were  again  presented  by  one  of  the 
rangers  with  a  large  bird,  called  here  boojjy-calcoo,  being  a 
species  of  wild  turkey ;  of  this  fortunate  acquisition  it  was 
resolved  in  the  evening  to  make  broth,  each  throwing  a 
piece  of  his  rusk  biscuit  into  the  kettle,  and  (standing 
round  the  fire)  beginning  to  ladle  away  as  soon  as  the  broth 
began  to  boil,  Avhich  had  another  virtue,  viz.  notwith- 
standing its  being  put  over  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  at 
twelve  o'clock  at  midnight  the  kettle  was  just  as  full  as  the 
first  moment  we  had  begun  supper,  though  the  broth  Avas 
rather  weaker  I  must  acknowledge,  the  heavy  rain  having 
dashed  into  it  without  intermission.  During  this  severe 
storm  we  were  as  destitute  of  huts  as  the  night  before, 
but  I  availed  myself  once  more  of  my  English  petticoat 
trowsers,  which,  loosening  from  my  middle,  1  hung  about 
my  shoulders,  and  continuing  to  turn  round  before  the 
fire  (like  a  fowl  roasting  on  a  string)  I  passed   the  hours 

"*  Tliis  rusk  biscuit  is  made  of  a  it,  though  mouldered,  and  impreg- 

coarse  lye  loaf, out  in  two,  and  baked  nated  with   woiins,  spiders,  gravel, 

as  hard  as  a  stone ;   I  often  broke  it  and  even  broken  bottles. 
«ith  my  fuzee,  and  was  glad  to  eat 

3  with 


X. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  255 

with  rather  more  comfort  than  my  miserable  coughing    chap. 
companions.      All    I    can   say  of  the  bird  above  men- 
tioned   is,   that    I    thought  it    differed    little    from    the 
common  turkeys,   which    here    frequently  weigh  above 
twenty  pounds. 

The  largest  bird  in  Guiana  is  there  called  Uiyew,  and  by 
others  emu.  It  is  a  middle  species  between  the  ostrich  and 
the  cassowary,  as  I  was  told,  for  I  never  saw  one  in  the 
country  :  it  is  said  to  be  about  six  feet  high,  from  the  top 
of  the  head  to  the  ground ;  its  head  is  small,  its  bill  flat, 
the  neck  and  limbs  long,  the  body  round,  without  a  tail, 
and  of  a  whitish  grey  colour ;  its  thighs  are  remarkably 
thick  and  strong,  and  it  has  three  toes  on  each  foot,  while 
the  ostrich  has  but  two.  This  bird,  it  is  said,  cannot  fly 
at  all,  but  runs  very  swiftly  ;  and,  like  the  ostrich,  assists 
its  motion  with  its  wings  :  it  is  mostly  found  near  the  upper 
parts  of  the  rivers  Marawina  and  Seramica.  When  speak- 
ing about  birds,  notwithstanding  few  of  them  sing  here 
with  any  degree  of  melody,  for  which  the  beauty  of  their 
plumage  is  thought  by  some  to  compensate ;  I  was,  during 
this  march,  so  much  charmed  Avith  two  in  particular,  that 
I  was  induced  to  put  their  sweet  notes  to  music.  Those 
of  the  first 

Rather  quick 


The  second  slow 


ffl^ 


^g^teg 


These 


256  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

CHAP.  These  notes  they  sung  so  true,  so  soft,  and  to  such  proper 
time,  that  in  any  other  place  I  should  have  been  inclined 
to  believe  they  were  the  performance  of  a  human  artist 
upon  his  flute.  As  I  never  saw  either  of  those  birds  but 
imperfectly  and  at  a  distance,  I  can  say  nothing  more 
concerning  them,  than  that  they  are  frequently  heard  in 
marshy  situations. 

On  the  succeeding  morning  we  marched  again  through 
very  heavy  rains,  Avhich  by  this  time  had  swelled  the  water 
so  high  in  the  woods  that  it  reached  above  our  knees,  and 
prevented  us  from  crossing  a  small  creek  in  our  way,  with- 
out the  help  of  a  temporary  bridge. 

I  prevailed  therefore  on  the  rangers,  with  the  help  of  a 
few  slaves,  to  erect  one,  which  they  did  in  the  space  of  forty 
minutes,  by  cutting  down  a  straight  tree,  which  fell  directly 
across  the  creek,  to  this  they  also  made  a  kind  of  railing ; 
but  still  with  this  our  commander  Rughcop,  whose  temper 
was  soured  by  misery,  and  whose  constitution  was  already 
broken  by  hardships,  was  not  pleased.  He  paid  the  rangers 
for  their  pains  with  oaths  and  reproaches,  who,  with  a  smile 
of  contempt,  left  him  SAvearing,  and  crossed  the  creek, 
some  by  swimming,  and  others  by  climbing  up  a  tree 
whose  branches  hung  over  it,  from  which  they  dropped 
down  on  the  opposite  shore ;  in  this  I  folloAved  their  ex- 
ample :  and  here  we  stopped  till  the  arrival  of  the  poor 
trembling  and  debilitated  Major  Rughcop,  Avith  two-thirds 
of  his  troops  as  sick  as  himself. 

I  still 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  Zbi 

I  still  continued  in  perfect  health,  but  I  was  much  stung 
by  different  insects,    and  torn  by  a  thousand  thorns  or 
maccaws,  particularly  one  species,  which  are  strong  black 
prickles  of  several  inches  long,   that  break  short  in  the 
wound  ;  they  project  like  the  back  of  a  porcupine,  on  a 
kind  of  low  or  dwarf  palm-tree,  called  the  cocareefo,  whose 
larse  branches  diverge  from  the  earth  like  the  fire  of  a  fdzz 
from  a  bomb.     Another  inconvenience  to  be  met  Avith 
throughout  all  the  low  and  marshy  places  in  the  forest,  is 
a  kind  of  roots  called  matakee,  and  more  vulgarly  trumpets, 
on  account  of  the  form,  resembling  the  windings  of  that 
instrument,   which  rise  above  ground  like  nebees,  three 
or  four  feet  high,  continuing  thus  to  an  almost  endless 
length,    and  so  thick  that,    like   our   brambles,    no  dog 
can  get  through  them ;  over  these  matakees  it  is  extremely 
difficult  to   walk,  as  they  every  moment  catch  hold  of 
the  feet,  and  frequently  trip  up  the  body,  unless  at  every 
footstep  care  is  taken  to  step  clear  over  them,    Avhich  for 
short-limbed  men  is  an  absolute  impossibility.     With  this 
inconvenience  we  were  troubled    throuffhout    the  whole 
march ;    but  we  had  no   opportunity  of  falling  in  with 
any  kind  of  good  roots,  vegetables,    or  fruits  for  food, 
except  a  few  tnaripas,  which  are  a  species  of  nuts  that 
grow  on  a  tall  palm-tree,  and  are  very  much  like  the 
avoira  that  I  have  already  described,  only  larger,  and  less 
of  an  oi-ange  colour,  the  stone  and  kernel  being  exactly 
the  same. 

Vol.  I.  LI  We 


258  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

We  marched  again  with  better  weather,  and  arrived 
before  noon  at  Jerusalem,  near  the  mouth  of  Cormoetibo 
Creek,  where  I  had  formerly  halted  during  my  cruise. 
Here  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  with  his  drooping  soldiers,  was 
arrived  just  before  us ;  and  here  we  made  our  appear- 
ance, in  such  a  shocking  situation  as  will  scarcely  admit 
of  description.  It  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  the  whole 
little  army  was  exhausted  by  famine  and  fatigue,  a  very 
small  number  excepted  ;  while  several,  unable  to  walk  at 
all,  had  been  carried  upon  poles  by  negro  slaves  in  their 
hammocks :  and  during  all  this  time  we  had  discovered 
nothing.  One  thing  is  to  be  considered,  that  while  the 
old  gentleman  himself  went  through  all  the  above-men- 
tioned hardships,  (to  Avhich  he  seemed  as  invulnerable  as 
a  machine  of  iron  or  brass)  Ave  had  the  less  reason  to 
complain  of  bad  usage.  In  short,  having  as  usual  plunged 
in  the  river,  to  wash  off  the  mire  and  blood  occasioned  by 
the  scratches,  and  having  taken  a  refreshing  SAvim,  I 
looked  round  for  my  negroes  to  erect  a  comfortable  hut ; 
but  in  this  I  was  disappointed,  as  they  were  employed  by 
Mr.  Rughcop  to  build  his  kitchen,  although  he  had  as  yet 
nothing  to  dress  in  it.  This  piece  of  unpoliteness  I  for 
once  overlooked ;  and  the  rangers  having  made  me  a 
nice  bed  of  manicole-branches  on  the  ground,  (there 
being  no  trees  in  the  place  to  sling  a  hammock)  and 
having  lighted  a  blazing  fire  by  the  side  of  it,  I  lay  quietly 
down  next  to  them  on  my  green  mattress,  where,  in  a  clear 

moonshine 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  259 

moonshine  night  and  no  rain,  I  fell  sound  asleep.  But 
about  two  hours  before  day-break  I  awaked,  when  the 
fire  was  out,  the  moon  was  down,  and  I  almost  dead  with 
the  cold  dew  and  the  damp  that  exhaled  from  the  earth, 
being  so  stiff  and  benumbed  that  I  had  scarcely  strength 
to  crawl  on  hands  and  feet,  and  awake  one  of  my  sable 
companions ;  he,  however,  having  kindled  a  new  fire. 
I  recruited  so  as  at  six  o'clock  to  be  able  to  rise,  but  with 
such  excruciating  pain  in  one  of  my  sides  that  I  could 
not  avoid  groaning  aloud ;  but  to  prevent  Fourgeoud 
and  the  others  from  hearing,  I  hid  myself  in  the  skirts  of 
the  wood ;  the  pain  however  still  augmenting,  I  soon  was 
prevented  from  breathing  without  the  greatest  difficulty, 
and  at  last  fell  down  behind  the  rotten  trunk  of  an  old 
cabbage-tree.  In  this  situation  I  was  discovered  by  one  of 
the  negro  slaves  who  was  going  to  cut  raftei-s,  and  who, 
supposing  me  dead,  ran  instantly  back,  and  alarmed  the 
whole  camp.  I  was  taken  up  and  carried  in  a  hammock, 
by  the  care  of  a  Captain  Medler,  under  proper  cover,  and 
one  of  the  Society  surgeons  instantly  sent  for  to  attend  me. 
By  this  time  I  was  suiTounded  by  spectators,  and  the  pain 
in  my  side  became  so  acute,  that,  like  one  in  the  hydro- 
phobia, I  tore  my  shirt  with  my  teeth,  and  bit  whatever 
chanced  to  come  near  me ;  till  being  rubbed  by  a  warm 
hand  on  my  side  with  a  kind  of  ointment,  the  complaint 
suddenly  vanished  like  a  dream,  and  I  felt  myself  com- 
pletely recovered. 

To 

L  L  2 


260  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

To  prevent  a  relapse,  however,  the  first  use  that  I  made 
of  my  strength  was  to  cut  a  cudgel,  with  which  I  swore 
to  murder  the  Berbice  ruffian,  Geusary,  who  had  the 
management  of  the  slaves,  if  he  did  not  instantaneously 
employ  them  to  build  for  me  a  comfortable  hut,  let  who 
Avoukl  order  the  contrary,  my  life  being  the  dearest  thing 
I  had  to  regard ;  and  following  him  close  at  his  heels,  with 
my  cudgel  clubbed  upon  my  shoulder,  I  had  the  satis- 
faction to  be  well  housed  in  the  space  of  two  hours.  I 
must  not  omit,  that  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  during  the  crisis 
of  my  illness,  had  made  me  an  offer  of  being  transported 
to  Devil's  Harwar ;  but  this  I  refused. 

On  the  18th  the  news  arrived,  that  poor  Campbell  died 
on  the  preceding  day ;  and  now  Major  Rughcop  him- 
self was  sent  down  extremely  ill,  being  the  eleventh  sick 
officer  during  this  short  campaign.  Being  now  almost 
starving  for  want  of  provisions,  we  were  most  opportunely 
supplied  by  a  quantity  of  fish,  particularly  the  Jackee, 
already  described  as  changing  to  a  frog ;  and  the  warappa, 
which  is  of  the  same  size,  and  equally  good,  both  being 
very  rich  and  fat ;  these  fish  were  so  plentiful  in  the  marshes, 
where  they  were  left  by  the  retreating  waters,  that  our 
negroes  caught  many  with  their  hands,  but  mostly  by 
striking  at  hazard  in  the  mud  with  their  bill-hooks  and 
sabres  ;  after  which,  grasping  with  their  fingers,  they 
brought  up  pieces  and  half  fishes  in  great  abundance. 
Another     fish    they    also    caught    in   the   cieek,    called 

coemma^ 


X. 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  261 

coemma-coemma,  which  is  from  one  to  three  feet  long,  chap. 
exceedinoly  sweet,  but  not  near  so  delicious  as  the  jackee, 
or  warappa,  which  two  last  the  negroes  generally  smoke- 
dry  or  barbacue,  and  which  I  was  glad  to  eat  without 
either  bread  or  salt.  The  barbacuing  consists  in  laying 
the  fish  upon  twigs  of  wood  above  the  fire,  where,  by 
the  smoke,  they  dry  to  a  consistency  that  gives  them 
no  disagreeable  taste,  and  will  preserve  them  for  several 
weeks  together:  thus  prepared,  they  require  no  further 
dressing. 

On  the  20tli  we  detached  a  captain,  Avith  twenty  pri- 
vates and  twenty  rangers,  to  reconnoitre  the  demolished 
village  of  Boucou  :  on  the  folloAving  day  Major  Rughcop 
died  ;  and  now  Colonel  Fourgeoud  resolved  to  march  him- 
self to  Boucou,  leaving  me  the  command  of  four  hun- 
dred men,  white  and  black,  two  hundred  of  whom  were 
sick  in  their  hammocks ;  but  of  that  number  I  transported 
thirty  to  die  at  Devil's  Harwar,  while  I  sent  sixty  rangers 
with  leave  down  to  Paramaribo.  These  latter  went  away 
declaring,  that  Fourgeoud's  operations  were  only  calculated 
to  murder  his  own  troops  instead  of  the  enemy's.  Such  is 
the  nature  of  the  negroes,  that  where  they  know  nothing 
is  likely  to  be  done,  they  will  not  march ;  it  is  indeed  ex- 
tremely diflScult  to  maintain  proper  discipline  among 
them,  and  when  they  expect  to  see  the  enemy,  nothing 
can  possibly  keep  them  back.  It  is  amazing  to  observe, 
with  what  skill  one  negro  discovers  the  haunts  of  another : 

while 


262  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

while  an  European  discerns  not  the  smallest  vestige  of  a 
man's  foot  in  the  forest,  the  roving  eye  of  the  negro-ranger 
catches  the  broken  sprig,  and  faded  leaf  trod  flat,  without 
ever  missing  it ;  but  when  he  finds  the  marks  of  the  enemy 
being  near,  he  can  then  no  longer  be  restrained.  This  un- 
doubtedly is  inconsistent  with  modern  tactics,  but  indi- 
cates that  spirit  of  liberty,  which  in  antient  times  alone 
completed  the  valiant  soldier;  and  such  was  at  this  time 
the  native  and  natural  spirit  of  a  people,  who  had  but 
yesterday  been  slaves. 

On  the  evening  of  the  21st,  I  availed  myself  once  more 
of  being  commandant,  by  sending  two  barges  for  provi- 
sions, the  one  to  La  Rochelle  and  the  other  to  Devil's 
Harwar,  which  last  brought  back  a  box  with  Boston 
biscuit,  sent  me  from  Paramaribo. 

On  this  day  two  slaves  Avere  put  in  confinement,  accused 
of  having  taken  pork  from  the  magazine ;  and  I  was  ad- 
dressed by  the  troops  to  inflict  an  exemplary  punishment, 
the  common  soldiers  despising  the  negro  slaves,  as  in  their 
imagination  greatly  below  themselves,  and  stupidly  consi- 
dering them  as  the  causes  of  their  distress.  Having  found 
a  large  piece  of  pork  in  their  custody,  yet  having  no 
proof  that  was  sufiicient  to  establish  the  theft,  I  found 
myself  greatly  at  a  loss  to  distribute  justice  with  satis- 
faction to  both  parties ;  the  Europeans  unmercifully  ac- 
cusing, and  the  poor  slaves  vindicating  their  starved 
companions  in  such  a  clamorous  style,  that  the  whole 
3  camp 


EXPEDITION  TO  SURINAM.  263 

camp  M^as  in  an  uproar.  The  firft  persisted  that  the  latter 
had  stalen  it,  and  the  others  that  they  had  saved  it  from 
their  allowance,  to  take  to  their  families.  Affecting, 
therefore,  the  style  of  a  despotic  prince,  I  ordered  first  a 
ring  to  be  formed  of  the  plaintiffs,  and  next  the  prisoners 
to  be  let  within  it,  I  then,  Avith  a  stern  and  loud  voice, 
commanded  a  block  and  a  hatchet  to  be  brought.  It 
was  with  heart-felt  satisfaction  that  I  found  this  solemn 
apparatus,  and  the  apprehension  that  we  might  commit  a 
rash  and  criminal  action,  soon  dispelled  every  feeling  of 
resentment  in  the  soldiers,  and  I  was  implored  by  the  very 
accusers  to  shew  mercy.  Obdurately  stopping  my  ear, 
however,  to  all  intreaty  from  either  side,  I  made  a  strong 
negro  slave  take  up  the  hatchet,  and  instantly  chop  the 
pork  into  three  equal  pieces  ;  when,  giving  one  share  to 
the  prosecutors,  another  to  the  malefactors,  and  the  third 
to  the  executioner  for  having  so  well  done  his  duty,  the 
farce  was  ended  to  general  satisfaction,  and  I  heard  no 
more  of  robberies  or  complaints. 

On  the  24th  in  the  evening,  two  officers  of  the  Surinam 
Society  troops  an'ived  from  Devil's  Harwar,  recovered 
from  their  late  indisposition.  One  of  them,  calling  him- 
self Le  Baron  de  Z — b — h,  and  being  infected  with  the 
esprii  de  corps,  on  his  arrival  seemed  determined  to  espouse 
Captain  Meyland's  cause,  abruptly  alledging,  that  I  had 
disgraced  him  by  epithets  unbecoming  his  dignity.  I  was 
amazed,  and  being  conscious  of  my  innocence,  endeavoured 

to 


f64  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

to  explain  the  matter  in  a  friendly  manner,  in  which  I 
was  seconded  by  a  Mr.  Rulagli,  one  of  my  officers ;  but 
the  German,  instead  of  being  appeased,  grew  more  out- 
rageous, and  plainly  told  me  that  he  insisted  on  satis- 
faction. I  never  had  less  inclination  to  battle  in  all  my 
life,  I  therefore  left  him  without  a  reply,  and  walked 
towards  my  hut  in  the  most  gloomy  mood  imaginable. 
It  was  not  long,  however,  before  I  felt  my  indignation 
suddenly  re-kindle,  when,  ariTied  with  my  sabre  and 
pistols,  I  returned,  fully  determined  to  end  the  quarrel  in 
the  moon-shine.  But  now,  finding  the  Baron  retired  to 
his  hammock,  I  dispatched  Mr.  Rulagh  with  a  summons, 
desiring  he  would  tell  him,  that  if  he  did  not  instantly 
turn  out  to  fight  me,  I  should  come  in,  cut  down  the 
clews  of  his  hammock  with  my  knife,  and  treat  him 
as  I  thought  his  pride  and  insolence  deserved.  Upon 
this  appeared  a  figure  that  will  never  be  effaced  from 
my  memory. 

The  Baron  was  more  than  the  middle  size,  extremely 
thin  and  sallow,  his  meagre  visage  ornamented  with  a 
pair  of  enormous  red  whiskers  under  the  nose,  while  a 
white  quetie  near  three  feet  long  adorned  his  graceful 
back.  He  Avas  in  his  under-waistcoat,  and  walked  on 
stocking  soles,  which  were  black  silk,  darned  with  white 
worsted  ;  these  hanging  down  upon  his  heels,  discovered 
his  miserable  spindle  shanks ;  while  on  his  head  he  wore 
a  striped  worsted  night-cap  of  all  colours,  also  in  many 

holes ; 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  265 

holes ;  and  over  his  breech  his  Aalour  Avas  displayed  by 
his  colours,  which  hung  out,  but  the  hlazon  of  which  I 
must  not  attempt  to  describe.  Such  was  the  figure  that 
now,  with  all  humiliation,  offered  to  give  me  a  buss,  and 
intreated  my  forgiveness,  pretending  not  to  have  under- 
stood me ;  which  last  I  having  granted  with  a  loud  laugh 
and  a  dram  of  brand}^,  he  faced  about,  and  by  the  quick 
step  re-entered  his  den. 

On  the  £26th  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  with  his  party,  re- 
ttirned  from  his  trip  to  Boucou,  having  surrounded  three 
straggling  rebel  negroes  unarmed,  as  they  were  cutting  a 
cabbage-tree  for  their  subsistence.  While  one  of  them, 
called  Passitp,  had  escaped,  another  was  taken  alive,  and 
a  third,  with  his  thigh  shot  to  shivers  b}^  a  slug  cartridge, 
was  first  lashed  hands  and  feet,  and  thus  carried  b}'  two 
negroes  on  a  pole,  in  the  manner  of  a  hog  or  a  beer- 
barrel,  bearing  all  the  weight  of  his  body  upon  his 
shattered  limbs,  which  were  dropping  Avith  blood,  with- 
out a  plafter  or  a  bandage  to  cover  the  wounds,  and  with 
his  head  hanging  downwards  all  the  time ;  in  which  man- 
ner the  imhappy  youth,  for  he  had  not  the  appearance  of 
being  tAventy,  had  been  brought  through  thick  and  thin 
for  above  six  miles  distance  from  the  camp,  Avhile  he 
might  just  as  well  have  been  carried  in  one  of  the  spare 
hammocks  of  the  soldiers.  I  Avas  shocked  and  surprised 
at  this  act  of  barbarity  in  Fourgeoud,  Avhom  I  never  had 
observed  to  be  cruel  in  his  cooler  moments  to  an  indivi- 

VoL.  I.  M  m  dual ; 


266  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

dual ;  indeed  I  must  do  him  the  justice  to  say,  quite  the 
reverse,  unless  he  was  opposed,  as  I  must  own  he  some- 
times was  by  me ;  but  on .  this  occasion  he  was  so  flat- 
tered with  this  trophy  of  victory,  that  every  spark  of 
feeling  and  humanity  was  extinct.  The  body  being  laid 
on  a  table,  I  implored  one  of  the  surgeons,  called  Pino, 
to  dress  his  wounds ;  on  which,  that  he  might  seem  to  do 
something,  he  put  just  as  many  round  patches  as  the 
slugs  had  made  holes,  declaring  he  could  never  recover, 
and  singing  Dragons  pour  hoire  during  the  operation. — 
Poor  negro  !  what  must  have  been  his  feelings  !  The  fever 
increasing,  he  begged  for  some  water,  which  I  gave 
him  myself  clean  out  of  my  hat,  when  he  said,  "  Thank 
ye,  me  Masera,"  sighed,  and,  to  my  inexpressible  satisfac- 
tion, instantly  expired.  His  companion,  called  September^ 
was  more  fortunate,  for  Fourgeoud,  in  hopes  of  making 
some  discoveries,  regaled  and  treated  him  with  more  dis- 
tinction than  he  did  any  of  his  officers  ;  while  September, 
looking  as  wild  as  a  fox  newly  caught,  was  put  in  the 
stocks  during  the  night ;  and  his  companion  was  interred 
by  the  negro  slaves,  with  those  marks  of  commiseration 
which  his  unhappy  fate  demanded  from  every  human 
being.  According  to  their  custom,  they  spread  his  grave 
with  the  green  boughs  of  the  palm-trees,  and  offered  a 
part  of  their  scanty  allowance  by  way  of  libation.  The 
following  day  Mr.  Stoelman,  the  militia  captain,  being 
arrived,   to  stay  one  day  only  in  the  camp,  I  took  the 

opportunity 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  267 

opportunity  to  remind  Colonel  Fourgeoud  of  Avhat  he  had  c  h  a  p. 
told  me  concerning  his  unbecomhig  insinuations,  which  I 
begged  him  now  to  repeat  in  that  gentleman's  hearing,  as 
I  was  determined  to  have  this  matter  cleared  up,  and  to 
obtain  that  satisfaction  to  Avhich  I  thought  myself  entitled. 
But  the  gallant  Colonel  was  not  easily  brought  to  proof. — 
He  now  imputed  all  the  blame  to  Major  Rughcop,  who 
was  dead,  and  requested  of  me  to  say  nothing  more  about 
it.  I  left  him  with  contempt,  and  shook  hands  with  my 
supposed  adversary;  and  then,  to  his  inexpressible  surprise, 
told  him  all  that  had  happened.  The  consequence  was, 
that  in  less  than  two  hours  the  captain  quitted  Fourgeoud 
and  Jerusalem  in  disgust,  and  was  followed  by  the  re- 
maining rangers. 

On  the  29th,  Captain  de  Borgnes  Avas  made  major  in 
Rughcop's  place;  but  no  new  subalterns  were  created, 
Fourgeoud  declarina:  he  had  no  more  materials  to  fabri- 
cate  them  with  :  which  in  part  might  be  true  amongst  the 
Serjeants  ;  but  two  brave  youths,  both  gentlemen's  sons, 
who  had  entered  as  volunteers,  and  gone  through  every 
danger  and  fatigue,  remained  unnoticed  in  the  ranks,  the 
one  named  Sheffer,  the  other  Meyer ; — such  ever  was,  and 
ever  will  be,  too  frequently,  the  consequence  of  wanting 
friends  and  fortune. 

"  Et  genus  et  virtus  nisi  cum  re  vilior  alga  est." 

M  m  2 


268  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 


CHAP.     XL 

The  Troops  march  back  to  the  Wana  Creek — The  Rebels  pass 
near  the  Camp — Pursued  without  Success — Great  Distj-ess 
for   Waiit    of   Water — Mineral  Mountains — The  Troops 
arrive  at  La  Rochelle,  in  Tatamaca. 

N  the  30th  of  November,  1773,  the  whole  of  the 
troops  broke  up  together,  and  leaving  Jerusalem, 
we  once  more  marched  back  to  the  Wana  Creek,  but  did 
not  keep  exactly  the  track  that  had  brought  us  thither : 
Colonel  Fourgeoud,  however,  revoking  his  former  orders, 
now  allowed  his  remaining  party  to  sling  their  hammocks 
under  cover,  of  which  indeed  he,  at  this  crisis,  condescended 
to  set  them  the  example ;  thus  Avere  we  at  least  more 
comfortably  lodged,  but,  I  am  sorry  to  add,  not  more 
comfortably  victualled,  while  the  old  gentleman  himself 
Avanted  for  nothing  that  was  good. 

We  continued  our  march  for  three  days  successively,, 
with  good  weather ;  but  I  Avas  every  night  aAvaked  out  of 
my  sound  sleep  by  a  sentinel,  Avho  was  sent  by  the  colonel's, 
orders  to  disturb  me,  Avith  a  charge  of  having  whistled  or 
spoke. 

On  the  3d  Ave  arrived  once  more  at  the  Wana  Creek.. 
Here,  after  a  fatiguing  march,  I  flattered  myself  Avith  the 

hope 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  2G9 

hope  of  recruiting  my  exhausted  strength  and  spirits  by 
a  quiet  night's  rest ;  but  was  once  more  awoken,   though 
so  sound  Avas  my  sleep,  that  the   sentinel  was  obliged  to 
shake  me  three  or  lour  times  by  the  shoulder.     I  then 
started  up,  denying  the  charge ;  but  Fourgeoud  himself, 
sitting  upright  in  his  hammock,  now  swore,  in  a  tremen- 
dous voice,  that  he  was  determined  to  Jiang  and  quarter 
whoever  should  dare  to  disobey  his  orders,  the  dark  and 
gloomy  woods  resounding  with  his  bellowing  threats.     A 
deadly  silence  succeeded  this  storm  throughout  the  camp, 
till  I  happened  to  break  it,  by  bursting  out  into  an  im- 
moderate fit  of  laughter,  in  which  I  Avas  instantly  accom- 
panied by  so  many  others,   that  he  began  to  roar  like 
thunder,  without  being  able  to  distinguish  one  person's 
voice  from  another.     In  this  music  he  was  seconded  by  a 
large  toad,  called  here  the  pipa,  to  which  monster  he  ac- 
tually gave  shelter  in  his  hut,   and  which  kept  croaking 
every  night,  with  such  a  voice  as  could  only  be  exceeded 
by  Fourgeoud  himself,  or  by  that  of  his  countryman,  a 
Swisserland  bear.     jNIorpheus  I  now  invoked  to  befriend 
me  again,   but  to  no  purpose,  such  was  the  impression 
which  these  several  roarings  had  left  on  my  mind  ; — and 
in  this  gloomy  temper  I  shall  describe  this  hateful  gloomy 
animal,  the  colonel's  dear  companion,  viz.   tlie  pipa,  the 
largest  of  all  the  toads  in  South  America,   if  not  in  the 
world. 

The  pipa  is  an  animal  supposed  by  some  to  partake  of 

botk 


270  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

both  the  nature  of  the  frog  and  the  toad.  It  is  the  most 
hideous  of  all  creatures  upon  earth,  covered  over  with  a 
dark  brown  scrofulous  skin,  very  uneven,  and  marked 
with  irregular  black  spots ;  the  hinder  feet  of  the  creature 
are  webbed,  and  the  toes  longer  than  those  before  :  thus 
it  can  both  swim  and  leap  like  a  frog,  in  which  it  differs 
from  other  toads.  Its  size  is  often  larger  than  a  common 
duck  when  plucked  and  pinioned ;  and  its  croaking, 
which  takes  place  generally  in  the  night,  inconceivably 
loud.  But  what  is  most  remarkable  in  this  monster,  is 
the  manner  of  its  propagation :  the  young  ones  being 
hatched  till  they  become  tadpoles  in  a  kind  of  Avatery 
cells  on  the  back  of  the  mother,  in  which  the  embrio's 
existence  first  commences ;  for  on  the  back  she  is  impreg- 
nated by  the  male,  and  thence  issues  this  most  extraordi- 
nary birth. 

Toads  are  not  venomous,  as  is  generally  imagined,  and 
are  even  tameable  :  as,  for  instance,  ]Mr.  Awcott  fed  one 
for  many  years,  and  Colonel  Fourgeoud  kept  his  as  a 
domestic  favourite  during  the  whole  time  of  our  campaign 
at  Wana  Creek ;  indeed  I  myself  have  since  lodged  a  tame 
frog.  That  the  laft  mentioned  animals  are  eatable  as  far 
as  their  thighs,  I  also  know  by  experience :  but  their  taste 
is  extremely  insipid. 

To  return  at  once  to  my  hammock  and  journal. — ^The 

croaking  of  this  pipa  ;  the  hammering  of  another,  which 

produces  a  loud  and  constant  sound  of  tuck,  tuck,  tuck,  from 

1 1  sun- 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  271 

sun-set  to  sun-rise  ',  the  howling  of  the  baboons  ;  the  hiss- 
ing of  the  snakes,  tigers,  &c. ;  to  which  add  the  growhng 
of  Fourgeoud,  and  sometimes  heavy  rains  into  the  bargain, 
made  the  night  very  uncomfortable  and  gloomy  indeed. 
The  rising  sun,  however,  dispelled  my  resentment ;  and 
having  taken  a  sound  nap  during  the  day,  I  was  as  well 
after  it,  and  as  well  pleased,  as  the  forest  of  Guiana  could 
make  me. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th,  I  discovered  a  couple  of 
fine  powesas  on  the  branches  of  a  high  tree  near  the 
camp,  and  requested  liberty  from  the  chief  to  shoot  one 
of  them,  which  however  was  bluntly  refused  me,  on 
pretence  that  the  enemy  might  hear  tlie  report  of  my 
rnusquet,  though  by  the  way,  if  it  be  not  a  solecism  so 
to  express  myself,  they  knew  better  where  we  were  than 
we  did  ourselves.  A  little  after,  however,  a  large  snake 
appearing  on  the  top  of  another  tree,  it  Avas  ordered  to 
be  shot  immediately,  whether  from  fear  or  antipathy  I 
know  not.  On  the  discharge  of  the  musquet  the  animal 
fell  to  the  ground,  quite  alive,  and  slided  instantly  into  a 
thicket  near  the  magazine.  Upon  this  occasion  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  remarking  the  uncommon  intrepidity  of  a 
soldier,  who,  creeping  in  after  the  reptile,  brought  it  out 
from  among  the  brambles,  superstitiously  pretending  that 
he  was  invulnerable  to  its  bite.  However  this  may  be, 
the  snake,  which  was  above  six  feet  long,  erected  its  head 
and  half  its  body  successively  to  attack  him,  and  he  as 

often 


272  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

often  knocked  it  down  with  his  fist,  and  at  last  with  his 
sabre  severed  it  in  two  pieces,  which  ended  the  battle ;  for 
doing  which  he  Avas  regaled  bj  Fourgcoud  with  a  dram 
of  rum. 

Lest  I  should  be  accused  of  introducing  a  vrord  which 
is  probably  new  and  unintelligible  to  my  readers,  I  will 
beg  leave  to  add,  that  the  powesa,  or  peacock-pheasant  of 
Guiana,  is  a  beautiful  bird  indeed,  about  the  size  of  a 
common  turkey,  to  which  it  bears  a  resemblance  both  in 
appearance  and  taste.  Its  feathers  are  a  shining  black, 
except  on  the  belly  ;  its  legs  are  yellow,  and  also  its  bill, 
except  near  the  point,  where  it  is  blue  and  arclied.  Its 
eyes  are  lively  and  bright,  and  on  its  head  it  is  crested 
with  a  brilliant  plume  of  black  frizzled  feathers,  ^vhich 
give  it  a  noble  appearance.  These  birds  cannot  fly  far; 
and  being  easily  tamed,  may  be  reared  for  domestic  pur- 
poses :  at  Paramaribo  they  are  frequently  sold  for  more 
than  a  guinea  a-piece.  Another  bircT  peculiar  to  Guiana, 
called  by  the  French  the«ga»?c,  and  in  Surinam  camy-cami/, 
I  will  also  take  this  opportunity  to  describe. — It  is,  like  the 
former,  nearly  the  size  of  a  turkey,  but  totally  different 
in  its  formation  and  plumage ;  its  body,  Avhich  has  no 
tail,  being  perfectly  the  shape  of  an  egg  :  it  is  also  black, 
except  on  the  back,  where  it  is  of  a  grey  colour,  and  on 
its  breast,  Avhere  the  feathers  are  blue  and  long,  hanging 
down  like  those  of  the  heron.  The  eyes  are  bright,  the  bill 
is  pointed,  and  of  a  blueish  green,  as  are  also  its  legs. 

The 


^A^y^QA/^////./y,  .yi^v/v;/^  ^v_  /-^///v/,  >v//v/.>^////. 


J.cnili'ii .  I'iihli..l,,il  Jli<-:'-j":'l-lt:^,iyJ..I<'lili.r,'tt   X'.  Jiilih(7mni,y,ml. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  273 

The  vulgar  name  of  this  bird  in  this  country  is  the  cjiap. 
trumpeter,  on  account  of  the  sound  it  frequently  makes, 
which  bears  some  distant  resemblance  to  that  of  a  trum- 
pet, -but  M'hence  that  sound  proceeds  is  not  in  my  power 
to  certify  :  some  suppose  it  is  made  by  the  nose.  Of  all 
the  feathered  creation  this  bird  is  the  most  tameable,  and 
the  greatest  friend  to  man,  whom  it  follows,  caresses,  and 
even  seems  to  protect  Avith  the  attachment  of  a  dog.  I 
have  seen  many  of  them  kept  on  the  estates,  where,  like 
the  powesa,  they  are  reared  for  domestic  uses,  and  feed 
among  the  turkeys  and  other  poultry. 

On  the  6th  I  received  six  gallons  of  rum  from  Para- 
maribo,  four  of  which  I  gave  as  a  present  to  Fourgcoud. 

About  six  in  the  evening  Iavo  of  our  slaves,  Avho  had 
been  out  to  cut  manicoles,  brought  intelligence  that  a 
gang  of  rebels  had  passed  not  above  a  mile  from  the 
camp,  headed  by  a  Captain  Arico,  -with  Avhom  they  had 
spoken  on  the  banks  of  the  Cormoetibo  Creek,  but  coidd 
not  tell  which  way  they  steered  their  course,  so  much 
had  they  been  terrified.  On  this  information  we  received 
orders  to  pursue  them  by  break  of  day;  and  the  next 
morning,  at  five  o'clock,  all  was  ready,  and  we  again 
broke  up,  leaving  a  detachment  with  the  stores,  and  re- 
paired to  the  spot  whence  the  intelligence  procee,ded. 
Here  we  saw  a  large  palm  or  mawrisee  tree*,  floating  in 

*  The  largest  of  all  the  palm  species. 

Vol.  I.  N  n  the 


274  NAllRATIVE   OF   AN 

the  river,  and  moored  to  the  opposite  shore  by  a  nebee, 
which  plainly  indicated  that  Arico,  with  his  men,  had 
crossed  the  creek,  Avhich  they  do  by  riding  astride  on  the 
floating  trunk,  the  one  behind  the  other,  in  which  manner 
they  are  ferried  over,  (sometimes  with  women  and  children) 
by  those  who  are  the  best  swimmers. 

Notwithstanding  this  plain  evidence,  the  faith  of  our 
colonel,  Fourgeoud,  now  began  to  waver,  and  he  averred 
that  it  was  no  more  than  a  stratagem  of  the  rebels,  who, 
he  said,  had  come  from  the  place  to  which  we  supposed 
them  gone,  and  who  had  only  tied  the  tree  across  the  river 
to  deceive  us. 

To  this  opinion  neither  myself  nor  the  other  officers 
could  subscribe  ;  but  no  arguments  would  prevail  Avith 
him,  and  we  marched  directly  from  them,  viz.  east,  in- 
stead of  crossing  and  pursuing  them  west,  as  the  rangers 
would  certainly  have  done  :  thus  we  kept  on  till  it  was 
near  dark,  though  the  bread  was  forgotten,  and  the 
whole  day  not  a  drop  of  water  to  be  obtained,  marching 
through  high  sandy  heaths  or  savannahs.  After  inclining 
a  httle  to  the  right,  we  were  just  upon  the  point  of 
making  a  camp,  when  a  negro  called  out  that  we  were 
come  to  the  Wana  Creek.  This  in  my  ears  was  a  wel- 
come sound  ;  and  giving  him  a  calabash,  and  the  best 
part  of  a  bottle  of  my  rum,  I  desired  him  to  run  to  the 
creek,  and  make  me  some  grog,  and  this  he  did ;  but  the 
poor  fellow,  never  having  made  grog  before,  poured  in  all 

the 


S7j 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM. 

the  spirits  and  but  very  little  water,  doubtless  thinking,    c  ii  a  [' 
that  the  stronger  it  was  the    better;    which  beverao-e  I        ^^" 
swallowed  to  the  bottom,  without  taking  time  to  taste  it, 
and  I  became  instantly  so  much  intoxicated   that  I  could 
hardly  keep  my  feet. 

On  the  9tli  we  found  ourselves  returned  to  our  old  camp, 
from  a  fruitless  cruise,  Avhen  Colonel  Fourseoud  set  the 
captive  negro,  September,  at  liberty,  who  followed  like  a 
shepherd's  dog  attending  a  flock  ;  but  our  commander  in 
chief  Avas  indefatigable,  and  not  only  crossed  and  recon- 
noitred the  west  side  of  the  creek  himself,  but  fillins:  our 
knapsacks,  we  the  next  morning  set  out  in  the  same  track 
we  had  kept  the  eighth,  he  still  persisting  that  he  should 
overtake  the  enemy.  Having  thus  marched  till  towards 
dark,  avc  altered  our  course,  and  passed  the  night  in  an 
old  camp  of  the  rebel  negroes,  having  again  passed  the 
whole  day  without  water. 

The  following  day  we  still  proceeded,  but  neither  ene- 
mies nor  water  were  to  be  found  :  the  men  and  ofhcers 
now  began  to  be  extremely  faint,  and  some  were  already 
carried  in  their  hammocks.  It  was  by  this  time  indeed 
insufferably  hot,,  being  in  the  very  heart  of  the  dry  season. 
In  this  dilemma  we  dug  a  hole  six  feet  deep,  in  the  bottom 
of  which  a  ball  cartridge  being  fired,  a  little  moisture  began 
to  trickle  forth,  but  so  slow  and  so  black,  that  it  proved 
not  to  be  of  the  least  use. 

We  still  marched  on,  and  encamjied   in  an  old  weedy 

N  n  2  field, 


276  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

field,  where  the  rebels  some  time  before  had  cultivated 
plantations.  During  the  night  it  was  truly  affecting  to 
hear  the  poor  soldiers  lament  for  Avant  of  drink,  but  to 
no  purpose  ;  for  in  spite  of  all  this  misery,  Fourgeoud 
still  persisted  in  going  forward  even  the  third  day,  build- 
ing his  hopes  on  meeting  with  some  creek  or  rividet  to 
alleviate  this  general  distress.  In  this  he  was  however 
mistaken;  for  having  again,  on  the  12th,  marched  over 
burning  sands  till  about  noon,  he  dropped  down  himself, 
amongst  a  number  of  others,  a  miserable  spectacle,  for 
want  of  means  to  slake  their  raging  and  intolerable 
thirst.  It  was  happy  that  in  this  situation  Ave  Avere  not 
attacked  by  the  negroes,  as  it  must  have  been  impossible 
to  make  any  resistance,  the  ground  being  strewed  Avith 
distressed  objects  that  appeared  to  be  all  of  them  in  raging 
fevers.  Despair  now  seemed  to  be  impressed  even  upon 
Fourgeoud's  countenance,  as  he  lay  prostrate  on  the  earth, 
Avith  his  lips  and  tongue  parched  black  ;  and  in  this  con- 
dition, though  so  httle  deserving  of  it,  he  again  attracted 
my  pity. 

During  all  this,  some  of  the  soldiers  stilt  devoured  salt 
pork,  Avhile  others  crept  on  all  fours  and  licked  the  scanty 
drops  of  dew  from  the  fallen  leaves  that  lay  scattered  on 
the  ground.  I  now  experienced  the  kindness  of  Avhich  a 
negro  is  capable  when  he  is  Avell  treated  by  his  master, 
being  presented  by  one  attending  me  Avith  a  large  calabash 
of  as  good  Avater  as  ever  I  drank  in  my  life  ;  and  this  he 
1 5  met 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  '^n 

met  with,  after  unspeakable  difficulty,  in  the  leaves  oi^  a    c  ii  a  p. 
few  wild  pine-apple  plants,  from  which  it  was  extracted  in 
the  followino;  manner : 

The  plant  is  held  in  one  hand,  and  a  sabre  in  the 
other,  when  at  one  blow  it  is  severed  from  the  root, 
through  the  thick  under  parts  of  the  leaves.  It  is  llica 
held  over  a  cup  or  calabash,  and  the  water  flows  pure, 
cool,  and  to  the  quantity  sometimes  of  a  quart  from  each 
plant.  This  water  has  been  caught  in  the  time  of  the 
rains  by  the  channelled  leaves  of  the  plant,  and  conveyed 
to  their  proper  reservoir.  Some  other  negroes  found 
means  to  relieve  themselves  by  the  water-mthij,  but  this 
was  not  sufficient  to  assist  the  dying  troops.  The  water- 
withij  is  a  kind  of  very  thick  nebee  of  the  vine  species, 
which  grows  only  in  very  sandy  places,  this  being  slashed 
with  the  sabre  in  long  pieces,  and  suddenly  held  to  the 
mouth,  produces  a  limpid  stream,  and  affords  a  pleasing, 
cool,  and  healthy  beverage,  of  great  service  in  the  parch- 
ing forests  of  Guiana. 

As  Providence  had  graciously  sent  me  this  supph"^,  I 
could  not  for  my  soul  resist  the  impulse  of  sharing  my  re- 
lief Avith  poor  Fourgeovid,  Avhose  age  and  natural  infirmi- 
ties pleaded  greatly  in  his  favovu' ;  and  who,  being  now 
refreshed,  saw  himself  at  last  obliged  to  return,  without  any 
further  hope  of  overtaking  the  enemy.  But  so  exhausted 
w-as  the  party,  that  many  were  carried  on  long  poles  in 
their  hammocks  by  the  slaves. 

As 


278  NARRATIVES    OF    AN 

As  his  last  resource,  our  commander  now  detached  the 
Ijcrbicean  negro,  Gattsarie,  by  himself,  to  try  if  he  could 
bring  him  any  intelligence  while  we  continued  our  retreat. 
As  we  returned  by  our  former  footsteps,  and  of  conse- 
quence approached  the  pit  we  had  dug  yesterday,  I  was 
convinced  that  by  this  time  it  must  contain  clear  water. 
I  therefore  dispatched  my  boy  Quaco  to  the  front,  to  fill 
one  of  my  gallon  bottles  before  it  should  be  changed  to 
a  puddle,  and  this  he  did  ;  but  being  met  on  his  return 
by  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  he  with  the  butt  end  of  his  gun 
relentlessly  knocked  the  bottle  to  pieces,  and  doubling 
his  pace,  placed  two  sentinels  at  the  pit,  with  orders  to 
preserve  the  water  all  for  himself  and  his  favourites. 
But  at  this  moment  subordination  being  extinguished, 
the  two  protectors  were  forced  headlong  into  the  pit,  fol- 
lowed by  several  others,  who  all  fought  to  come  at  the 
water,  which  being  now  changed  to  a  perfect  mire,  Avas 
good  for  nothing.  Having  slung  our  hammocks  in  an 
old  rebel  camp,  a  dram  of  kill-devil  was  distributed  to 
each  without  distinction;  but,  as  I  never  used  this  fluid, 
1  offered  my  share  to  my  faithful  negro  who  had  given  me 
the  water  :  this  being  observed  by  old  Fourgeoud,  he  or- 
dered it  to  be  snatched  out  of  the  poor  man's  hand,  and 
returned  into  the  earthen  jar  ;  telling  me,  "  I  must  either 
"  drink  it  myself,  or  have  none."  I  was  exceedingly  ex- 
asperated at  this  mark  of  ingratitude,  and  finding  means 

to 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  279 

to  procure  that  very  evening  a  whole  bottle,  I  gave  it  to    c  n  a  p. 
the  slave. 

Near  midnight,  accidentally  good  water  was  discovered 
— Good  God  !  what  joyful  news  ! — how  sweet  the  taste  ! 
surpassing  any  wine ;  and  such  as  I  shall  ever  gratefully 
remember! — Now  all  drank  heartily,  and  Fourgeoud 
ordered  a  warm  supper  to  be  boiled  for  himself,  but  not 
so  much  as  a  fire  to  be  lighted  for  any  other  person,  for- 
bidding even  the  cutting  of  a  stick ;  thus  Avere  we  forced 
to  eat  our  salt  beef  and  pork  7'aw.  However,  having  tied 
mv  small  allowance  to  a  string,  I  hung  it  quietly  over  the 
side  of  his  kettle,  to  have  it  dressed  ;  but  his  black  cook 
chancing  to  drop  a  log  of  wood  upon  another  in  his  eager- 
ness to  assist  me,  alarmed  the  hero,  Avhen  I  was  obliged  to 
drop  my  luncheon  into  the  kettle,  and  take  to  my  heels. 

The  old  gentleman  now  insisting  that  some  person  had 
cut  sticks  against  his  orders,  I  quietly  stepped  up  to  his 
hammock  in  the  dark,  to  undeceive  him,  and  softly  as- 
sured him  that  the  whole  camp  was  fast  asleep ;  when  he, 
on  pretence  of  not  knowing  me,  suddenly  gave  a  loud 
roar,  and,  with  both  his  hands,  caught  hold  of  me  by 
the  hair  of  the  head.  I  escaped,  and  got  fairly  under 
cover,  while  he  called,  "  Fire  at  him  !  fire  at  him  !"  to 
the  infinite  amusement  of  the  whole  camp,  who  lay  in 
their  hammocks  convulsed  with  laughter.  Having  found 
out  Quaco,  I  instantly  sent  him  back  to  l)ring  my 
luncheon  ;  and  such  was  his  diligence,  that  he  actually 

brought 


£80  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

CHAP,    brought  me  back  a  piece  of  beef  at  least  ten  times  as 
-\  I . 

large  as  wliat   I  had  left,  with  which  I  had  once  more 

the  satisfaction  to  regale  the  poor  slaves  :  and  thus  ended 

this  horrid  day. 

The  1 3lh  we  once  more  returned  to  the  Wana  Creek, 
fatigued  be3ond  the  power  of  description  Avitli  these 
fruitless  sufierings. 

Here  the  old  gentleman  regaled  his  friends  with  my  rum 
in  my  presence,  and  without  offering  me  a  single  drop. 
Here  also  I  found  a  letter  from  the  island  of  Cej'lon  in 
the  East  Indies,  where  my  friend  and  relation,  ]\Ir. 
Arnoldus  De  Ly,  being  governor  of  Poind-de-Gale  and 
Maturee,  I  was  invited  to  come  and  find  my  fortune  ready 
made,  but  which  for  the  present  my  evil  stars  prevented 
my  accepting,  as  it  would  have  been  dishonourable  to 
leave  the  service  at  this  juncture. 

The  following  day  the  negro  Gausarie  returned  from  his 
expedition,  reporting  that  he  had  discovered  nothing. 

Captain  Fredericy,  who  had  marched  on  the  20th  ult. 
with  forty  men,  Mdiife  and  black,  from  Jerusalem,  not 
having  been  heard  of  since,  it  was  apprehended  he  had 
met  Avith  some  dreadful  accident,  and,  in  consequence, 
on  the  15th,  two  captains,  two  subalterns,  and  fifty 
men,  were  dispatched  to  the  river  Marawina  for  some 
intelligence. 

The  post  at  the  Marawina,  which  is  called  Vredenburgh, 
consists  of  houses  surrounded  with  palisades  in  a  kind  of 

square, 


^-  :*-^-^^                                    -| 

-r^ 

fes. 

^A/^^-^:Z(^!i(g<ry^^^/^r^^-^s^^  f/a^/'tzio't/r/a< 


///'/('  "A ////   /A-/'€eyC::> //^^y/ ///// ///r///^  u/^  ///.^^4Mx///7y'^'/'e<^4:\ 


EXPEDITION    TO   SURINAM.  28i 

square,  which  are  all  built  of  the  manicol':>-tree,  with  which 
the  woods  of  Guiana  so  much  abound.  On  the  outer  side 
are  a  guard  and  four  sentinels,  and  the  fort  itself  is  de- 
fended by  several  cannon.  It  is  situated  in  an  o}>ening, 
on  the  banks  of  the  river,  where  is  placed  a  large  flag,  and 
where  the  garrison  communicates  with  the  French  post  on 
the  opposite  shore,  both  being  situated  at  but  little 
distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  Marawina.  To  give  the 
best  idea  of  this  spot,  I  shall  present  the  reader  with  a 
view  of  it,  as  also  of  our  situation  at  the  Wana  Creek, 
which,  however  beautiful  on  paper,  was  a  dreadful  post 
to  many  unfortunate  sufferers. 

In  the  annexed  Drawing,  three  camps  are  distinctly 
exhibited  ;  those  of  Colonel  Fourgeoud  and  of  the  de- 
ceased Major  Rughcop,  on  both  sides  of  the  Wana  Creek, 
and  that  which  was  lately  the  rangers,  directly  opposite 
to  its  mouth. 

The  barges,  &c.  were  ordered  on  the  same  day  to  brino- 
up  provisions,  and  take  doMn  the  sick ;  but  at  this  very 
time  the  whole  camp  was  attacked  by  that  dreadful  dis- 
temper the  bloody  flux,  which  is  both  infectious  and 
epidemical,  and  daily  carried  numbers  to  their  grave.  An 
emetic,  or  some  other  medicine,  administered  at  random, 
were  the  only  relief  in  our  power,  as  there  was  not  a  pro- 
per surgeon  on  the  spot,  all  of  them  being  engaged  at  the 
hospitals  in  Comewina  and  in  Paramaribo. 

Vol.  I.  O  o  The 


282  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

The  poor  slaves  were  peculiarly  unhapp}^  who,  as  I 
have  stated,  having  but  half  allowance,  lived  for  months 
on  the  produce  of  the  cabbage-tree,  seeds,  roots,  wild 
berries,  &c.  and  to  this  circumstance  may  be  attributed 
the  first  introduction  of  this  dangerous  disease  into  the 
camp.  So  starved  indeed  were  these  wretched  negroes,, 
that  they  tied  ropes  or  nebees  about  their  naked  bodies^ 
which  is  a  practice  of  the  Indians  when  their  abdomens 
are  shrunk  with  hunger,  as  they  find  by  experience,  or  at 
least  fancy,  that  the  pain  occasioned  by  want  of  food  is 
relieved  by  the  compression.  I,  hoM'ever^  with  a  few 
others,  escaped  the  infection,  but  I  Avas  laid  up  with  a 
miserable  bad  cold  and  swelled  foot ;  which  disease  is 
called  the  consaca,  and  is  not  unlike  our  chilblains  in 
Europe,  as  it  occasions  a  very  great  itching,  particularly 
between  the  toes,  whence  issues  a  watery  fluid. 

The  negroes  are  very  subject  to  this  comj^laint,  which 
they  cure  by  applying  the  skin  of  a  lemon  or  lime,  made 
as  hot  as  they  can  bear  it. 

I  have  frequently  had  occasion  to  mention  oor  provi- 
sions, viz.  salt  beef,  pork,  rusk,  biscuit,  and  water,  for  our 
allowance,  which  were  dealt  out  regularly  every  five  or  six 
days;  the  two  former  having  perhaps  made  the  tour  of  the- 
world,  after  leaving  Ireland,  and  were  even  so  green,  so 
slimy,  so  stinking,  and  sometimes  so  full  of  worms,  that 
at  other  times  they  would  not  have  remained  upon  my 

stomach. 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  283 

stomach.  But  I  have  not  described  our  furniture.  This, 
however,  will  not  occupy  much  time,  as  it  consisted  only 
of  a  square  box  or  chest  for  each  officer,  to  carry  his  linen, 
fresh  provisions,  and  spirits,  when  he  had  either.  These 
boxes  served  not  only  as  cupboards,  but  as  chairs  and 
tables  in  the  camp.  On  a  march  they  were  carried  on 
the  head  of  a  negro  :  I  must  observe,  moreover,  that  we 
had  no  lis;ht  after  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  that  of  the 
moon  excepted,  when  all  was  solemn  and  melancholy  be- 
yond description. 

I  had  not  so  much  as  a  trencher,  bason,  spoon,  or 
fork :  for  the  first  and  second  I  made  a  negro's  calabash 
serve  me ;  a  fork  1  Avanted  not,  and  a  spoon  but  seldom  : 
instead  of  that  article,  therefore,  I  used  a  folded  leaf, 
agreeably  to  the  practice  of  the  slaves ;  and  as  for  a  knife, 
each  person  carried  one  in  his  pocket.  I  at  last  contrived 
to  make  a  lamp  by  breaking  a  bottle ;  in  which  having 
melted  some  pork,  it  produced  a  quantity  of  oil,  and  a 
slip  of  m}'  shirt  served  for  a  wick.  Necessity  is  prover- 
bially ingenious,  and  in  such  a  situation  every  nicety  is 
forgotten.  Indeed,  could  I  now  have  had  what  formerly 
I  left  upon  my  plate,  I  should  have  ardently  thanked 
God  for  it. 

When  speaking  of  ingenuity,  I  ought  not  to  forget  a 
number  of  pretty  baskets  which  were  made  by  the  negroes 
in  the  camp,  and  ^vhich,  they  having  taught  me  to  con- 
struct, I  also  made  to  amuse  myself,  and  sent  them  as 

o  o  2  presents 


28i  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

presents  to  several  friends  at  Paramaribo.  These  baskets 
were  composed  of  a  kind  of  strong  ligneous  cord  that  is 
found  in  the  bark  of  the  cabbage-tree,  and,  as  Dr.  Bancroft 
expresses  it,  consists  of  a  web-hke  plexus,  which  is  divided 
cross-wise  in  long,  hard,  polished  threads,  brown  and  as 
tough  as  whalebone.  These  threads  are  drawn  from  it, 
and  the  filaments  or  fibres  are  made  use  of  as  withies  are 
used  in  England.  For  holding  fish  at  ombre  or  quadrille, 
nothing  can  be  better  or  more  beautiful ;  but  those  that 
are  large  for  holding  fruit,  vegetables,  &c.  are  quite 
different,  and  made  of  a  kind  of  bulrush,  called  warimbo, 
which  is  first  split  and  deprived  of  its  pithy  substance  :  the 
thin  nebees  make  also  no  bad  baskets.  The  negroes  here 
besides  made  curious  nets,  and  even  hammocks,  of  the 
silk  grass  plant. 

This  is  a  species  of  wild  aloe  that  grows  in  the  woods : 
the  leaves  are  indented  and  prickly,  and  contain  longi- 
tudinally very  strong  and  small  white  fibres,  wdiich  are 
bruised  and  beaten  to  hemp.  With  this  we  made  ropes 
stronger  than  any  in  Europe.  These  would  answer  per- 
fectly for  the  rigging  of  ships  and  other  purposes,  had  it 
not  been  discovered  that  they  are  sooner  liable  to  rot  in 
the  v/et.  This  kind  of  hemp  is  so  very  much  like  white 
silk,  that  the  importation  is  forbidden  in  many  countries, 
to  prevent  imposition  by  selling  it  for  the  same;  and  the 
fraud  is  more  difficult  to  be  detected  when  it  is  artfully 
mixed  with  silk.  By  the  Indians  this  plant  is  called  curetta, 
11  and 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  285 

and  in  Surinam  vulgarly  Indian  soap,  as  it  contains  a  chap. 
saponaceous,  pulpy  substance,  which  answers  for  washing  ^^* 
as  common  soap,  and  is  emplojxd  for  that  purpose  by  the 
negroes  and  many  others.  Another  plant  much  resembling 
this,  is  by  the  black  people  termed  baboon  knifee,  as  it 
sometimes  cuts  through  the  skin  to  the  very  bone,  of  which 
I  myself  had  some  proofs  in  this  wilderness,  but  without 
any  ill  consequence. 

In  the  manner  I  have  already  related  the  time  M'as  spent 
during  this  period,  in  which  the  whole  camp  was  destitute 
of  stockings,  shoes,  hats,  &c.  Colonel  Fourgeoud  walked  a 
whole  day  barefooted  himself  to  furnish  an  example  of 
patience  and  perseverance,  and  to  keep  the  few  remaining 
troops  from  murmuring.  In  this  respect  I  had  fairly  the 
advantage  of  all  the  compan}^  my  skin  being  (the  swelled 
foot  or  consaca,  and  a  few  scratches  excepted)  perfectly 
whole  from  my  habit  of  walking  thus,  Avhile  not  a  sound 
limb  was  to  be  found  among  the  rest,  whose  legs  in  general 
were  broken  out  in  dreadful  ulcers,  with  a  discharge  of 
pus.  I  have  already  in  part  accounted  for  this  inconve- 
nience, and  shall  still  farther  account  for  it,  by  observing, 
that  while  the  stockings  and  shoes  of  these  unhappy  people 
remained,  they  were  never  otf  the  feet  of  many  wearers, 
who,  after  marching  through  water,  mud,  and  mire,  in 
this  filthy  condition,  rested  during  the  night  in  their 
hammocks,  where,  in  fair  weather,  before  morning  this 
filth  was   dried    upon    their   limbs,    and  in  consequence 

caused 


28G  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

caused  an  itching  and  redness  on  the  skin,  which  bj 
scratching  broke  out  in  many  places  ;  these  wounds  soon 
became  scrofulous,  and  ended  in  open  sores  and  ulcers, 
which,  from  the  want  of  care  and  proper  application,  often 
changed  to  mortification  and  intolerable  swellings,  by 
which  some  lost  their  limbs,  and  others  even  their  lives 
when  they  were  not  saved  by  amputation.  Such  wei'e  the 
causes,  and  such  the  effects  of  the  evils  we  had  to  struggle 
with ;  but  they  were  far  from  the  whole  of  our  wretched- 
ness, and  might  be  called  only  the  precursors  of  what  we 
had  still  to  undergo. 

At  this  time  a  compliment  of  a  fine  ham  and  a  dozen 
of  port  wine  being  sent  me  by  Captain  Van  Coeverden,  I 
gave  all  in  a  present  to  poor  Fourgeoud,  Mho  was  ema- 
ciated with  fatigue,  except  four  bottles  which  I  drank 
with  the  other  ofllicers  ;  and  next  da}^  the  29th,  I  had 
the  honour  to  be  ordered  on  .1  patrol  with  Colonel  des 
Bo7-g7ies,  and  forty  privates,  ojicc  more  to  Uy  if  we  could 
not  take  the  negroes  who  had  crossed  the  creek  three  weeks 
before. 

Having  dropped  down  the  river  Avith  a  barge,  in  which 
we  lay  all  night,  we  landed  the  following  morning,  and 
marched  N.  E. ;  after  which,  being  Avithout  a  compass, 
we  soon  lost  our  way,  and  having  crossed  a  large  sand- 
savanna,  slung  our  hammocks  in  the  skirts  of  a  thick 
and  obscure  wood.  On  the  31st  we  again  set  out  the 
same  course,  in  hopes  of  meeting  with  the  marks  of  some 

former 


XI. 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM.  287 

former  path  cut  upon  the  trees  by  some  of  our  troops  ;    chap. 

but  were  jnistaken,  for  having  got  into  a  marsh,  where  Ave 

waded  till  noon  up  to  our  chins,  at  the  hazard  of  being 

drowned,  we  saw  oursehes  under  tlie  necessity  of  returning 

the  same  way  we  came,   perfectly  soaked  and  in  rags ; 

and  after  a  forced  march  encamped  once  more  on  the 

banks  of  Cormoetibo  Creek,,  in  such  a  heavy  shower  of 

rain   during  the  whole  night  as  I  did  seldom  remember, 

which  caused  so  much  confusion  and  hurry,  each  striving 

to    build   his   shed,    and   get   under  cover    first,    that  I 

got  a  broken  head,  but  persevering  was  one  of  the  first  in 

slinging  my  hammock  ;    above   which    spreading   green 

boughs,  and  under  wliich  having  Hghted  a  comfortable 

fire,    I   fell   most   profoundly   asleep   in    the   middle   of 

the  smoke,  which  saved  me  from  the;  stings  of  the  mus- 

quitoes. 

While  speaking  of  insects,  I  ought  not  to  forget  that 
this  evening  one  of  the  negro  slaves  who  had  been  look- 
ing, for  dry  wood,  presented  me,  to  my  great  surprise,  with 
a  beetle  no  less  than  three  or  four  inches  in  length,  and 
above  two  in.  breadth,  called  in  Surinam  the  t^fimoceros,  on 
account  of  its  proboscis  or  horn,  which  is  hooked,  forked,, 
and  thick  as  a  goose -quill ;  on  tlie  head  it  has  many  hard 
polished  knobs;  the  limbs  are  six;  the  wings  are  u^rge, 
and  the  Avhole  anin:al  is  perfectly  black,  being  the  largest. 
of  all  the  beetle  kind  in  America, 


288  NARRATIVE  OF  AN 

In  Guiana  is  also  another  species  of  these  insects,  called 
the  cerf-volant,  or  flying  hart,  from  its  exuberances  re- 
sembling the  horns  of  a  stag;  both  these  beetles  fly  with 
an  uncommon  buzzing  noise,  and  are  so  strong,  that  but 
very  few  birds  dare  to  attack  them.  One  of  the  greatest 
plagues  however  we  met  with  in  the  forest,  was  a  fly  as 
large  as  a  common  bee,  the  stings  of  which  were  almost 
equally  powerful ;  the  negroes  call  it  the  cow-Jiy ;  this  I 
can  best  I  think  compare  to  w^hat  is  called  the  hippoboscus 
or  liorse-fiy  in  Great  Britain. 

Having  slept  most  soundly  for  six  or  seven  hours,  in  spite 
of  the  rains,  the  smoke,  the  nmsquitoes,  and  my  broken 
head,  I  turned  out  perfectly  refreshed  at  five,  and  at  six 
we  commenced  the  year  1 774,  by  marching  up  along  the 
banks  of  the  Cormoetibo  till  mid-day,  when  we  arrived 
once  more  at  the  grand  encampment  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Wana  Creek,  from,  as  usual,  a  fruitless  cruise. 

On  the  3d,  to  our  joy  returned  also  Captain  Fredericy, 
with  his  party,  bringing  in  a  captive  negro  in  chains, 
called  Cupido ;  and  relating  that  a  poor  soldier  of  the 
Society  troops,  on  receiving  his  pardon,  Avhen  on  his 
knees  to  be  shot,  was  gone  out  of  his  senses. 

Colonel  Fourgeoud  being  finally  determined  to  break  up 
*  this  campaign,  sent  out  a  party  of  sixty  men  to  cruise  on 
-  the  way  to  Patamaca  before  him. 

I  now  washed  my  shirt,  the  last  I  had,  in  the  Wana 
Creek  (but  was  obliged  to  keep  swimming  till  it  was  dried 

by 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  S89 

by  the  sun)  my  letter,  sent  for  linen,  having  never  reached 
Paramaribo,  and  what  I  had  brought  with  me  being  torn 
to  rags. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
all  were  ready  to  decamp.  Thus  having  sent  down  the 
barges  with  the  sick  to  Devil's  Harwar,  we  at  last  crossed 
Cormoetibo  Creek,  and  marched  first  directly  south  for 
Patamaca,  over  steep  mountains  covered  with  stones  and 
impregnated  with  minerals.  This  again  contradicts  Dr. 
Bancroft's  observations,  these  mountains  not  being  above 
twenty  miles  from  the  ocean,  though  he  asserts  that  no 
hill  is  to  be  found  at  near  fifty  miles  from  the  sea.  In  the 
evening  we  encamped  at  the  foot  of  a  high  hill,  where  we 
found  a  small  rivulet  of  good  water,  and  a  number  of 
manicole-trees,  the  two  chief  requisites.  It  is  curious,  and 
indeed  beautiful,  to  behold,  in  the  space  of  an  hour,  a 
green  town  spring  up  as  it  were  from  nothing,  and  a  little 
after  all  the  fires  hghted,  on  which  the  men  are  boiling 
their  hard  fare,  while  others  are  employed  in  drying  their 
cloaths;  though,  as  I  have  stated,  this  last  was  by  no 
means  a  general  rule,  the  greater  mimber  preferring  to  let 
them  rot  on  their  bodies. 

This  night,  however,  the  whole  camp  was  disturbed  by 
a  diarrhoea  complaint,  occasioned  by  drinking  the  water 
we  found  here,  which  indeed  was  very  pure,  but  was  so 
impregnated  with  minerals,  that  it  tasted  almost  like  that 
of  Bath  or  the  German  Spa.      This  is  a  circumstance 

Vol.  I.  p  p  ^vhich 


290  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

which  1  think  mdicates  that  these  mountains  contain 
metals,  if  the  Dutch  would  go  to  the  expence  of  searching 
in  their  bowels. 

On  the  5th  we  marched  the  same  course  again  over 
mountains  and  dales,  some  of  which  were  so  excessively 
steep  that  one  or  two  of  the  slaves,  not  being  able  to  ascend 
them  loaded,  threw  down  their  burdens,  and  deserted,  not 
to  the  enemy,  but  found  their  way  to  their  masters  estates, 
where  they  were  pardoned ;  while  others  tumbled  doA\  n, 
burthen  and  all,  from  top  to  bottom. 

This  evening  we  found  our  quarters  ready-made,  and 
lodged  in  the  a/oaowis  or  huts  that  Mere  left  standing 
when  the  rice  country  was  destroyed,  and  Bonny  with 
His  men  put  to  flight ;  in  that  where  I  lay  I  found  a 
very  curious  piece  of  candle,  which  the  rebels  had  left 
behind,  composed  of  bees-wax  and  the  heart  of  a 
bulrush. 

Bonny 's  own  house,  where.  Fourgeoud  lodged,  was  a 
perfect  curiosity,  having  four  pretty  little  rooms,  and  a 
shed  or  piazza  inclosed  with  neat  manicole  palisades. 

The  whole  corps  appearing  on  the  6  th  excessively  fa- 
tigued, Fourgeoud  ordered  a  general  day  of  rest,  only 
detaching  Captain  Fredericy  with  six  men,  as  he  knew  the 
country  best,  to  reconnoitre  the  banks  of  the  Claas  Creeky 
a  water  that  issued  from  near  this  place  in  the  upper  parts 
of  Rio  Cottica.  They  were  hardly  marched  when  the 
eye  of  our  chief  by  chance  falling  on  me,   he  ordered 

me 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  291 

me  instantly  to  follow  alone,  and  return  with  a  report  of  c  ir  a  p. 
what  I  could  discover  on  the  other  side  the  creek.    I  over-  .    ^^'_ 
took  the  party  soon,  when  after  a  short  march  we  were  in 
Avater  up  to  our  very  arm-pits  ;  Fredericy  now  ordered  a, 
retreat,  but  desiring  him  to  wait  for  me,  I  took  off  all  my 
cloaths,   and    with  only  my  sabre  in  my  teeth,  swam  by 
myself  across  the  Creek,  where  having  ranged  the  opposite 
shore,  and  finding  nothing,  I  again  swam  back,  after  which 
we  all  returned  to  the  camp. 

At  noon,  making  my  report  to  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  he 
was  astonished  indeed  at  this  desperate  action,  which  in 
fact  he  had  not  expected  ;  but  I  was  not  less  amazed  when 
he  took  me  by  the  liand,  entertaining  me  with  a  bottle  of 
wine,  and  ordering  Monsieur  Laurant  to  set  some  bacon- 
ham  before  me,  to  find,  however  incredible  it  may  appear, 
that  the  one  was  actually  sour,  and  the  other  creeping 
with  live  worms;  while  my  own  provisions,  now  his,  which 
were  fresh,  were  withheld  me.  This  meanness  so  much 
exasperated  me,  that,  starting  up,  I  left  Fourgeoud,  his 
valet,  his  wine,  and  his  reptiles,  with  that  contempt  which 
they  deserved,  alleviating  my  hunger  with  a  piece  of  dry 
rusk  biscuit  and  a  barbacued  fish,  called  warappa,  which  I 
got  from  a  negro. 

On  the  7th  of  January  we  marched  again ;  and  this 
day  having  caught  one  of  those  beautiful  large  hiitterjlies 
of  which  I  made  mention  during  my  cruize  in  the  river 
Cottica,  I  will  here  attempt  to  give  a  more  particular 

p  p  2  description 


292  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

description  of  it,  though  I  know  nothing  about  their 
names.  This  fly  measured,  in  the  extension  of  the  wings 
from  tip  to  tip,  about  seven  inches ;  the  colour  of  both 
the  superior  and  inferior  wings  is  of  such  a  vivid  and 
splendid  blue,  as  can  only  be  compared  to  the  azure  sky 
in  a  bright  day,  to  which  not  the  purest  ultramarine  co- 
loured sattin  can  approach :  the  under  side  is  of  a  lovely 
brown  variegated  with  spots.  I  cannot  help  repeating, 
that  its  skimming  and  hovering  with  such  a  magnitude, 
and  such  a  hue,  among  the  different  shades  of  green,  had 
the  most  enchanting  effect.  Of  the  antennae,  head,  thorax, 
and  abdomen,  I  shall  only  say  that  they  were  dark  co- 
loured. This  fly,  if  I  mistake  not,  is,  according  to  the 
division  of  Linnaeus,  of  the  Danai  species.  1  never  saAv 
the  chrysalite  or  aurelia ;  but  the  caterpillar,  which  is  of 
a  yellowish  grey  colour,  is  as  thick  as  a  large  man's  finger, 
and  about  four  inches  long.  The  annexed  drawing  I  have 
improved  from  one  of  Miss  Merian.  Various  and  innu- 
merable indeed  are  the  butterflies  with  which  the  forests 
of  Guiana  abound ;  some  people,  in  fact,  who  make  fly- 
catching  their  business,  get  much  money  by  it ;  and 
having  arranged  them  in  paper-boxes,  with  pins  stuck 
through  them,  send  them  off  to  the  different  cabinets  of 
Europe.  Doctor  Bancroft  mentions,  touching  them  with 
spirits  of  turpentine  as  necessary  to  preserve  them,  but 
fixing  a  piece  of  camphor  in  the  box  with  the  flies  is  quite 
suflicient. 

This 


.**^  -.■<#*<■ 


9i///'r  /'///r  /y?>///f^/y///  (^iJ^^M^^^^n^'T'tr^^z/^ 


/.,ni,l,<i,.rul-IMr,l  />r,-."rr'/;,.;i,/M    .l.r,^liii.',>,i   X' t\u,U  il,i,i;-l,  iani. 


XI. 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  293, 

This  evening  we  encamped  near  the  Patamaca  Creek,  chap. 
where  the  poor  negro  woman  cried  bitterly,  and  scattered 
some  victuals  and  water  at  the  root  of  a  tree  by  way  of 
libation,  as  being  the  spot  where  her  husband  was  interred, 
who  had  been  shot  in  some  former  skirmish  by  the 
Europeans. 

Here  Captain  Fredericy  and  myself,  walking  without 
the  skirts  of  the  camp  in  a  sandy  savannah,  discovered 
the  fresh  footsteps  of  a  large  tiger  Avith  her  young,  at 
which  time  they  are  extremely  ferocious :  we  thought  it 
prudent  therefore  to  make  a  sudden  retreat.  I  measured 
the  diameter  of  the  dam's  claws  printed  in  the  sand, 
which  were  nearly  of  the  dimensions  of  an  ordinary 
pewter-plate. 

Having  marched  a  few  hours  longer  the  succeeding 
morning,  we  at  last  arrived  at  the  Society  post  La  Rochelle 
in  Patamaca:  such  a  display  of  meagre,^  starved,  black, 
burnt,  and  ragged  tatterdemalions,  and  mostly  Avithout 
shoes  or  hats,  as  I  think  were  never  before  beheld  in  any 
country.  They  could  be  compared  to  nothing  but  a  gang 
of  gypsies,  while  their  leader  was  not  unlike  Bampfield 
Moore  Carew,  and  myself  at  best  like  the  forlorn  Crusoe 
in  his  worst  condition,  with  my  only  check  shirt  and  the 
one-half  of  my  trowsers,  the  rest  being  torn  away.  Here 
we  found  a  set  of  poor  wretches  ready  to  enter  the  woods 
which  we  had  just  left,  and  destined  to  undergo  in  the 
same  manner  the  severest  misery  that  ever  was  inflicted 

oa 


294  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

on  sublunary  beings.  I  have  already  mentioned  the  prickly 
heat,  ring-worm,  dry  gripes,  putrid  fevers,  biles,  consaca, 
and  bloody  flux,  to  which  human  nature  is  exposed  in  this 
climate ;  also  the  musquitoes,  Patat  and  Scrapat  lice, 
chigoes,  cock-roaches,  ants,  horse-flies,  wild-bees,  and 
bats,  besides  the  thorns,  briers,  the  alligators,  and  peree 
in  the  rivers;  to  which  if  we  add  the  howling  of  the 
tigers,  the  hissing  of  serpents,  and  the  growling  of  Four- 
geoud,  the  dry  sandy  savannas,  unfordable  marshes, 
burning  hot  days,  cold  and  damp  nights,  heavy  rains, 
and  short  allowance,  the  reader  may  be  astonished  hoAv 
any  pereon  was  able  to  survive  the  trial.  Notwithstanding 
this  black  catalogue,  I  solemnly  declare  I  have  omitted 
many  other  calamities  that  we  suffered,  as  I  wish  to  avoid 
prolixity,  though  perhaps  I  have  been  already  too  often 
guilty  of  it.  I  might  have  mentioned  indeed  lethargies, 
dropsies,  &c.  Sec.  besides  the  many  small  snakes,  lizards, 
scorpions,  locusts,  bush-spiders,  bush-worms,  and  cen- 
tipedes, nay,  even  flying  lice,  with  which  the  traveller  is 
perpetually  tormented,  and  by  which  he  is  constantly  in 
danger  of  being  stung;  but  the  description  of  which  cursed 
company  I  must  defer  to  another  opportunity. 

The  reader  may  form  some  conception  of  the  famished 
state  in  which  we  came  hither,  when  I  infoim  him,  that 
the  moment  of  our  arrival,  observing  a  negro  woman 
sujjping  on  plantain  broth  from  a  calabash,  I  gave  her 
half-a-crown,  and  snatching  the  bason  from  her  hands,  I 

devoured 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  -^95 

devoured  the  contents  with  a  greater  relish  than  I  have  chap. 
ever  tasted  any  dehcacy  before  or  since  during  my  whole  ^^' 
existence.  I  now  observed  to  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  how 
pitiable  it  was,  not  to  regale  his  remaining  soldiers  with 
vegetables  and  fresh  beef  or  mutton,  besides  providing 
them  with  hats,  stockings,  shoes,  &c. ;  but  he  replied, 
that  Hannibal  had  lost  his  army  at  Capua  by  too  much 
indulgence.  In  short,  he  quoted  not  only  Hannibal  but 
Horace  for  his  example,  according  to  the  advice  given  m 
a  certain  pamphlet, 

Ibit  eo  quo  vis  qui  Zonaiii  perdidit ; 

and  appeared  fully  convinced,  that  no  persons  will  be- 
have so  desperately  in  action  as  those  who  are  tired  of 
their  lives. 

On  the  11th,  the  other  party  which  had  left  Wana  the 
day  before  ourselves,  arrived,  having,  according  to  custom, 
neither  taken  nor  seen  any  thing. 

On  the  12th,  one  of  the  rebels  with  his  wife  came  to> 
La  Rochelle,  and  smTcndered  themselves  voluntarily  to  the- 
commander  in  chief.    This  day  Fourgeoud  acquainted  me 
now  himself,   that  I  was   at  liberty  to   go   and   refit  at: 
Paramaribo  when    I    thought    proper.     This    proposal  I 
gladly    accepted,    and   that   moment    prepared   for  my 
departure,    with  some   other  officers,    leaving  behind  us 
himself  and  a  band  of  such,  scare-crows  as  would  have 

disgraced 


296  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

disgraced  the  garden  or  field  of  any  farmer  in  England. 
Among  these  was  a  Society  captain,  named  Larcher,  who 
declared  to  me  he  never  combed,  washed,  shaved,  or 
shifted,  or  even  put  oflf  his  boots,  till  all  was  rotted  from 
his  body.  At  last  arrived  the  happy  hour,  when,  taking 
leave  of  my  tattered  companions,  I  and  five  more,  with 
a  tent-boat  and  six  oars,  rowed  straight  down  for  Para- 
maribo, still  in  good  health  and  in  a  flow  of  spirits,  and  at 
the  very  summit  of  contentment. 

At  Devil's  Harwar  I  met  a  cargo  of  tea,  coffee,  biscuit, 
butter,  sugar,  lemons,  rum,  and  twenty  bottles  of  claret, 
sent  me  by  my  friends,  directed  to  La  Rochelle,  Avhich  I 
again,  notwithstanding  the  barbarous  usage  that  I  had  so 
lately  met  with,  gave  all  in  a  present  to  poor  Fourgeoud, 
twelve  bottles  of  wine  excepted,  which  we  drank  in  the 
barge  to  the  healths  of  our  wives  and  mistresses ;  nor  could 
I  help  pitying  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  whose  age  (he  being 
about  sixty)  and  indefatigable  exertions  claimed  the  at- 
tention of  the  most  indifferent :  for  during  this  trip,  though 
but  few  rebels  were  taken,  he  had  certainly  scoured  the 
forest  from  the  river  Comewina  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wana 
Creek,  dispersed  the  enemy,  and  demolished  their  habita- 
tions, fields,  and  gardens,  and  thus  cut  them  off  from  all 
prospect  of  support. 

On  the  evening  of  the  13th,  we  supped  at  the  estate 

Mondesire,  and  thence  kept  roAving  down  all  night  and 

day,  shouting  and  singing  till  the  15th  at  noon,  when, 

§  the 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  £97 

the  tide  serving,  we  went  on  shore  at  the  fortress  Amster-    chap. 

XI. 

dam ;  whence  crossing  the  river,  we  arrived  before  Mr. 
De  Lamar's  door  at  Paramaribo.  I  stept  ashore  among 
a  croud  of  friends,  who  all  flocked  round  to  see  and  to 
welcome  me  to  town. 

I  next  sent  for  my  inestimable  Joanna,  who  burst  into 
tears  the  moment  she  beheld  me,  not  only  for  joy  at  my 
still  existing  (for  it  had  been  reported  that  I  was  no  more) 
but  also  from  seeing  my  very  distressed  situation. — ^Thus 
ended  my  second  campaign,  and  with  this  I  put  an  end 
to  the  chapter. 


Vol.  I.  Q  q 


29S  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 


C  H  A  P.     XII. 

Description  of  the  town  of  Faramaribo  and  Fort  Zelandia-— 
Colonel  Fourgeoud's  march  to  the  river  Marawina — A 
Captain  wounded — Some  Privates  shot — Strange  Execu-^ 
iiofi  in  the  Capital — Account  of  Fort  Somelsdyk — Of  the 
Mope  in  Rio  Comewina. 

E I N  G  once  more  arrived  at  Paramaribo,  it  will  not 
be  improper  to  introduce  in  this  place  some  account 
of  that  beautiful  town.  Before  I  commence  the  descrip- 
tion however,  I  must  observe,  that  being  long  accustomed 
to  walk  bare-footed,  I  could  not  bear  the  confinement  of 
shoes  and  stockings  for  some  time,  they  heated  and  even 
swelled  my  feet  so  much,  that,  dining  on  the  1 6th  of 
January  with  my  friend  Kennedy,  I  was  actually  obliged 
to  throw  them  off  at  his  house,  whence  he  was  so  kind  as 
to  send  me  home  in  his  whisky.  I  have  already  mentioned 
that  Paramaribo  is  situated  on  the  right  side  of  the  beau- 
tiful river  Surinam,  at  about  sixteen  or  eighteen  miles 
distance  from  its  mouth.  It  is  built  upon  a  kind  of  gra- 
velly rock,  which  is  level  with  the  rest  of  the  country,  in 
the  form  of  an  oblong  square,  its  length  is  about  a  mile 
and  a  half,  and  its  breadth  about  half  as  much.  All  the 
streets,  which  are  perfectly  straight,  are  lined  with  orange, 

shaddock, 


/y///'  f'/ /'///•  .  /(>/r//   f>/ RlltfBlliMIV/U).//'^///  M/'y^h'f/r/.\-  ///////// //y.  Ar^/f  //-■  f'/f/ff.u/r  ,  //ff>e 


/v  J.J.-hn^.-n  SfP,H,/j  lYmnA  /Ttnt . 


XII. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  299 

shaddock,  tamarind,  and  lemon-trees,  which  appear  in  c  h  a  p. 
everlasting  bloom  ;  while  at  the  same  time  their  branches 
are  weighed  down  with  the  richest  clusters  of  odoriferous 
fruit.  Neither  stone  nor  brick  is  made  use  of  here  for 
pavement,  the  whole  being  one  continued  gravel,  not  in- 
ferior to  the  finest  garden  walks  in  England,  and  strewed 
on  the  surface  with  sea-shells.  The  houses,  Avhich  are 
mostly  of  two,  and  some  of  three  stories  high,  are  all 
built  of  fine  timber,  a  very  few  excepted ;  most  of  the 
foundations  are  of  brick,  and  they  are  roofed  with  thin 
split  boards,  called  shingles,  instead  of  slates  or  tiles. 
Windows  are  very  seldom  seen  in  this  country,  glass  being 
inconvenient  on  account  of  the  heat,  instead  of  which 
they  use  gauze  frames ;  some  have  only  the  shutters, 
which  are  kept  open  from  six  o'clock  in  the  morning 
until  six  at  night.  As  for  chimnics  I  never  saw  one  in  the 
colony,  no  fires  being  lighted  except  in  the  kitchens, 
which  are  always  built  at  some  distance  from  the  dwelling- 
house,  where  the  victuals  are  dressed  upon  the  floor, 
and  the  smoke  let  out  by  a  hole  made  in  the  roof: 
these  timber  houses  are  however  very  dear  in  Suri- 
nam, as  may  be  evinced  by  that  lately  built  by  Governor 
Nepven,  which  he  declared  had  cost  him  above  ^.  1 5,000 
sterling.  There  is  no  spring  Avater  to  be  met  with  in 
Paramaribo,  most  houses  have  wells  dug  in  the  rock, 
which  afford  but  a  brackish  kind  of  beverage,  only  used 
for  the   negroes,    cattle,    &c.  and  the   Europeans  have 

Q  q  2  reservoirs 


300  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

reservoirs  or  cisterns,  in  which  they  preserve  rain-water  for 
their  own  consumption  ;  those  of  nicer  taste  let  it  first 
drop  through  a  fiUering-stone  into  large  jars  or  earthen 
pots,  made  by  the  native  Indians  on  purpose,  which  they 
barter  at  Paramaribo  for  other  commodities.  The  inha- 
bitants of  this  country,  of  every  denomination,  sleep  in 
hammocks,  the  negro  slaves  excepted,  who  mostly  lie  on 
the  ground  ;  the  hammocks  used  by  those  in  superior 
stations  are  made  of  cotton,  ornamented  with  rich  fringe ; 
these  are  also  made  by  the  Indians,  and  sometimes  worth 
above  twenty  guineas  ;  neither  bedding  nor  covering  is 
necessary,  except  an  awning  to  keep  off  the  musquitoes. 
Some  people  indeed  lie  on  bedsteads  ;  in  that  case  they 
are  surrounded,  instead  of  curtains,  with  gauze  pavilions, 
which  admit  the  air  freely,  and  at  the  same  time  keep  off 
the  smallest  insect.  The  houses  in  general  at  Paramaribo 
are  elegantly  furnished  with  paintings,  gilding,  crystal 
chandeliers,  china  jars,  &c. ;  the  rooms  are  never  papered 
or  plastered,  but  beautifully  Avainscoted  with  cedar,  Brazil,, 
and  mahogany  wood. 

The  number  of  buildings  in  Paramaribo  is  computed  at 
about  one  thousand  fovu'  hundred,  of  which  the  principal 
is  the  governor's  palace,  Avhence  there  is  a  private  passage 
through  the  garden  which  communicates  ,witli  Fort 
Zelandia. — This  house,  and  that  of  the  commandant,, 
which  has  lately  been  burnt,  were  the  only  brick  buildings 
in  the  colony.     The  town-hall  is  an  elegant  new  building,. 

and 


r.-/uf.>/i,r>ij'/i..-/u./  /)<■.-.'> r^/;_„/./.i  jjoiiii..-ou.s.'i',iui:c  riauTh  r.irj. 


T,  Ci'vder  Scull'-' 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURT^NAM.  301 

and  covered  with  tiles ;  here  the  different  courts  are  held, 
and  underneath  are  the  prisons  for  European  delinquents, 
the  military  excepted,  who  are  confined  in  the  citadel  of 
Fort  Zelandia.       The    Protestant   church,   where   divine 
worship  is  performed  both  in  French  and  Low  Dutch,  has 
a  small  spire  with    a   clock  ;     besides  which    there  is  a 
Lutheran  chapel,    and  two  elegant  Jewish    synagogues, 
one  German,  the  other  Portuguese.     Here  is  also  a  large 
hospital  for  the  garrison,  and  this  mansion  is  never  empty. 
The  military   stores  are  kept  in   the  fortress,  where  the 
Society  soldiers  are  also  lodged   in  barracks,  wilh  proper 
apartments  for  some  officers.     The  town  of  Paramaribo 
has  a  noble  road  for  shipping,  the  river  before  the  town 
being  above  a  mile  in  breadth,  and  containing  sometimes 
above  one  hundred  vessels  of  burtherr,  moored  within  a 
pistol   shot  of  the  shore ;   there  are  indeed  seldom  fewer 
there  than   fourscore  ships  loading  coffee,   sugar,   cacao, 
cotton,  and  indigo,  for  Holland,  including  also  the  Guinea- 
men  that  bring  slaves  from  Africa,  and  the  North  American 
and  Leeward  Island  vessels,  which  bring  flour,  beef,  pork, 
spirits,  herrings,  and  mackarel  salted,  spermaceti-candles, 
horses,  and  lumber,  for  which  they  receive  chiefly  melasscs 
to  be  distilled  into  rum.     This  town  is  not  fortified,  but  is 
bounded   by  the  river  on  the  S.  E. ;   by  a  large  savamaah 
on  the  W.  ;   by  an  impenetrable  wood  on  the  N.  E. ;  and 
is  protected  by  Fort  Zelandia  on  the  east.     This  citadel  is 
only  separated  from  the  town  by  a  large  esplanade,  where 

tha 


302  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

the  troops  parade  occasionally.  The  fort  is  a  regular 
pentagon,  with  one  gate  fronting  Paramaribo,  and  two 
bastions  which  command  the  river ;  it  is  very  small  but 
strong,  being  made  of  rock  or  hewn  stone,  surrounded 
by  a  broad  fosse  well  supplied  with  water,  besides  some 
out-works.  On  the  East  side,  fronting  the  river,  is  a 
battery  of  twenty-one  pieces  of  cannon.  On  one  of  the 
bastions  is  a  bell,  which  is  struck  with  a  hammer  by 
the  sentinel,  who  is  directed  by  an  hour-glass.  On  the 
other  is  planted  a  large  ensjgn-staff,  upon  which  a  flag 
is  hoisted  upon  the  approach  of  ships  of  war,  or  on 
public  rejoicing  days.  The  walls  are  six  feet  thick,  with 
embrasures  but  no  parapet.  I  have  already  spoken  of  its 
antiquity. 

Paramaribo  is  a  very  lively  place,  the  streets  being 
generally  crouded  with  planters,  sailors,  soldiers,  Jews, 
Indians,  and  Negroes,  while  the  river  is  covered  with 
canoes,  barges,  &c.  constantlj^  passing  and  repassing,  like 
the  wherries  on  the  Thames,  often  accompanied  with 
bands  of  music ;  the  shipping  also  in  the  road  adorned 
with  their  different  flags,  guns  firing,  &c. ;  not  to  mention 
the  many  groupes  of  boys  and  girls  playing  in  the  water, 
altogether  form  a  pleasing  appearance ;  and  such  gaiety 
and  variety  of  objects  serve,  in  some  measure,  to  com- 
pensate for  the  many  inconveniencies  of  the  climate. 
Their  carriages  and  dress  are  truly  magnificent ;  silk  em- 
broidery, Genoa  velvets,  diamonds,  gold  and  silver  lace, 
1 1  being 


EXPEDITION  TO  SURINAM.  303 

being  daily  worn,  and  even  the  masters  of  trading  ships 
appear  with  buttons  and  buckles  of  solid  gold.  They 
are  equally  expensive  at  their  tables,  Avhere  every  thing 
that  can  be  called  delicate  is  produced  at  any  pi-ice,  and 
served  up  in  plate  and  china  of  the  newest  fashion,  and 
most  exquisite  workmanship.  But  nothing  displays  the 
luxury  of  the  inhabitants  of  Surinam,  more  than  the 
number  of  slaves  by  whom  they  are  attended,  often 
twenty  or  thirty  in  one  family.  White  servants  are  seldom 
to  be  met  with  in  this  colony. 

The  current  money,  as  I  have  already  stated,  are 
stamped  cards  of  different  value,  from  five  shillings  to 
fifty  pounds :  gold  and  silver  is  so  scarce,  that  the 
exchange  premium  for  specie  is  often  above  ten  per  cent. 
A  base  Dantzic  coin  called  a  bit,  value  something  less 
than  sixpence,  is  also  cuiTent  in  Surinam.  English  and 
Portuguese  coin  are  sometimes  met  with,  but  mostly  used 
as  ornaments  by  the  Mulatto,  Samboe,  Quaderoon,  and 
Negro  girls.  The  Negro  slaves  never  receive  any  paper 
money,  for  as  they  cannot  read  they  do  not  understand 
its  value ;  besides  in  their  hands  it  would  be  liable  to  many 
accidents,  from  fire  or  children,  and  particularly  from  the 
rats,  when  it  becomes  a  little  greasy. 

This  town  is  well  supplied  with  provisioiis,  Vit.  but- 
cher's meat,  fowls,  fish,  and  venison.  Vegetables  in  par- 
ticular the  country  abounds  with  ;  besides  the  luxuries 
p&euliar  to  this  climate,   they  import  whatever  Europe, 

Africa,. 


304  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

Africa,  and  Asia  can  afFoj'd.  Provisions,  however,  are 
excessively  dear  in  general,  especially  those  imported, 
which  are  mostly  sold  by  the  Jews  and  masters  of  ships. 
The  first  enjoy  extraordinary  privileges  in  this  colony;  the 
latter  erect  temporary  warehouses  for  the  purpose  of 
trade,  during  the  time  their  ships  are  loading  with  the 
productions  of  the  climate.  Wheat  flour  is  sold  from  four 
pence  to  one  shilling  per  pound  ;  butter  two  shillings ; 
butcher's  meat  never  under  one  shilling,  and  often  at  one 
shilling  and  six  pence  ;  ducks  and  fowls  from  three  tq 
four  shillings  a  couple.  A  single  turkey  has  coit  me  one 
guinea  and  a  half;  eggs  are  sold  at  the  rate  of  five,  and 
European  potatoes  twelve  for  six  pence.  Wine  three 
shillings  a  bottle.  Jamaica  rum  a  crown  a  gallon.  Fish 
and  vegetables  are  cheap,  and  fruit  almost  for  nothing. 
My  black  boy,  Quaco,  has  often  brought  me  forty  oranges 
for  -six  pence,  and  half  a  dozen  pine-apples  for  the  same 
price ;  while  limes  and  tamarinds  may  be  had  for  gather- 
ing. House-rent  is  excessively  high.  A  small  room  un- 
furnished costs  three  or  four  guineas  a  month  ;  and  a 
house  with  two  apartments  on  a  floor,  lets  for  one 
hundred  guineas  yearly.  Shoes  sell  for  half-a-guinea  a 
pair ;  and  a  suit  of  cloaths,  with  silver  binding,  has  cost 
me  twenty  guineas. 

The  wood  with  which  the  houses  are  generally  built 
deserves  also  to  be  noticed,  viz.  the  Wana,  and  the  Cttppyi 
The  Wana  is  a  light  durable  timber  of  a  coarse  grain,  and 

does 


EXPEDITION  TO  SURINAM.  so5 

does  not  take  the  best  polish ;  it  is  of  a  very  pale  red,   chap. 

Y  T  T 

approaching  mahogany,  and  mostly  used  for  doors  and 
cupboards,  also  for  boats  and  barges.  This  tree  grows  to 
a  considerable  height*. 

The  Cuppy-tree  resembles  the  wild  chesnut,  is  hard, 
knotty,  and  durable;  it  is  sawed  into  boards,  and  used  to 
enclose  the  houses  for  fences,  instead  of  brick  and  stone 
walls  ;  the  timber  is  of  a  brown  colour,  and  takes  a  good 
polish. 

For  a  better  idea  of  this  town,  I  shall  refer  the  reader  to 
the  annexed  plan ;  and  proceed  to  give  some  further 
account  of  its  inhabitants. 

The  whites  or  Europeans  in  this  colony,  and  who  reside 
principally  in  town,  are  computed  at  five  thousand,  in- 
cluding the  garrison.  The  negro  slaves  at  about  seventy- 
five  thousand.  The  military  mount  guard  every  morning 
at  eight  o'clock,  in  the  fortress  ;  but  the  safety  of  the 
town  is  entrusted  to  the  burghers  or  militia,  who  keep 
watch  during  the  night.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  the  same  hour  in  the  evening,  the  morning  and 
evening  guns  are  fired  by  the  commanding  ship  in  the 
harbour ;  at  the  evening  signal,  all  the  flags  are  instantly 
lowered  on  board  the  difterent  vessels ;  their  bells  are  set 
a  ringing,  whilst  the  drums  and  fifes  beat  the  tattoo 
through  the  town.     The  watch  is  then  set,  and  no  negro 

*  This  Dr.  Bancroft,  I  think,  calls  the  Tetermcr. 

Vol.  I.  R  r  of 


306  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

of  cither  sex  is  allowed  to  appear  in  the  streets  or  on 
the  river,  without  a  proper  pass  signed  by  his  owner; 
without  this  he  is  taken  up,  and  infallibly  flogged  the 
next  morning.  At  ten  at  night,  a  band  of  black  drums 
beat  the  burgher,  or  militia  retreat,  through  the  streets  of 
Paramaribo. 

At  this  time  the  ladies  begin  to  make  their  appearance, 
who  are  particularly  fond  of  a  titc-ii-iete  by  moon-light, 
when  they  entertain  with  Sherhet,  Sangaree*',  and  wine 
and  water ;  besides  the  most  unreserved  and  unequivocal 
conversation  concerning  themselves,  as  well  as  the  pecu- 
liar qualifications  of  their  husbands,  and  the  situation  of 
their  female  slaves,  Avhom  they  propose  the  acceptance  of 
to  the  gentlemen  they  converse  with  at  so  much  per 
Aveek,  according  to  their  own  estimation.  Sometimes 
placing  half  a  dozen  of  them  in  a  row,  the  lady  says, 
"  Sir,  this  is  a  callebasee,  that  is  a  maid,  and  this  is  not" — 
thus  are  they  not  only  unreserved  in  their  conversation, 
but  also  profuse  in  their  encomiums  upon  such  gentle- 
men as  have  the  honour  of  their  instructive  company, 
and  whose  person  or  figure  meets  with  their  appro- 
bation. 

They  are  also  rigid  disciplinarians,  as  the  backs  of 
their  poor  slaves,  male  and  female,  sufficiently  testify. 
Thus   every    country    has  its   customs,    and  from  these 

*  Water,  Madeira  wine,  nutmeg  and  sugar. 

customs 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  307 

customs  exceptions  are  to  be  made ;  for  I  have  known    chap. 
ladies  in  Surinam,  whose  deUcacy  and  poUte  conversation 
■would  have  graced  the  first  circles  in  Europe.     Besides 
the  amusements  of  feasting,   dancing,  riding,  and  cards, 
they   have  a  small   theatre,    Avhere    the    inhabitants   of 
fashion  act  plays  for  their  own  amusement,  and  that  of 
their  friends.     As  they  are  elegant  in  their  dress,  so  they 
keep  their  houses  extremely  clean.     They  use  the  finest 
linen,  exquisitely  well  washed  with  Castile  soap  ;  its  white- 
ness can  only  be  compared  to  mountain  snow,  and  would 
make  the   best   bleached    linen    in    Europe  appear  like 
canvass.     'J'hcir  parlour  floors  are  always   scoured  with 
sour  oranges  cut  through  the  middle,  which  gives  the  house 
an  agreeable  frasrance:  the  neo;ro  girls  taking  one  half  in 
each  hand,  keep  singing  aloud  Avhile  they  rub  the  boards. 
Such  is  the  town,  and  such  are  the  inhabitants  of  Para- 
maribo, the  capital  of  Surinam ;  and  the  character  m  ill 
apply  to  the  natives  of  all  the  Dutch  settlements  in  the 
West  Indies.    But  to  return  to  my  narrative.    Being  once 
more  reconciled  to  shoes,  I  visited  Colonel  AVesterloo  on 
board    a  West-India    ship,    bound    for    Holland.      This 
gentleman,  avIio  had  relieved  me  at  Devil's  llanvar  when 
I  was  ill,  was  now  himself  in  a  most  miserable  condition, 
having  lost  the  use  of  his  limbs.     In  this  debilitated  state, 
it  was   doubtful   whether  any   thing  but   the  air  of  his 
native  country  would  recover  him.     Several  oflacers  Avere 
now  under  the  necessity  of  selling  their  effects  to  procure 

R  r  £  a  sub- 


SOS  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

a  subsistence,  not  being  able  either  to  procure  their  pay 
or  allowance  from  Fourgeoud.  I  felt  this  hard  usage  the 
less,  from,  the  kindness  I  experienced  from  my  numerous 
friends. 

On  the  2Sth  of  January,  as  I  was  walking  in  the  morn- 
ing by  the  river  side,  I  saw  a  fish  brought  ashore,  that 
deserves  to  be  mentioned  for  its  size  and  goodness,  being 
sometimes  near  two  hundred  pounds  weight*.  It  is  here 
called  grow-munech,  or  grey  friar,  and  is  said  to  be  of  the 
cod  genus,  to  Avhich  it  bears  some  resemblance  in  shape 
and  colour,  the  back  being  a  dark  olive  brown,  and  the 
belly  white ;  it  was  soon  cut  up  into  large  slices,  several 
of  which  I  purchased,  and  sent  as  presents  to  my  friends ; 
as  it  was,  in  my  opinion,  even  superior  to  turbot.  It  is  an 
inhabitant  of  the  sea,  but  is  sometimes  to  be  met  with  in 
the  rivers.  The  negroes  here  are  the  only  fishermen,  and 
are  regularly  trained  up  to  this  profession  by  their  masters, 
who  make  them  pay  a  certain  sum  weekly.  If  they  are 
expert  and  industrious,  they  soon  acquire  money  for 
themselves,  and  some  even  become  rich ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  if  they  are  indolent,  and  do  not  fulfil  their 
weekly  engagements,  they  are  certain  to  be  punished  very 
severely. 

This  custom  is  also  common  to  many  other  trades,  and 
by  perseverance  and  sobriety  they  are  actually  enabled  to 

*  Dr.  Fcrmyn  is  Diistaken,  when  he  says  this  fish  weighs  but  forty  pounds. 

live 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM. 

live  happily.     Thus  I  have  known  slaves  in  Surinam,  who 
have  bought  slaves  for  their  own  use.     Some  purchase 
their  freedom  from  their  masters,  whilst  others  keep  their 
mone}^  preferring  to  be  the  slave  of  an  indulgent  master; 
being,  so  long  as  they  continue  slaves,  free  from  all  duties 
and  taxes,  which,  in  case  of  manumission,  they  become 
liable  to.     A  particular  instance  of  this  kind  was  a  negro 
blacksmith,  named  Joseph,  who  being  oifered  his  liberty 
upon  account  of  his  long  and  faithful  services,  positively 
refused  it,  chusing  rather  to   be   the  slave  of  a  worthy 
master.     This  man  had  several  slaves  of  his  own,  kept  a 
decent  house,  with  handsome  furniture,  and  some  plate  ; 
and  when  visited  by  his  humane  master  or  mistress,  enter- 
tained them  with  Sangaree,  port  or  claret.     I  must,  how- 
ever, acknowledge  this  to  be  a  very  singvdar  instance ;  and 
observe,   that  although  a  few  hve  comfortably  at  Para- 
maribo, the  greatest  number  are  Avretched,  particularly 
those  governed  by  a  lady,  who  have  many  wales  to  show, 
but  not  the  smallest  indulgence  to  boast  of. 

Among  the  slaves,  those  of  the  class  called  Quaderoons 
are  in  general  much  respected  for  their  affinity  to  Euro- 
peans ;  a  Quadei'oon  being  the  offspring  of  a  white  and  a 
mulatto,  and  they  are  very  numerous  in  this  colon3\ 

Here  one  not  only  meets  with  the  white,  the  black,  and 
olive,  but  with 

"  The  Samboe  dark,  and  the  Mulatto  browji, 
"  The  Miesti  fair  *,  the  well-limb'd  Quaderoon." 


509 


*  The  offspring  of  aa  European  and  of  a  Quaderooii, 


These 


310  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

These  boys  are  generally  placed  out  to  some  good  trade, 
such  as  cabinet-makers,  silversmiths,  or  jewellers;  M'hilst 
the  girls  are  employed  as  -waiting-women,  and  taught  the 
arts  of  sewing,  knitting,  and  embroidery,  to  perfection  : 
they  are  generally  handsome,  and  take  much  pride  in  the 
neatness  and  elegance  of  their  dress. 

To  give  the  reader  a  more  lively  idea  of  these  people,  I 
shall  describe  the  figure  and  dress  of  a  Quaderoon  girl,  as 
they  usually  appear  in  this  colony.     They  are  mostly  tall, 
straight,  and  gracefully  formed ;  rather  more  slender  than 
the  Mulattoes,  and  never  go  naked  above  the  Avaist,  like 
the  former.      Their  dress  commonly  consists  of  a  satin 
petticoat,   covered    with    flowered  gauze ;    a  close  short 
jacket,  made  of  best  India  chintz  or  silk,  laced  before, 
and  shewing  about  an    hand-breadth    of  a  fine  muslin 
shift  between  the  jacket  and  the  petticoat.     As  for  stock-- 
ino-s    and    shoes,    the  slaves    in   this  country  never  wear 
them.      Their  heads   are   adorned  with  a  fine  bunch  of 
black  hair  in  short  natural  linglcts ;  they  Avear  a  black  or 
white    beaver    hat,   with  a  feather,    or  a  gold  loop  and 
button :   their  neck,   arms,  and   ancles    are   ornamented 
with  chains,  bracelets,  gold  medals,  and  beads.    All  these 
fine  women  have  European    husbands,    to  the  no  small 
mortification    of   the   fair   Creolians ;   yet   should   it   be 
known  that  an  European  female  had  an  intercourse  with 
a  slave  of  any  denomination,   she  is  for  ever  detested, 
and  the  slave  loses  his   life  without  mercy. — Such    are 

the 


[/'(■//u//r  ^^//<'/^//w7/  l/v/^y'  ('/ f^/// 


/v/^^////  . 


/,,.«./,■/    2;,l,litl>r,1  n.:-'t"ij..).l.l:y  .nJi'hn^.'n.SrP.ti,/^  C/uuti/,  I7ir,/ 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  311 

the   despotic  laws  of  men    in    Dutch   Guiana  over   the   c  h  a  p. 
weaker  sex. 

But  to  change  the  sul)ject. — The  tyranny  of  our  com- 
mander,  Colonel  Fourgeoud,   seemed  daily  to   increase. 
Lieutenant  Count  Runtwick,    who  was    to    proceed   for 
Holland  with  Colonel  Westerloo,  being  sick,  was  ordered 
to  remain  in  Surinam,  for  having  only  said  that  he  had 
been  ill  treated  by  him.     As  a  specimen  of  his  justice,  I 
will  only  observe,  that  all  the  officers  had  now  subsisted  a 
whole  year  upon  a  private  soldier's  allowance  of  salt  pro- 
visions, a  few  weeks  at  Paramaribo  only  excepted.     This 
accommodation  cost  me  thirty  pounds;  but  I  have  already 
mentioned  he  kept  back  our  money,  and  why  should  he 
not  our  allowance  also,  it  not  being  the  part  of  a  good 
soldier  to  inquire  after  trifles  ? 

On  the  1st  of  February  we,  however,  received  notice 

that  henceforth  we  should  pay  nothing,  provided  we  could 

fast ;  but  that  if  we  could  not,  ten  pounds  yearly  was  to 

be  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  the  expences  for  our  salt  beef 

and  pork. 

On  the  2d  I  received  intelhgence  that  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Becquer,  scorning  any  longer  to  partake  of 
Fourgeoud's  bounty,  had  suddenly  given  up  the  ghost,. 
by  which  in  rotation  I  became  possessed  of  his  vacant 
company.  This  was  some  compensation  for  so  much 
trouble  and  fatigue.  But  to  counterbalance  this  good 
fortune,  a  certain  lady,  whose  husband  had  shewn  me 

extraordinary 


S12  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

extraordinary  civilities,  now  made  me  an  offer,  which  I 
could  not  with  honour  accept ;  besides,  1  had  been  sworn 
at  Highgate.  But  persisting  in  my  refusal  of  her  favours 
and  golden  presents,  I  at  last  felt  the  effects  of  a  woman's 
hatred  and  revenge.  Her  husband,  who  had  lately  been 
^o  much  my  friend,  and  whose  honour  I,  in  this  instance, 
so  much  respected,  was  suddenly  perverted  into  a  bitter 
enemy.  I  bore  their  frowns  with  resignation,  conscious  of 
my  own  rectitude,  in  not  committing  a  trespass  of  which 
too  many  others  would  have  made  a  boast.  Shortly  after, 
however,  this  gentleman  again  became  my  friend,  even 
more  than  before  this  affair  happened,  having  been  per- 
fectly undeceived. 

On  the  6th,  a  poor  drummer  of  the  Society  brought  me 
a  present  of  some  alligato,  or  more  properly  avogato  pears 
and  oranges,  for  having  supported  him,  he  said,  in  Holland 
against  my  servant,  Avho  had  knocked  him  down.  This 
trait  of  gratitude  afforded  me  more  pleasure  than  the  cool- 
ness of  my  late  friend  had  given  me  pain. — The  avogato 
pear  grows  on  a  tree  above  forty  feet  high,  and  not  unlike 
a  walnut-tree :  the  fruit,  which  is  about  the  size  and  colour 
of  a  large  pear,  viz.  a  pale  green,  is  the  most  exquisite, 
in  my  opinion,  of  any  in  the  colony,  or  even  in  the  world  ; 
the  inside  is  yellow,  and  the  kernel  is  inclosed  in  a  soft 
rind  like  a  chesnut.  The  pulp  is  so  salubrious  and  nutri- 
tious, that  it  is  often  called  the  vegetable  marrow,  and  is 
frequently  eaten  with  pepper  and  salt :  nor  can  I  compare 
11  it 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  ,       313 

it  to  any  thing  so  well  as  a  peach,  melting  in  the  mouth 
in  the  same  manner,  not  so  sweet  indeed,  but  incompara- 
bly more  delicious. 

The  oranges  in  Surinam  are  of  three  different  species ; 
the  sour,  the  bitter,  and  the  sweet,  all  being  originally  im- 
ported from  Spain  or  Portugal.  The  sour  oranges  are  an 
excellent  cure  for  sores  and  running  ulcers,  so  common  in 
this  climate,  but  painful  in  the  operation  ;  for  which  rea- 
son they  are  only  used  for  the  negroes,  who  it  is  supposed 
may  bear  any  thing.  The  bitter  are  only  used  for  pre- 
serving :  the  sweet,  which  have  a  luscious  taste  and  exqui- 
site flavour,  may  be  eaten  freely,  without  any  pernicious 
effects,  which  is  not  the  case  with  that  kind  called  the 
China  apples,  which  I  shall  afterwards  describe.  The  trees 
that  bear  all  these  species  are  truly  beautiful,  and  never 
without  fragrant  blossoms  or  fruit  throughout  the  3'ear. 

On  the  l6th,  the  news  arrived  that  Colonel  Fourgeoud, 
with  the  remaining  troops,  having  marched  from  La 
Rochelle,  had  been  attacked  by  the  rebels  ;  and  amongst 
others  Captain  Fredericy,  marching  in  the  front,  had  been 
shot  through  both  thighs.  This  brave  officer,  clapping 
both  his  hands  on  the  wounds,  and  sitting  in  water  up 
to  his  breast  to  conceal  the  bleeding,  and  prevent  his 
misfortune  from  discouraging  the  troops,  remained  in  this 
situation  until  the  surgeon  had  dressed  them,  when  he  was 
carried  in  his  hammock  by  two  negroes. 

Nothing,  indeed,  could  exceed  the  zeal  which  both  this 
Vol.  I.  S  s  officer, 


314  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

officer,  and  Fourgeoud's  adjutant,  Captain  Vangewrike, 
shewed  during  the  whole  expedition ;  continually  upon 
service,  whether  their  constitutions  could  bear  it  or  not. 
But  honour  was  the  only  advantage  they  derived  from  a 
five  years  assiduous  and  extraordinary  attendance.  In  my 
opinion.  Colonel  Fourgeoud  never  recompensed  them  ac- 
cording to  their  merit ;  while  he  treated  the  subalterns, 
and  even  some  field  officers,  worse  than  ever  I  did  my 
corporals. 

I  now  made  another  offer  to  join  him  in  the  woods ; 
but  instead  of  permission,  he  sent  me  orders  to  hasten  to 
L'Esperance,  in  English  the  Hope  estate,  as  I  shall  hence- 
forth call  it,  situated  in  the  upper  part  of  Rio  Comewina, 
there  to  take  the  command  of  the  whole  river  during  his 
absence  ;  which  being  new  to  me,  I  repaired  to  this  post 
with  the  greater  satisfaction. 

Having  provided  myself  with  a  complete  camp-equipage, 
and  purchased  provisions,  I  was  soon  ready  to  depart  for 
my  new  station.  But  before  I  leave  Paramaribo,  I  must 
remark,  that  during  my  stay  there  no  less  than  nine 
negroes  had  each  a  leg  cut  off,  for  running  away  from 
their  masters.  This  punishment  is  a  part  of  the  Surinam 
administration  of  justice,  and  is  performed  at  the  desire  of 
the  proprietor,  and  was  executed  by  a  Mr.  Greuber,  the 
surgeon  of  the  hospital.  During  this  inhuman  operation, 
the  poor  sufferers  very  deliberately  smoked  their  pipe  of 
tobacco.     For  this  service  the  surgeon  received  about  six 

pounds 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  315 

pounds  a  limb  :  but,  notAvithstanding  his  great  abilities, 
four  of  them  died  immediately  after  the  operation.  A  fifth 
destroyed  himself,  by  plucking  away  the  bandages  and 
bleeding  to  death  during  the  night.  These  amputated 
negroes  are  common  in  this  colony,  and  are  employed  in 
rowing  the  boats  and  barges  of  their  masters.  Others  are 
seen  deprived  of  an  arm  ;  and  this  is  the  forfeit  for  daring 
to  raise  it  against  an  European. 

I  embarked  on  the  17  th  of  February  for  the  Hope,  in 
the  river  Comewina,  on  board  a  decent  tent-boat  rowed 
by  six  negroes,  having  once  more  bid  adieu  to  my  beloved 
Joanna.  In  the  evening  I  passed  the  Sporksgift  estate,  in 
the  Matapica  Creek ;  the  next  day  I  arrived  at  Arentrust 
in  Comewina,  having  passed  the  Orelana  Creek  and  the 
fortress  Somelsdyk,  which  is  about  sixteen  miles  above  Fort 
Amsterdam,  and  forms  the  separation  between  that  and 
the  river  Cottica,  commanding  the  two  opposite  shores  by 
the  fire  of  its  cannon.  This  fortress  was  built  in  the  year 
1684,  by  Governor  Somelsdyk,  whose  name  it  still  bears. 
It  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  pentagon,  having  five  bastions 
mounted  with  artiller}' ;  it  has  a  fosse,  and  is  well  pro- 
vided Avith  military  stores  :  though  it  is  not  large,  it  is 
well  defended,  especially  by  its  low  and  marshy  situation. 
Not  far  above  this,  to  the  right,  is  a  fine  Creek,  called 
Comete-Wana. 

On  the  19th,  about  noon,  I  reached  the  Hope  ;  having 
found  this  river  still  more  charming  than  the  river  Cottica, 

s  s  2  both 


316  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

both  being  bordered  with  beautiful  estates  of  coffee  and 
sugar,  the  first  of  which  abounds  principally  near  its  mouth. 
About  half  way  up  both  these  rivers  are  also  in  each  a 
Protestant  church,  Avhere  the  plantation  people  resort  to 
hear  divine  worship:  the  expence  of  the  parson,  &c.  being 
paid  by  the  planters. 

The  estate  L'Esperance,  or  the  Hope,  where  I  now  took 
the  command,  is  a  valuable  sugar-plantation,  situated  on 
the  left  side  of  the  Comewina,  at.  the  mouth  of  a  rivulet 
called  Bottle  Creek,  and  almost  opposite  to  another  creek 
called  Cassivinica  :  the  Bottle  Creek  communicating  with 
the  Comewina  and  Pirica,  as  the  Wana  Creek  does  with 
Cormoetibo  and  Rio-Marawina. 

Here  the  troops  were  lodged  in  temporary  houses  built 
with  the  manicole-tree ;  but  the  situation  was  so  low  and 
marshy  as  at  spring-tides  to  be  entirely  under  water.  The 
officers  were  all  crowded  in  one  apartment  of  the  same 
construction ;  Avhile  the  planter's  fine  house,  which  might 
have  been  serviceable  for  the  pleasure  and  health  of  these 
gentlemen,  was  made  use  of  by  nobody  but  the  overseer 
of  the  estate. 

About  a  cannon-shot  higher  up  the  river  is  the  estate 
Clarenbeek ;  where  I  went,  on  the  22d,  to  examine  the 
state  of  the  hospital,  and  v/here  I  found  the  troops  more 
disagreeably  quartered  than  at  the  Hope,  owing  chiefly 
to  the  amazing  number  of  rats  with  which  this  place  was 
infested,  destroying  the  men's  clothes  and  provisions,  and 


runnmg 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  317 

running  over  their  faces  by  dozens  as  they  lay  in  their 
hammocks.  The  only  mode  of  remedying  this  horrid  in- 
convenience, was  to  break  holes  in  the  bottoms  of  quart 
bottles,  and  then  string  them  like  beads  upon  the  lashings 
of  each  hammock,  both  at  head  and  foot :  when  this  was 
properly  done,  their  pohsh  rendered  it  impossible  for  the 
rats  to  reach  the  canvass. 

Here  the  crowded  hospital  aflforded  a  melancholy  spec- 
tacle, by  the  miserable  objects  it  presented.  Humanity 
suffers  so  much  from  such  scenes,  that  I  felt  myself  happy 
upon  my  return  to  the  Hope.  My  orders  here  were 
much  the  same  as  they  had  been  at  Cottica,  viz.  to  protect 
the  estates  from  the  enemy :  the  parole  or  watch-word  was 
regvdarly  sent  me  by  Colonel  Fourgeoud.  One  of  the 
Berbice  negro  captains,  before  mentioned,  named  Ackeraw, 
here  discovered  an  old  decrepid  slave  called  Paulus,  be- 
longing to  this  estate,  to  be  his  brother.  He  acknowledged 
him  with  cordial  affection,  and  treated  him  with  much 
kindness :  the  scene  of  their  meeting  was  of  course  very 
interesting.  In  my  walks  round  this  plantation,  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  observing  several  curious  birds,  which  I 
shall  now  embrace  the  opportunity  to  describe. 

The  queese-queedee,  so  called  on  account  of  its  note,  is 
about  the  size  of  a  thrush,  and  of  a  brown  colour,  except 
the  breast  and  belly,  which  are  of  a  beautiful  yellow :  it  is 
very  mischievous,  and  an  unwelcome  guest  upon  the  plan- 
tations.    The  wild  pigeons  are  also  common  here.     I  shot 

one 


318  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

one  that  was  very  large,  and  resembling  what  is  called  the 
ring  tail  pigeon  of  Jamaica.     Its  back  and  sides  were  of 
an  ash  colour ;  the  tail  a  lead  colour ;   the  belly  white ; 
the  neck  reflecting  a  changeable  green  and  purple ;  the 
iris  and  feet  of  this  pigeon  were  red.     I  have  also  seen  the 
dwarf  pigeons  here  Avalking  in  pairs.     They  are  about  the 
size  of  an  English  sparrow,  and  rather  of  a  lighter  colour. 
I  take  these  to  be  the  picui-nhna  of  Marcgrave.    The  eyes 
were  bright,  with  a  yellow  iris,  and  upon  the  whole  these 
diminutive  creatures  are  very  pretty.      They  are  called 
steen-duyjie  by  the  Dutch,  because  they  are  frequently 
found  amongst  stones  and  gravel.  *  Turtles  are  also  found 
in  Guiana,  but  seldom  near  the  plantations,  as  they  de- 
light chiefly  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  forest.     They 
build  their  nests  in  trees  of  the  thickest  foliage,  where  I 
have  found  them,  and  even  stroked  them  with  my  hand, 
without   their  attempting   to   fly   away.     They  are  little 
different  from  those  in   Europe  in  point  of  colour,    but 
rather  less,  and  their  wings  of  a  more  considerable  length 
than  those  of  any  other  dove  or  pigeon  whatever. 

I  became  daily  more  charmed  with  my  situation  ;  I  was 
at  liberty  to  breathe  freely,  and  my  prospects  of  future 
contentment  promised  amply  to  compensate  for  my  past 
hardships  and  mortifications.  Respected  as  the  prince  of 
the  river;   caressed  by  the   neighbouring  planters,   who 

*  Pr.  Bancroft  erroneously  calls  this  bird  the  only  dove  in  Guiana, 

plentifully 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  319 

plentifully  supplied  me  Avith  presents  of  game,  fish,  fruit, 
and  vegetables,  I  was  scarcely  the  same  man,  and  had 
very  few  wishes  unsatisfied. 

One  day  (the  5  th  of  March)  during  my  residence  here, 
I  was  surprised  by  the  waving  of  a  white  handkerchief 
from  a  tent  boat  that  was  rowing  up  the  river ;  when,  to 
augment  my  happiness,  it  unexpectedly  proved  to  be  my 
Mulatto,  accompanied  by  her  aunt,  who  now  preferred 
Fauconberg  estate,  four  miles  above  the  Hope,  to  residing 
in  the  town  ;  and  to  this  plantation  I  immediately  accom- 
panied them. 

Here  Joanna  introduced  me  to  a  venerable  old  slave,  her 
grandfather,  who  made  me  a  present  of  half  a  dozen  fowls. 
He  was  grey-headed  and  blind,  but  had  been  comfortably 
supported  for  many  years  through  the  kind  attention  of  his 
numerous  offspring.  He  told  me  he  Avas  born  in  Africa, 
where  he  had  once  been  more  respected  than  any  of  his 
Surinain  masters  ever  were  in  their  country. 

It  will  no  doubt  appear  surprising  to  many  of  my 
readers  to  find  me  mention  this  female  slave  so  often,  and 
with  so  much  respect;  but  I  cannot  speak  with  indif- 
ference of  an  object  so  deserving  of  attention,  and  whose 
affectionate  attachment  alone  counter-balanced  all  my 
other  misfortunes.  Her  virtue,  youth,  and  beauty  gained 
more  and  more  my  esteem  ;  while  the  lowness  of  her 
birth  and  condition,  instead  of  diminishing,  served  to 
increase  my  afi^ection. — What  can  I  say  farther  upon  this 

subject  ? 


520  NARRATIVE   OF  AN 

CHAP,    subject  ? — Nothing  ;   bttt  content  myself  with  the  conso- 
^^^'      lation  given  by  Horace  to  Phocius,  the  Roman  soldier: 

"  Ne  sit  ancillas  tibi  amor  pudori,"  &c. 

"  Let  not  my  Phocius  think  it  shame 
"  For  a  fair  slave  to  own  his  flame ; 
"  A  slave  could  stern  Achilles  move, 
"  And  bend  his  haughty  soul  to  love  : 
"  Ajax,  invincible  in  arms, 
"  Was  captiv'd  by  his  captive's  charms. 

"  Atrides  'midst  his  triumph  mourn'd, 
"  And  for  a  ravish'd  virgin  burn'd  ; 
"  What  time  the  fierce  barbarian  bands 
"  Fell  by  Pelides'  conquering  hands, 
"  And  Troy  (her  Hector  swept  away) 
"  Became  to  Greece  an  easier  prey. 

"  Who  knows,  when  Phillis  is  your  bride, 
"  To  what  high  rank  you'll  be  allied  ? 
"  Her  parents  dear,  of  gentle  race, 
"  Shall  not  their  son-in-law  disgrace. 
"  She  sprung  from  kings,  or  nothing  less, 
"  And  weeps  the  family's  distress." 

On  the  6th  of  March  I  returned  to  the  Hope,  loaded 
with  fowls,  aubergines,  brocoli,  agoma,  and  a  few  Surinam 
cherries.     The  aubergines  are  a  species  of  fruit  Avhich 

grows 


EXPEDITION  TO  SURINAM.  321 

grows  in  the  shape  of  a  cucumber;  they  are  of  a  purple 
colour  without,  and  white  within ;  they  are  cut  in  slices 
and  eaten  like  salad,  sometimes  stewed  :  they  are  very 
good  and  wholesome.  The  leaves  of  the  tree  which  bears 
this  fruit  are  large  and  green,  covered  with  a  purple- 
coloured  down.  The  agoma  is  a  bitterish  vegetable  :  the 
brocoli  as  in  Europe,  but  scarce.  The  cherries  are  ribbed, 
very  sour,  and  unless  very  ripe  fit  only  for  preserving. 

On  the  Prince  of  Orange's  anniversary,  the  8th  of  March, 
I  invited  some  company  to  drink  his  health,  whilst  Colonel 
Fourgeoud  kept  scouring  the  bushes  ;  but  the  sum  of  his 
operations  amounted  only  to  having  some  of  his  men  shot 
by  the  negroes,  some  lost  in  the  woods ;  whilst  the  rebel 
Cupido  escaped  with  all  his  chains.  Of  two  men  he  sent 
me  for  the  hospital  at  Clarenbcek,  one  was  terribly  cut 
by  the  rebels. 

I  received  a  present  of  a  haunch  of  venison  on  the  1  7th 
from  a  Mr.  D'Onis ;  and  one  of  my  slaves  presented  me 
with  a  lizard  called  sapagahi,  which  is  less  in  size  and  less 
agreeable  food  than  the  iguana,  which  I  have  already 
described,  and  which  the  Indians  call  wmjamaka.  Of  this 
last  dainty  I  did  not  partake,  but  gave  it  to  the  overseer, 
while  with  the  venison  I  entertained  all  my  officers. 

Of  the  deer  species  there  are  two  kinds  ;  the  stag  or 
largest,  called  the  hajew,  is  about  the  size  of  the  English 
roebuck,  Avith  short  curvated  horns  ;  the  eyes  are  bright, 
and  full  of  fire  ;  the  tail  short ;  the  hair  a  reddish  brown, 

Vol.  I.  T  t  except 


322  NARRATIVE    OT    AN 

except  the  belly,  which  is  white.  These  animals,  wliei-v 
pursued,  run  with  amazing  strength  and  velocity.  They 
are  frequently  seen  near  the  plantations,  where  they  com- 
mit great  devastations  among  the  sugar-canes ;  they  are 
often  shot  by  the  negro  or  Indian  huntsmen,  which  the 
planters  keep  on  purpose.  Hunting  is  impracticable  as  a 
sport  to  Europeans  in  this  country,  owing  to  the  thickness 
of  the  woods.  The  deer  are  sometimes  taken  alive  m 
crossing  rivers,  which  they  often  take  to  when  over-heated, 
or  to  escape  their  enemies.  The  flesh  of  this  stag  is  neither 
fat,  tender,  nor  juicy,  being  much  inferior  to  the  European 
venison,  though  greatly  esteemed  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Surinam.  The  other  species  the  negroes  call  boosee-cahitta; 
the  Indians  wirrehocerra.  These  are  much  smaller,  and 
more  nimble  in  leaping ;  their  colour  a  yellowish  brown 
covered  with  small  white  spots ;  their  eyes  lively  and 
piercing ;  their  ears  narrow  and  short ;  they  have  no 
antlers ;  their  limbs  are  small,  but  nervous  and  strong ; 
and  their  flesh  more  delicate  than  any  other  venison  I 
ever  tasted. 

On  the  21st,  having  visited  Mi\  and  Mrs.  Lolkens  at 
Eauconberg,  we,  after  dinner,  walked  to  a  brick-manu- 
factory, called  Appe-cappe,  which  lies  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  belongs  to  Governor  Nepveu  ;  where  they  make 
as  good  brick,  and  as  expeditiously,  as  in  Europe.  It  is 
also  a  profitable  business,  not  being  common  in  Surinam. 
This  I  only  relate  as  a  proof  of  the  abundant  advantages 

of 


oyAcCy^^ay^s^/^  c^r  f^Zizy  ^>^  ip^/^v/ii'z/^. 


/<^^ 


jy/^  ///r/'t/^tn:^/vtz,  cr  j.y/^zo'/c.zy'e^^/r'^ 


ln,i,l,„i.J'u/>lijAr.l  IWVijpi,  ^-  J- Jchnj,<n ,SS PoilU  i'/uirA  r,ir 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  323 

of  this  country ;  where,  moreover,  the  wood  for  burning  the  c  ii  a  p. 
bricks  may  be  had  for  cutting,  if  the  inhabitants  chuse  to 
be  industrious.  We  were  here,  however,  so  pestered  with 
clouds  of  insects,  called  monpeira,  that  I  Avas  glad  to  take 
my  leave,  and  return  to  the  Hope.  The  monpeira  are  the 
smallest  kind  of  gnats,  but  equally  troublesome  with  the 
larger  species  called  musquitocs.  They  fl}-^  so  thick  and 
close  together,  that  they  appear  like  a  cloud  of  black 
smoke :  they  are  so  snmll  that  numbers  of  them  stick  in 
the  eyes,  whence  they  cannot  be  extracted  without  pain, 
and  even  danger. 

I  always  visited  by  water,  having  at  the  Hope  an  elegant 
tent-boat,  with  half  a  dozen  negroes  at  my  command,  who 
also  shot  and  fished  for  me.  Upon  the  whole,  I  was  here 
so  happy  and  so  much  respected,  that  I  could  almost  havo 
engaged  never  more  to  change  my  situation. 


T  t  S 


524  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 


CHAP.     XIIL 

A  Sugar  Plantation  described — Domestic  Happiness  in  a 
Cottage — Further  Account  of  Fourgeoud's  Operations — 
Dreadful  Cruelties  injiicted  hi/  some  Overseers — Instance 
of  Resentment  in  a  Rebel  Negro  Captain. 

HAVE  already  said  that  I  was  happy  at  the  Hope ; 
but  hoAv  was  my  feUcity  augmented,  Avhen  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lolkens  came  to  visit  me  one  evening,  and  not  only 
gave  me  the  address  of  Messrs.  Passalage  and  Son  at  Am- 
sterdam, the  new  proprietors  of  my  Mulatto,  but  even 
desired  me  to  take  her  to  the  Hope,  where  she  would 
be  more  agreeably  situated  than  either  at  Fauconberg 
or  Paramaribo.  This  desire  Avas  unquestionably  most 
readily  complied  Avith  by  me ;  and  I  immediately  set 
my  slaves  to  work,  to  build  a  house  of  manicole-trees 
for  her  reception. 

In  the  meantime  I  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Messrs. 
Passalage  and  Son. 

"  Gentlemen, 

"  BEING  informed  by  Mr.  Lolkens,  the  administrator 
"  of  the  estate  Fauconberg,  that  you  are  the  present 
"  proprietors ;  and  being  under  great  obligations  to  one 

2  *'  of 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM.  325 

"  of  youi"   Mulatto   slaves   named  Joanna,   who  is  the 

"  daughter  of  the  late  Mr.  KruythofF,    particularly  for 

"  having  attended  me    during  sickness ;    I  in  gratitude 

"  request  of  you,  who  are  her  masters,  to  let  me  purchase 

"  her  liberty  without  delay  :  which  favour  fliall  be  ever 

"  thankfully  acknowledged,  and  the  money  for  her  ran- 

"  som  immediate  paid,  by 

"  Gentlemen, 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

"  John  Gabriel  Stedman, 

"  Captain  in  Colonel  Fourgeoud's 
"  Corps  of  Marines." 

This  letter  was  accompanied  by  another  from  my  friend 
Lolkens,  who  much  cheered  my  prospects  by  the  assurance 
of  success. 

Having  dispatched  these  letters  to  Holland,  I  had  now 
the  opportunity  of  observing  the  whole  process  of  a  sugar- 
plantation  ;  of  which  I  shall  endeavour  to  give  an  accurate 
description. 

The  buildings  usually  consist  of  an  elegant  dwelling- 
house  for  tlie  planter,  outhouses  for  the  overseer  and 
book-keeper,  besides  a  carpenter's  lodge,  kitchens,  store- 
houses, and  stables,  if  the  sugar-mills  be  wrought  by 
horses  or  mules ;  but  on  the  Hope  these  are  not  requisite, 
as  the  wheels  move  by  water,   stored  in  canals  during 

the 


S20  NATxRATIVE   OF   AN 

the  spring-tide  by  means  of  sluices,  wiiicb  being  opened 
at  low  water  pour  out  like  a  deluge,  and  set  the  ma- 
chinery in  motion.  A  sugar-mill  is  built  at  the  expence  of 
four  thousand,  nay  sometimes  seven  or  eight  thousand 
pounds. 

A  particular  description  of  its  construction  might  be  too 
tedious.  I  shall  only  observe,  that  the  large  water-wheel 
moves  perpendicularly,  and  corresponds  with  another  large 
wheel  placed  in  an  horizontal  direction,  and  this  again 
acts  upon  three  cylinders  or  rollers  of  cast-iron,  supported 
underneath  by  a  strong  beam,  so  close  together  that  when 
tlie  whole  is  in  motion,  they  draw  in  and  squeeze  as  thin 
as  paper  whatever  comes  between  them.  In  this  manner 
the  sugar-cane  is  bruised,  to  separate  the  juice  or  liquor 
from  the  trash. 

Those  mills  that  are  wrought  by  cattle  are  constructed 
upon  the  same  principles,  only  the  horses  or  mules  answer 
the  purpose  of  the  horizontal  wheel,  by  dragging  round  a 
large  lever.  If  the  water-mills  woz"k  the  fastest,  and  be 
the  cheapest,  yet  as  they  must  wait  for  the  tides,  they  can 
only  work  part  of  the  day ;  whereas  the  cattle-mills  are 
always  ready  whenever  the  proprietor  finds  it  convenient 
to  use  them.  Adjoining  to  the  mill-bouse  is  a  large  apart- 
ment, also  built  of  brick,  in  which  are  fixed  the  coppers 
or  large  cauldrons  to  boil  the  liquid  sugar.  These  are 
usually  five  in  number ;  opposite  to  these  are  the  coolers, 
which  are  large  square  flat-bottomed  wooden  vessels;,  into 

which 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  327 

%rhich  the  sugar  is  put  from  the  cauldrons  to  cool  before 
it  is  put  into  hogsheads,  which  are  placed  near  the  coolers 
upon  strong  channelled  rafters,  that  receive  the  melasses 
as  it  drops  from  the  sugar,  and  convey  it  into  a  square 
cistern  placed  underneath  to  receive  it.  The  distillery 
joins  this  apartment,  where  the  dross  or  scum  of  the  boil- 
ing sugar  is  converted  into  a  kind  of  rum,  mentioned 
before,  and  known  by  the  name  of  kill-devil.  Every  estate 
in  Surinam  keeps  a  tent-boat  and  several  other  craft,  for 
the  conveyance  of  tlieir  produce ;  they  have  also  a  covered 
dock,  to  keep  them  dry  and  repair  them. 

The  sugar  estates  in  this  colony  contain  five  or  six 
hundred  acres;  the  parts  for  cultivation  being  divided 
into  squares,  Avhere  pieces  of  cane,  about  one  foot  long, 
are  stuck  into  the  ground  in  an  oblique  position,  in  rows 
straight  and  parallel.  They  usually  plant  them  in  the 
rainy  season,  when  the  earth  is  well  soaked  and  rich.  The 
shoots  that  spring  from  these  joints  are  about  twelve 
or  sixteen  months  in  arriving  at  maturity,  when  they 
become  yellow,  and  of  the  thickness  of  a  German  flute,, 
and  from  six  to  ten  feet  in  height,  and  jointed,  forming  a 
very  beautiful  appearance,  with  pale  green  leaves  like 
those  of  a  leek,  but  longer  and  denticulated,  and  Avhich. 
hang  down  as  tlie  crop  becomes  ready  for  cutting.  The 
principal  business  of  the  slaves  during  the  growth  of  the 
canes  is  pulling  up  the  weeds,    which  Avould  otherwise 

impoverish  them. 

Some 


XIII. 


328  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

CHAP.  Some  suo-ar  estates  have  above  four  hundred  slaves. 
The  expence  of  purchasing  these,  and  erecting  the  build- 
ings, frequently  amounts  to  twenty  or  five-and-twenty 
thousand  pounds  sterling,  exclusive  of  the  value  of  the 
ground. 

But  to  give  the  reader  a  clearer  idea  of  the  sugar-cane, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  a  native  of  Guiana,  I  refer  him 
to  the  annexed  plate,  where  he  may  view  it  in  the  dif- 
ferent stages,  though  on  a  smaller  scale  than  nature ; 
A  being  its  first  appearance  above  the  ground  ;  B  the 
cane  come  to  half  maturity ;  C  the  same  with  drooping 
leaves,  when  fully  ripe ;  D  a  piece  cut  off  at  one  end,  and 
bnjken  off  at  the  other. 

We  shall  now  examine  its  progress  through  the  mill : 
here  it  is  bruised  between  the  three  cylinders  or  rollers 
through  Avhich  it  passes  twice,  once  it  enters,  and  once 
it  returns,  when  it  is  changed  to  trash,  and  its  pithy 
substance  into  liquid,  which  is  conducted  as  extracted, 
through  a  grooved  beam,  from  the  mill  to  the  boiling- 
house,  where  it  is  received  into  a  kind  of  wooden 
cistern. 

So  very  dangerous  is  the  work  of  those  negroes  who 
attend  the  rollers,  that  should  one  of  their  finaers  be 
caught  between  them,  which  frefjuently  hai)pens  through 
inadvertency,  the  whole  arm  is  instantly  shattered  to 
pieces,  if  not  part  of  the  body.  A  hatchet  is  generally 
Jcept  ready  to  chop  off  the  limb,  before  the  working  of 

the 


^//-^^-oy/zya  /■  (-(///^  .  ///  /A/  A'///-  ^/v//<'vvy//  •/A//yrj, 


L.;ulon,rnlh:,-li{,l  Dr.-ri-'.'ij,)!,  In    .LJohiijon   Sf  I'auU  (7,„nf,  Y.inl . 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  529 

the  mil]  can  be  stopped.  Another  danger  is,  that  should 
a  poor  slave  dare  to  taste  that  sugar  which  he  produces 
by  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  he  runs  the  lisk  of  receiving 
some  hundred  lashes,  or  having  all  his  teeth  knocked  out 
by  the  overseer. — Such  are  the  hardships  and  dangers  to 
M'liich  the  sugar-making  negroes  are  exposed. 

From  the  above  wooden  cistern  the  liquor  is  let  into 
the  first  copper  cauldron,  filtering  through  a  grating  to 
keep  back  the  trash  that  may  have  escaped  from  the 
mill ;  here,  having  boiled  some  time,  and  been  scummed, 
it  is  put  into  the  next  cauldron,  and  so  on  till  in  the  fifth 
or  last  it  is  brought  to  a  proper  thickness  or  consistency 
to  be  admitted  into  the  coolers :  a  few  pounds  of  lime 
and  allum  are  thrown  into  the  cauldrons  to  make  it  gra- 
nulate ;  thus  it  is  boiled  gradually  stronger  and  stronger, 
imtil  it  reaches  the  last  cauldron.  When  it  is  put  into 
the  wooden  coolers  the  sugar  is  well  stirred,  and  scattered 
equally  throughout  the  vessels ;  Avhen  cold  it  has  a  frozen 
appearance,  being  candied,  of  a  brown  glazed  consistency, 
not  unlike  pieces  of  high  polished  walnut-tree.  From  the 
coolers  it  is  put  into  the  hogsheads,  which,  upon  an  average, 
will  hold  one  thousand  pounds  weight  of  sugar ;  there  it 
settles,  and  through  the  crevices  and  small  holes  made  in 
the  bottoms  it  is  purged  of  all  its  liquid  contents,  which 
are  called  melasses,  and,  as  I  have  said,  are  received  in 
an  under-ground  cistern.  This  is  the  last  operation,  after 
which  the  sugar  is  fit  for  exportation  to  Europe,  where  it 

Vol.  I.  U  u  is 


NARRATIVE    OF    AN 
is   refined   and    cast   into  loaves.      I  shall   only  farther 
observe,  that  the  larger  the  grain  the  better  the  sugar, 
and  that  no  soil  can  be  more  proper  for  its  cultivation 
tlian  Guiana,  the  richness  of  which  is  inexhaustible,  and 
produces  upon  an  average  three  or  four  hogsheads  per 
acre.      In    1771,    no    less    than    twenty-four    thousand 
hogsheads  were  exported  to  Amsterdam  and  Rotterdam 
only,  wliich,  valued  at  six  pounds  per  hogshead,  though 
it  has  sometimes  sold  for  double,  returned  a  sum  of  near 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds  sterling,   besides 
the  vast  quantity  of  melasses  and  kill-devil ;  the  first  com- 
puted   at  seven   thousand   hogsheads,    and    sold  to  the 
North  Americans  for  twenty-five  thousand  pounds ;   the 
second,  which  is  distilled  in  Surinam,  and  used  chiefly 
by  the  negroes,   valued  at  as  much  more,   which    pro- 
duces no  less  than   two  hundred  thousand  pounds  per 
annum  *. 

The  kill-devil  is  also  drank  by  some  of  the  planters, 
but  too  much  by  the  common  soldiers  and  sailors,  and, 
when  new,  acts  as  a  slow  pernicious  poison  upon  an  Eu- 
ropean constitution.  On  the  contrary,  it  never  hurts  the 
negroes,  but  is  even  necessary  and  wholesome,  especially 
in  the  rainy  seasons,  when  they  are  sometimes  indulged 
with  a  single  dram  per  day  by  their  masters,  though  this 
custom  is  far  from  being  general.    There  is  no  part  of  this 

*  The  first  sugar  was  refined  anno  1659, 

salutary 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  331 

salutary  plant  useless ;  the  chaff  refuse,  and  leaves  of  the  c  i;  a  p. 
cane,  being  used  for  manure  and  fuel.  All  the  estates 
are  closely  surrounded  by  the  uncultivated  forest,  whence 
the  herds  of  wild  deer  often  commit  very  great  ravages, 
when  the  pieces  being  surrounded  by  armed  negroes,  and 
dogs  set  in  to  disperse  them,  they  are  frequently  shot. 
From  what  I  have  said  upon  this  subject  alone,  the  reader 
may  form  an  idea  of  the  riches  with  which  this  country 
abounds ;  which,  nevertheless,  did  not  seem  to  stimulate 
its  enemies  during  the  late  war  to  attempt  the  possession 
of  it :  but  I  must  say,  I  doubt  whether  Surinam,  in  the 
hands  of  any  other  nation  than  the  Dutch,  would  not  cease 
to  be  of  its  present  consequence,  the  Hollanders  being 
indisputably  the  most  patient,  persevering,  industrious 
people  that  inhabit  the  globe. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  the  immense  wealth  that  the 
West  Indies  in  general  afford,  it  will  ever  be  my  opinion 
that  the  Europeans  might  live  as  comfortably,  if  not  more 
healthily,  without  them  ;  the  want  of  sugar,  coffee,  cotton, 
cacao,  indigo,  rum,  and  Brazil  wood,  might  be  amply 
supplied  by  honey,  milk,  wool,  Geneva,  ale,  English  herbs, 
British  oak,  &c. 

And  now  once  more  to  resume  my  narrative : — I  have 
already  mentioned  that  my  slaves  were  employed  in  pre- 
paring an  house  for  the  reception  of  my  best  friend,  which 
was  about  six  days  in  completing.  It  consisted  of  a  par- 
lour, which  also  served  for  a  dining-room ;  a  bed-chamber, 

u  u  2  where 


S32  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

CHAP,  where  I  also  stowed  my  baggage ;  a  piazza  ov  shed  to  sit 
under  before  the  door;  a  small  kitchen  detached  from 
the  house,  and  a  poultry-house,  the  whole  situated  on  a 
spot  by  itself,  commanding  an  enchanting  prospect  on 
every  side,  and  surrounded  with  paling  to  keep  off  the 
cattle.  My  tables,  stools,  and  benches,  being  all  com- 
posed of  manicole  boards,  the  doors  and  windows  were 
guarded  with  ingenious  wooden  locks  and  keys,  that  were 
presented  me  by  a  negro,  and  were  the  work  of  his  own 
hands.  My  house  being  thus  far  finished  and  furnished, 
m^y  next  care  was  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  provisions  from 
Paramaribo,  viz.  a  barrel  of  flour,  another  of  salted 
mackarel,  Avhich  in  this  country  are  delicious,  they  are 
miported  from  North  America  ;  hams,  pickled  sausages, 
Boston  biscuit ;  also  wine,  Jamaica  rum,  tea,  sugar,  a  box 
of  spermaceti  candles ;  also  two  charming  foreign  sheep 
and  a  hog,  sent  me  by  ]\'Ir.  Kennedy  from  his  estate 
Vriedyk,  besides  two  dozen  of  fine  fowls  and  ducks  pre- 
sented me  by  Lucretia,  my  Joanna's  aunt;  while  fruit, 
vegetables,  fish,  and  venison,  flowed  upon  me  from  every 
quarter  as  usual. 

On  the  1  st  of  April  1 774,  Joanna  came  down  the  river 
in  the  Fauconberg  tent-boat,  rowed  by  eight  negroes,  and 
arrived  at  the  Hope:  I  communicated  to  her  immediately 
the  contents  of  my  letter  to  Holland,  which  she  received 
with  that  gratitude  and  modesty  in  her  looks  which  sjxke 
more  forcibly  than  any  reply.     I  introduced  her  to  her 

new 


I 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  353 

new  habitation,   M'here  the  plantation  slaves,  in  token  of    c  h  a  p. 

respect,    immediately   brought    her    presents    of  casada, 

yams,    bananas,    and    plantains,    and   never   two  people 

were  more  completely  happy.     Free  like  the  roes  in  the 

forest,  and  disencumbered  of  every  care  and  ceremony, 

we  breathed  the  purest  ether  in  our  walks,  and  refreshed 

our  limbs  in  the  limpid  stream :   health  and  good  spirits 

were  now  again  my  portion,  while  my  partner  flourished 

m  youth  and  beauty,  the  envy  and  admiration  of  all  the 

colony. 

Colonel  Fourgeoud  now  intending  to  quit  the  woods, 
and  encamp  at  Magdenberg,  a  post  near  the  source  of  the 
ComcAvina,  I  sent  a  large  barge  with  provisions,  escorted, 
by  an  officer  and  twenty  men,  to  that  place ;  and  upon 
reviewing  my  remaining  marines,  they  did  not  amount  to 
twenty  men,  besides  a  small  detachment  at  Calis,  near  the 
mouth  of  Cassivinica  Creek.  Higher  up  the  same  creek, 
at  an  estate  called  Cupi/,  were  also  posted  an  officer  and  a 
few  soldiers. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th,  I  was  witness  to  a  very 
wonderful  battle  between  two  snakes,  the  one  about 
three  feet  long,  the  other  no  more  than  fourteen  ijiches  ; 
when,  after  a  severe  contest  of  near  half  an  hour,  d-.tring 
which  time  the  many  wrcathings  and  twistings  were  truly 
curious,  the  largest  gradually  shifting  his  gripe,  at  length 
caught  the  smallest  by  the  head,  and  absolutely  swallowed 
him  alive. 

My 


S34  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

My  negro  boy  about  this  time  throwing  out  some  red- 
hot  embers,  I  was  surprized  to  see  the  frogs  eat  them 
with  avidity,  without  receiving  any  visible  danjage  from 
the  fire,  which  most  probably  they  had  mistaken  for  the 
fire-fly.  I  saw  another  frog  in  the  sugar-mil!,  feasting 
•upon  a  regiment  of  ants,  which  are  here  very  numerous, 
licking  them  up  with  his  tongue  as  they  marched  before 
him.  Another  of  these  animals  slept  every  day  upon 
one  of  the  beams  of  my  cottage,  which  it  regularly  left 
every  night ;  this  was  called  yomho-yomho  by  the  ne- 
groes, from  its  great  power  in  leaping :  it  is  very  small, 
almost  flat,  a  fine  yellow,  with  black  and  scarlet  specks  ; 
it  is  frequently  found  in  the  upper  stories  of  houses, 
where  it  arrives  by  climbing  up  the  walls.  We  thought 
it  a  pretty  little  animal,  and  would  allow  nobody  to 
hurt  it 

On  the  morning  of  the  8  th,  between  six  and  seven 
o'clock,  wJiilst  we  were  interring  one  of  my  serjeants, 
we  heard  the  report  of  several  minute  guns  towards  the 
river  Pirica ;  in  consequence  of  which,  I  immediately 
detached  an  officer  and  tivelve  men  to  give  assistance. 
They  returned  next  day  Avith  an  account  that  the  rebels 
had  attacked  the  estate  of  Kortenduur^  where,  having 
pillaged  some  powder,  the  plantation  slaves  being  armed 
by  their  master,  had  bravely  beaten  them  back  before  my 
assistance  could  be  of  use. 

A  small  detachment  from  Colonel  Fourgeoud  at  Wana 
11  Creek 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  335 

Creek  arrived  at  the  Hope  on  the  nth,  with  September,  chap. 
the  negro  prisoner,  who  related  that  the  rebels  had  spoken 
to  Fourgeoud,  and  even  laughed  at  him,  having  over- 
heard him  giving  his  orders,  viz.  not  to  fire  on  them, 
but  to  take  them  alive  :  and  that  amongst  those  lost  in 
the  woods  was  the  unlucky  Schmidt,  who  had  lately  been 
so  unmercifully  beaten,  and  of  which  he  had  never  yet 
recovered. 

About  the  13  th,  the  spring  floods  broke  down  the 
dams,  and  laid  our  whole  post  under  Avater,  except  the 
spot  where  I  had  pitched  my  cabin,  which  remained 
dry,  but  unfortunately  by  this  accident  the  officers  and 
men  were  up  to  their  knees  in  water.  My  worthy  friend 
Mr.  Heneman,  the  volunteer,  arrived  at  this  time  from 
Colonel  Fourgeoud's  camp  at  Wana  Creek,  with  a  fearge 
full  of  men  and  ammunition ;  he  was  now  entered  a 
lieutenant  in  my  company  :  he  informed  us,  that  the 
remaining  troops  were  marching  for  Magdenberg  in 
Upper  Comewina,  there  to  go  into  quarters.  This  poor 
yoimg  man  was  much  emaciated  with  misery  and  fatigue, 
I  therefore  introduced  him  at  his  first  landing  to  the 
eare  of  Joanna,  Avho  was  a  most  incomparable  nurse,  and 
under  whose  care  he  felt  hmiself  extremely  happy. 

On  the  1 4th,  Colonel  Fourgeoud  with  his  troops  being 
arrived  at  Magdenberg,  the  officers  and  privates  of  the 
Society,  and  the  rangers  to  the  amount  of  near  two  hun- 
dred men,  were  sent  down  in  barges  to  be  stationed  on 

different 


536  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

different  parts  of  the  river  Pirica.  Some  landed  at  the 
Hope  to  refresh,  and  behaved  so  very  disorderly,  as  to 
oblige  nie  and  ray  officers  to  knock  them  down  by  half 
dozens,  to  keep  the  peace  till  they  departed  the  same  day, 
after  which  I  dispatched  a  tent-boat  and  eight  oars  to  row 
the  Commander  in  chief  with  some  of  his  favourites  to  Para- 
maribo, from  which  place  he  at  last  jiermitted  the  much- 
injured  Count  Rantwick  to  sail  for  Holland. 

On  the  I6th,  the  greatest  part  of  the  sheep  belonging 
to   this   estate    were    unfortunately    poisoned    by   eating 
duncane,  but  mine,  amongst  some  otheis,  luckily  escaped. 
I  am  sorry  to  say  I  have  not  particularly  examined  the 
duncane,  as  it  is  called  by  th«  negroes.     All  that  I  can 
say  is,  that  it  is  a  shrub  with  a  large  green  leaf,  something- 
like  that  of  the  English  dock  ;  it  grows  spontaneously  in 
low  and  marshy  places,   and  is  instant  death  to  whatever 
animal  eats  of  its  leaves  ;  the  slaves  tlierefore  should  be 
obliged  carefully  to  root  it  out  from  the  grass  savannas  or 
meadows  where  cattle  graze,  since  sheep  and  bullocks  are 
said   to  be    remaikably  fond   of  it,    though   contrary  to 
nature,    as  most  animals    know,    it  is  said,  instinctively 
how  to  distinguish  their    food   from   their  poison.      But 
the  sheep    in    question   not    being    the    natural    inhabi- 
tants   of  Guiana,  may   for  that  reason   be  admitted   as 
an   exception  to   this  general  rule.     This   banefid  plant 
had  inadvertently   been  permitted  to  grow  in  a  negro's 
garden,    to    Avhich    the    sheep  got    access    by  breaking- 
down 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  337 

down  the    fence,   ^vhich  occasioned  this  unpleasant  ca-    c  n  a  p. 
tastrophe.  ^'^^^• 

In  this  garden  I  saw  several  other  roots  and  plants  that 
deserve  to  be  noticed.    The  yamesy,  or  3'am,  a  well-known 
root  in  the  West  Indies,  delights  in  a  fat  soil ;  this  grows 
in    Surinam    sometimes    to   the  weight    of  two  or  three 
score  pounds,    and  an  acre  will  produce  an  astonishing- 
quantity  *  ;    its  taste  is  very  agreeable,  either  boiled  or 
roasted,  easy  of  digestion,   and    very   Avholesome.      The 
inside  is  of  a  whitish  colour,  without  it  is  of  a  deep  purple 
approaching  towards  black ;  its  shape  is   very  irregular. 
The  yams  are  cultivated  by  cutting  them  in  pieces  like 
potatoes ;  they  are  planted  a  few  feet  distant  from  each 
other,  and  in  about  six  or  eight  months  they  arrive  at 
maturity  ;  they  are  known  to  be  fit  for  use  when  the  top 
or  leaves  begin  to  lose  their  verdure,  till  then  they  are  of 
a  deep  green  colour,  and  creep  along  the  grovind  like  iv}', 
with  ligneous  shoots.     The  yam  is  amongst  the  principal 
food   of  the  slaves  throughout  the  West  Indies,  and  is 
alone  sufficient  to  supply  the  want  of  bread ;    also  being 
capable  of  preservation  for  almost  a  3'ear,    it  is  often 
transported,  and  used  upon  long  voyages,  and  frequently 
brought  to  England.     Another  small  root  I  found  here, 
known  in  Surinam  by  the  name  of  naapjes,  and  which  is 
eaten  in  the  same  manner  as  the  yams,  but  is  infinitely 

*  Sometimes  from  ten  to  twenty  thousand  pounds  weight. 

Vol.  I.  X  X  more 


338       '  NARRATIVE  OF  AN 

CHAP,   more  delicious ;  both  the  one  and  the  other  serve  here  for 
■^'^^'      food,  as  potatoes,  carrots,  or  parsnips  do  in  England. 

The  maize  or  Indian  corn,  which  I  also  saw  in  this  gar- 
den, grows  on  high  perpendicular  stalks,  with  long  pale 
green  leaves;  the  grain  is  of  a  shining  yellow  colour,  as 
large  as  marrow-peas,  and  closely  set  together,  round  ears 
that  are  the  size  of  the  largest  European  carrot.  This 
grain  is  cultivated  in  great  quantities  in  Surinam  ;  it  is 
not  only  used  for  their  poultry  and  cattle  of  every 
species,  but  is  also  ground  into  meal,  of  which  the 
Creoles  make  excellent  puddings  and  cakes,  which  are 
of  a  nourishing  quality.  With  this  they  sometimes  eat 
the  young  pods  of  the  ocro,  or  althea  plant,  which  grows 
upon  a  very  small  shrub,  with  oblong  leaves,  and  which 
when  boiled,  as  Dr.  Bancroft  expresses  it,  are  of  a  muci- 
laginous, slira3%  and  lubricative  texture,  which  ropy  or 
glutinous  quality,  however  disgusting  in  appearance, 
makes  a  very  rich  sauce  when  properly  seasoned  with 
Cayenne  pepper. 

The  same  evening  that  proved  so  fatal  to  the  sheep,  as 
I  was  walking  out  with  my  gun,  as  usual,  I  shot  a  bird 
galled  here  the  subacoo  ;  it  is  a  species  of  the  grey-heron , 
its  bill  and  legs  of  a  greenish  black,  and  very  long,  the 
last  appearing  as  if  jointed  by  large  scales  of  a  hard  and 
horny  substance,  and  the  claws  on  each  middle  toe  are 
denticulated.  This  bird,  though  apparently  the  size  of  a 
common  fowl,  was  so  very  light,  that  an  Enghsh  house-^ 
S  pigeon 


aiiAc  scji/pf 


jy'Mar//^///r'//    r/ ^/  .yr//u//r-  /r/////y>r    CV2v?^/£^ 


I.rmloil.l'iil'li.rli„l  />,;-rxijy.i:i.l'v  J.JrIin.riiii ,.r! lUii/y  Clinnh  V.ir,/  . 
'.%S 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  339 

pigeon  would  have  easily  counterbalanced  it ;  when  dressed 
we  found  it  to  have  a  fishy  flavour. 

I  have  for  some  time  been  happily  silent  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  cruelty  ;    and   sorry  I   am,    at  a  time  when   all 
appeared    harmonious    and   peaceable,    to  be  under  the 
necessity  of  relating  sotae  instances,  which  I  am  confident 
must  inspire  the  most  unfeeling  reader  with  horror  and 
resentment.     The  first  object  which   attracted  my  com- 
passion  during  a  visit  to  a  neighbouring  estate,  was  a 
beautiful  Samboe  girl  of  about  eighteen,  tied  up  by  both 
arms  to  a  tree,  as  naked  as  she  came  into  the  world,  and 
laceiated  in  such  a  shocking  manner  by  the  whips  of  two 
negro-drivers,  that  she  was  from  her  neck  to  her  ancles 
literally  dyed   over  with  blood.      It  was  after  she  had 
received  two  hundred  lashes  that  I  perceived  her,  with 
her  head  hanging  downwards,  a  most  affecting  spectacle. 
When,  turning  to  the  overseer,  I  implored  that  she  might 
be  immediately  vmbound,  since  she  had  undergone  the 
whole  of  so  severe  a  punishment ;  but  the  short  answer 
which  I  obtained  Avas,  that  to  prevent  all  strangers  from 
interfering  with  his  government,  he  had  made  an  unal- 
terable rule,  in  that  case,  always  to  double  the  punish- 
ment, Avhich  he  instantaneously  began  to  put  in  execu- 
tion :  I  endeavoured  to  stop  him,  but  in  vain,  he  declar- 
ing the  delay  should  not  alter  his   determination,    but 
make  him  take  vengeance  with  double  interest.     Thus 

X  X  2  I  had 


340  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

CHAP.  I  had  no  other  remedy  but  to  run  to  my  boat,  and  leave 
the  detestable  monster,  like  a  beast  of  prey,  to  enjoy  his 
bloody  feast,  till  he  was  glutted.  From  that  day  I  deter- 
mined to  break  off  all  communication  with  overseers,  and 
could  not  refrain  from  bitter  imprecations  against  the 
whole  relentless  fiaternity.  Upon  investigating  the  cause 
of  this  matchless  barbarity,  I  was  credibly  informed,  that 
her  only  crime  consisted  in  firmly  refusing  to  submit  to 
the  loathsome  embraces  of  her  detestable  executioner. 
Prompted  by  his  jealousy  and  revenge,  he  called  this  the 
punishment  of  disobedience,  and  she  was  thus  flayed  alive. 
Not  having  hitherto  introduced  the  Samboe  cast,  I  take 
this  opportunity,  by  here  representing  the  miserable 
young  woman  as  I  found  her  to  the  attention  of  the 
sympathizing  reader. 

A  Samboe  is  between  a  mulatto  and  a  black,  being  of 
a  deep  copper-coloured  complexion,  with  dark  hair,  that 
curls  in  large  ringlets.  These  slaves,  both  male  and  female, 
are  generally  handsome,  and  chiefly  employed  as  menial 
servants  in  the  planters'  houses. 

At  my  return  to  the  Hope,  I  was  accosted  by  Mr. 
Eibber,  the  overseer  of  that  estate,  who  with  a  woeful 
countenance  informed  me  he  had  just  been  fined  in  the 
sum  of  twelve  hundred  florins,  abbut  one  hundred  guineas, 
for  having  exercised  the  like  cruelty  on  a  male  slave; 
with  this  -tlifference,  that  the  victim  had  died  during  the 

execution. 


XIII. 


EXPEDITION    TO   SURINAM.  34L 

execution.     In  answer  to  his  complaint,  so  far  from  giving   c  u  a  p. 
him  consolation,    I  told  him  liis  distress  gave  me  inex- 
pressible satisfaction. 

The  particulars  of  this  murder  were  as  follow  :  during 
the  time  that  Captain  Tulling  commanded  here,  which 
was  a  little  time  before  I  came  to  the  Hope,  it  iiappened 
that  a  fugitive  negro  belonging  to  this  estate  had  been 
taken  upon  an  adjoining  plantation,  and  sent  home, 
guarded  by  two  armed  slaves,  to  ]\Ir.  Ebber ;  which 
fugitive,  durino-  the  time  Ebber  was  reading;  the  letter 
that  accompanied  him,  found  means  to  spring  aside,  and 
again  escaped  into  the  forest.  This  incensed  the  overseer 
so  ihuch,  that  he  instantly  took  revenge  upon  the  two 
poor  slaves  that  had  brought  him,  tying  them  up  in  the 
carpenter's  lodge.  He  continued  flogging  them  so  unmer- 
cifully, that  Captain  Tulling  thought  proper  to  interfere, 
and  beg  for  mercy  ;  but,  as  in  my  case,  his  interference 
produced  the  opposite  eftect :  the  clang  of  the  whip, 
mixed  with  their  dismal  cries,  were  heard  to  continue 
for  above  an  hour  after,  until  one  of  them  expired  under 
the  cruel  lash,  which  put  an  end  to  the  inhuman  ca- 
tastrophe. A  law-suit  was  instantly  commei)ced  against 
Ebber  for  assassination.  He  was  convicted,  but  condemned 
to  no  other  punishment  than  to  pay  the  afore-mentioned 
hundred  guineas,  which  price  of  blood  is  always  divided 
between  the  fiscal  and  the  proprietor  of  the  deceased 
slave  ;   it  being  a  rule  in  Surinam,  that  by  paying  a  fine. 

of 


<542  NARPwVTIVE   OF   AN 

of  five  hundred  florins,  not  quite  fiily  pounds  per  head, 
any  proprietor  is  at  hbertj  to  kill  as  many  of  his  own 
negroes   as  he  pleases ;  but  if  he  kills  those  of  his  neigh- 
bour, he  is  also  to  pay  him  for  the  loss  of  his  slave,   the 
crime  being  first  substantiated,  which  is  very  difficult  in 
this  country,  where  no  slave's  evidence  can  be  admitted. 
Such  is  the  legislature  of   Dutch  Guiana,    in  regard  to 
negroes.      The   above-mentioned    Ebber    was  peculiarly 
tyrannical ;  he  tormented  a  bo}-  of  about  fourteen  called 
Cadetty,  for  the  space  of  a  whole  year,  by  flogging  him 
every  day  for  one  month ;  tying  him  down  flat  on  his  back, 
with  his  feet  in  the  stocks,  for  another  ;   putting  an  iron 
triangle  *  or  pot-hook  round  his  neck  for  a  third,  which 
prevented  him  from  running  away  among  the  woods,  or 
even  from  sleeping,  except  in  an  upright  or  sitting  posture ; 
chaining  him  to  the  landing-place,  night  and  day,   to  a 
dog's  kennel,  with  orders  to  bark  at  every  boat  or  canoe 
that  passed  for  a  fourth  month ;  and  so  on,  varying  his 
punishment  monthly,  until  the  youth  became  insensible, 
walking  crooked,  and  almost  degenerated  into  a  brute. 
This  wretch  was,  however,  very  proud  of  his  handsomest 
slaves,  and  for  fear  of  disfiguring  their  skins,  he  has  some- 
times let  them   off  with  twenty  lashes,  when,  for  their 
robberies  and   crimes,    they    had   deserved   the   gallows. 
Such  is  the  state  of  public  and  private  justice  in  Surinam. 

*  These  triangles  have  three  long  barbed  spikes^  like  small  grapplings, 
projecting  from  an  iron  collar. 

The 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  343 

The  wretch  Ebber  left    the  Hope    upon  this  occasion ;  chap. 
and  his  Inaiiane  successor,  a  Mr.  Blenderman,  commenced 
his  reign  by  flogging  every  slave  belonging  to  the  estate, 
male  and  female,   for  having  over-slept  then*  time  in  the 
morning;  about  fifteen  minutes. 

The  reader  will,  no  doubt,  imagine,  that  such  cruelties 
were  unparalleled  ;  but  this  is  not  the  case,  they  Avere  even 
exceeded,  and  by  a  female  too. 

A  Mrs.  S — Ik — r  going  to  her  estate  in  a  tent  barge,  a 
negro  woman,  with  her  sucking  infant,  happened  to  be 
passengers,  and  were  seated  on  the  bow  or  fore-part  of  the 
boat.  I'he  child  crying,  from  pain  peihaps,  or  some  other 
reason,  could  not  be  hushed  ;  Mrs.  S — Ik — r,  offended 
with  the  cries  of  this  innocent  little  creature,  ordered  the 
mother  to  bring  it  aft,  and  deliver  il  into  her  hands  ; 
then,  in  the  presence  of  the  distracted  parent,  she  imme- 
diately thrust  it  out  at  one  of  the  tilt- windows,  where 
she  held  it  under  water  until  it  was  drowned,  and  then 
let  it  go.  The  fond  mother,  in  a  state  of  desperation, 
instantly  leapt  overboard  into  the  stream,  where  floated 
her  beloved  offspring,  in  conjunction  with  which  she  was. 
determined  to  finish  her  miserable  existence.  In  this, 
however,  she  was  prevented  by  the  exertions  of  the 
negroes  who  rowed  the  boat,  and  was  punished  by  her 
mistress  with  three  or  four  hundred  lashes  for  her  daring 
temerity. 

Colonel   Fourgeoud  moved  on  the  20th,    with  all  his 

ti'oops. 


344  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

troops,  from  IMagdenberg,  in  order  to  establish  his  head- 
quarters neaier  the  infirmary.  His  army  being  in  a  very 
sickly  condition,  he  fixed  upon  the  estate  called  Ne\v 
Rosenback,  situated  between  the  Hope  and  the  hospital, 
for  his  encampment.  Thither  I  immediatel}'^  repaired,  to 
pa\'  my  respects  to  the  chief;  when  I  saw  the  remainder 
of  his  miserable  army  landed,  and  received  a  further  detail 
of  the  campaign.  I  have  already  mentioned  Captain 
Fredericy's  being  wounded ;  one  man  lost  by  neglect,  and 
another  cut  and  disarmed  ;  the  captives  running  away, 
chains  and  all ;  the  hero  scoft'ed  at,  and  ridiculed  by  his 
sable  enemies  : — I  shall  now  add,  that  a  sick  marine  was 
left  to  die  or  recover  by  himself;  and  that  one  of  the  slaves, 
by  bad  usage,  had  his  arm  broke.  The  captive  negro 
woman  was  also  gone,  never  more  to  return  to  her  con- 
queror, considerably  increased  in  size  from  her  connection 
with  the  troops,  and  likely  to  present  a  new  recruit  to  her 
dusky  monarch.  These  were  the  particulars  of  the  last 
campaign.  But  I  must  mention  the  humanity  of  a  poor 
slave,  Avho,  at  every  hazard,  deserted  Fourgeoud  to  attend 
the  dying  marine ;  and  havmg  performed  the  last  sad  office 
of  friendship,  returned  to  receive  his  punishment,  but  to 
his  infinite  surprise  was  pardoned. 

In  justice  to  Colonel  Fourgeoud  I  must  say,  that  upon 
such  expeditions,  and  in  such  a  climate,  many  of  these 
accidents  cannot  be  prevented  ;  and  that  Avhile  he  killed 
his  troops    by    scores,    without  making  captures  on  the 

enemy, 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  345 

enemy,  he  nevertheless  did  the  colony  considerable  sen'Ice, 
by  disturbing,  hunting,  and  harassing  the  rebels,  and  de- 
stroying their  fields  and  provisions.  For,  it  is  certain,  no 
negro  will  ever  return  to  settle  in  those  haunts  from  Avhicli 
he  has  been  once  expelled.  Colonel  Fourgeoud's  partak- 
ing personally  in  every  danger  and  fatigue  at  his  age, 
must  make  some  amends  for  the  other  faults  that  stained 
his  character,  and  may  even  serve,  in  some  measure,  to 
establish  his  reputation  as  a  man  of  patience  and  forti- 
tude. It  would  give  me  infinitely  more  pleasure  to  write 
nothing  but  in  his  praise ;  but  truth,  and  the  general 
benefit  of  mankind,  requires,  that  whilst  I  display  his 
good  qualities  I  also  point  out  his  failings,  as  they  may 
serve  to  correct  others,  and  by  these  means  even  his  vices 
may  be  rendered  useful.  AVhat  could  be  more  ridiculous, 
than  paying  his  troops  with  silver  at  Paramaribo,  where 
paper  was  just  as  good  ?  and  now,  while  in  the  rivers, 
giving  them  cards,  for  Avhich  they  could  not  procure  a 
yam  or  a  bunch  of  plantains,  Avhile  he  had  whole  chests 
of  specie  in  his  possession  ?  But  his  object  was  to  gain  a 
profit  of  ten  per  cent,  on  the  pay  of  the  whole  regiment, 
and  for  this  he  was  justly  blamed  by  the  corps  in  general. 

On  the  2 1  st,  several  officers  came  to  visit  me  at  the 
Hope,  whom  I  entertained  Avith  a  fish  dinner — amongst 
which  Avere  the  kawiry,  the  lamper,  and  macrdy-fisy,  all 
Avhich  I  shall  briefly  describe.  The  kaAviry  is  a  small  fish 
without  scales,  the  head  is  large,  Avith  tAA'O  long  antennae  or 

Vol.  I.  Y  y  Avhiskers 


346  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

whiskers  projecting  from  the  upper  jaw,  and  is  ver}''  plen- 
tiful in  the  rivers.  The  lamper  is  a  species  of  the  lampern, 
that  are  caught  in  the  Thames  :  those  of  Surinam  are  not 
large,  but  very  fat,  of  a  round  shape,  slimy  or  glutinous ; 
its  colour  a  blueish  green  Avith  yellow  spots,  except  the 
belly,  which  is  Avhite ;  this  fish,  like  the  salmon,  frequents 
both  the  sea  and  the  rivers.  The  macrely-fisy  resembles  a 
mackarel,  whence  it  has  its  name,  only  its  colour  is  more 
blueish,  and  not  near  so  splendid. 

We  were  very  happy,  and  my  guests  perfectly  satisfied 
with  their  entertainment.  But  on  the  morning  of  the  22d 
m}'^  poor  Joanna,  who  had  been  our  cook,  was  attacked 
with  a  violent  fever ;  she  desired  to  be  removed  to  Fau- 
conberg,  there  to  be  attended  by  one  of  her  female  rela- 
tions, which  I  complied  with.  But  on  the  evening  of  the 
25th  she  was  so  extremely  ill,  that  I  determined  to  visit 
her  myself,  but  as  privately  as  possible,  as  Fourgeoud  a\  as 
to  visit  me  at  the  Hope  the  next  day ;  for  his  satirical  jokes 
upon  such  an  occasion  I  could  very  well  dispense  with ; 
and  I  knew  the  most  laudable  motives  Avere  no  protectiori 
against  the  ungovernable  sallies  of  his  temper. 

However  difficult  the  undertaking,  as  I  had  to  pass  close 
to  his  post,  I  like  another  Leander  was  determined  to  cross 
the  Hellespont ;  of  which  having  informed  my  friend 
Heneman,  I  set  out  about  eleven  at  night  in  my  own 
barge,  when  coming  opposite  New  Rosenback,  I  heard 
Fourgcoud's  voice  very  distinctly,  as  he  walked  on  the 
1 1  beach 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  347 

beach  with  some  other  officers,  and  immediately  the  boat 
was  hailed  by  a  sentinel,  and  ordered  to  come  ashore.  I 
now  thought  all  was  over;  but,  persisting  to  the  last,  I 
told  the  negroes  to  answer  Killestyn  Nova,  the  name  of  an 
adjoining  plantation,  and  thus  got  leave  to  proceed  un- 
molested. Soon  after  I  arrived  safe  at  Fauconberg,  and 
found  my  dearest  friend  much  better. 

But  on  the  26th,  in  the  morning,  mistaking  the  day-light 
for  moon-shine,  I  overslept  myself,  and  knew  not  how  to 
return  to  the  Hope,  as  my  barge  and  negroes  could  noAv 
not  pass  without  being  well  known  to  the  Colonel.  Delay 
was  useless  ;  so  out  I  set,  trusting  entirely  to  the  ingenuity 
of  my  slaves,  who  put  me  ashore  just  before  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  head-quarters ;  when  one  of  them  escorted  me 
through  the  woods,  and  I  arrived  safe  at  the  Hope.  But 
here  my  barge  soon  followed  under  a  guard,  and  all  my 
poor  slaves  prisoners,  with  an  order  from  Fonrgeoud  for  me 
to  flog  every  one  of  them,  as  they  had  been  apprehended 
without  a  pass,  while  their  excuse  was  that  they  had  been 
out  a  fishins;  for  their  Massera. 

Their  fidelity  to  me  upon  this  occasion  was  truly  asto- 
nishing, as  they  all  declared  they  would  have  preferred 
being  cut  in  pieces,  rather  than  betray  the  secrets  of  so 
good  a  master.  However,  the  danger  was  soon  over,  as 
I  confirmed  what  they  had  said,  and  added,  that  the  fish 
were  intended  to  regale  the  hero.;  after  which  I  made  a 
donation  of  two  gallons  of  rum  among  my  sable  privy- 

Y  y  2  counsellors. 


348  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

counsellors.  This  passage,  however  trifling,  may  serve  as 
a  sample  not  only  of  European  weakness,  but  of  African 
firmness  and  resolution. 

Notwithstanding  my  preparation,  still  Colonel  Four- 
geoud  did  not  visit  me  on  the  27th,  but  the  next  morning 
Joanna  arrived,  accompanied  by  a  stout  black,  who  was 
her  uncle,  and  whose  arm  was  decorated  with  a  silver  band, 
on  which  were  engraved  these  words  :  "  True  to  the  Euro- 
"  peans."  This  man,  who  was  named  Cojo,  having  volun- 
tarily fought  against  the  rebels,  before  his  companions,  by 
the  inhuman  treatment  of  Mr.  D.  B.  and  his  overseer,  had 
been  forced  to  join  them.  From  these  he  related  to  us  the 
following  remarkable  story,  having  a  little  girl,  called 
Tainera,  by  the  hand  : — "  This  child's  father,"  said  he, 
"  is  one  whose  name  is  Jolly  Coem',  the  first  captain  be- 
"  longing  to  Baron's  men,  and,  not  without  cause,  one  of 
"  the  fiercest  rebels  in  the  forest,  which  he  has  lately  shewn 
"  on  the  neighbouring  estate  of  New  Rosenback,  Avhere 
"  your  colonel  now  commands.  On  that  estate  one 
"  Schults,  a  Jew,  being  the  manager  at  that  time,  who  for- 
*'  merly  was  the  manager  of  Fauconberg,  the  rebels  sud- 
"  denly  appeared,  and  took  possession  of  the  whole  plan- 
"  tation.  Having  tied  the  hands  of  Schults,  and  plun- 
"  dered  the  house,  they  next  began  to  feasting  and  dancing, 
"  before  they  thought  proper  to  end  his  miserable  existence. 
"  In  this  deplorable  situation  now  lay  the  victim,  only 
"  waiting  Baron's  signal  for  death,  when  his  eyes  chancing 


"  to 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  349 

to  catch  the  above  captain's.  Jolly  Cceur,  he  addressed  chap. 
him  nearly  in  the  following  words : — '  O  Jolly  Cceur,  v^^i-^— ^ 
now  remember  Mr.  Schults,  who  was  once  your  deputy- 
master  ;  remember  the  dainties  I  gave  you  from  my  own 
table,  when  you  were  only  a  child,  and  my  favourite,  my 
darling,  among  so  many  others  :  remember  this,  and  now 
spare  my  life  by  your  powerful  intercession.' — The  reply 
of  Jolly  Coeur  was  memorable: — I  remember  it  per- 
fectly well : — '  But  you,  O  tyrant,  recollect  how  you 
ravished  my  pv  or  mother,  and  flogged  my  father  for 
coming  to  her  assistance.  Recollect,  that  the  shameful 
act  was  perpetrated  in  my  infant  presence — Recollect 
this — then  die  by  my  hands,  and  next  be  damn'd.'— 
Saying  this,  he  severed  his  head  from  his  body  w^ith  a 
hatchet  at  one  blow  ;  with  which  having  played  at  bowls 
upon  the  beach,  he  next  cut  the  skin  with  a  knife  from 
his  back,  which  he  spread  over  one  of  the  cannon  to  keep 
the  priming  dry." — ^Thus  ended  the  liistor}' of  ]Mr. Schults; 
when  Cojo,  with  3'oung  Tamera,  departed,  and  left  me  ta 
go,  with  an  increased  impatience,  to  receive  the  news,  that 
I  soon  was  to  expect  frons  Amsterdam,  viz.  when  the  de- 
serving Joanna  should  be  fiee  from  the  villainy  of  such 
pests  of  human  natvu'e. 

On  the  28th,  Colonel  Fourgeoud  arrived  about  ten 
o'clock  with  one  of  his  officers,  and  with  the  very  devil 
painted  in  his  countenance,  which  alarmed  me  much.  I, 
however,  instantly  introduced  him  to  my  cottage,  where 
he  no  sooner  saw  my  mate,  than  the  clouds  (like  a  vapour 

by 


350  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

CHAP,    by  the  sun)  were  dispelled  from  his  gloomy  forehead : 
^^ll  1  and  I  must  confess,  that  I  never  saw  him  behave  with 
more  civility. 


Her  heavenly  form 


"  Angelic,  but  more  soft  and  feminine, 

"  Her  graceful  innocence,  her  every  air 

*'  Of  gesture,  or  least  action,  over-aw'd 

"  His  malice ;  and  with  rapine  sweet  bereav'd 

"  His  fierceness  of  the  fierce  intent  it  brought." 

Milton. 

Having  entertained  him  in  the  best  manner  we  were 
able,  and  now  related  the  story  of  the  Hellespont,  he 
laughed  heartily  at  the  stratagem,  and  giving  us  both  a 
shake  by  the  hand  departed  to  New  Rosenback,  in  good- 
humour  and  perfectly  contented. — Fi'om  all  the  preceding 
circumstances,  the  above  Chapter  may  be  styled  the  golden 
age  of  my  West  India  expedition. 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  351 


CHAP.     XIV. 

Colonel  Fourgeoud  at  Taramariho — Example  of  Ignorance 
in  a  Surgeo'n — Of  Virtue  in  a  Slave — Of  Ferocity  in  a 
Commander — The  Troops  re-enter  the  Woods — Account 
of  Loango  Dancing — Uncommo/i  Proof  of  Fidelity  in  a 

Negro. 

T  TAVING  delayed  his  departure  to  the  29th  of  April,   c  ii  a  p. 
-■-  -■-  Colonel   Fourgeoud   now  finally   rowed   down   for 
Paramaribo,  accompanied  by  a  few  of  his  officers,  to  re- 
fresh themselves ;  of  which,  in  truth,  they  had  great  need, 
Mrhile  an  armed  barge  kept  floating  up  and  down  the  river, 
and  while  the  remaining  emaciated   troops  (which  were 
melted  down  to  a  very  small  number,  and  unfit,  till  recruited 
in    their  constitutions,  for  any   furtlier  military  service) 
greatly  required  some  rest.     Just  before  the  chief's  depar- 
ture,  he  sent  me  (who  now  commanded  the  river)  the 
following  very  cm-ious  instructions,  which,  as  a  proof  of 
his  generalship,  I  cannot  help  inserting  :  Amongst  others, 
"  to  ask   the  planters  if  the  rebels  were  come  to  their 
"  estates,  in  which  case  to  attack  and  drive  them  away  ; 
"  but  not  to  follow  them,  unless  I  was  sure  that  I  cer- 
"  tainly  should  conquer  them,  and  for  any  miscarriage  I 
*'  should  be  called  to  an  account ;"  which  is,  in   plain 

English, 


3-2  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

English,  that  "  if  I  sittacked  the  enemy  without  success, 
"  I  must  be  punished  ;  and  if  I  did  not  attack  them  at 
"  all,  I  was  to  be  called  to  account  for  neglect  of  duty." 
However  judicious  the  other  articles  1  had  received,  I 
could  not  help  thinking  the  above  so  very  absurd,  that  I 
immediately  returned  them  back  by  an  officer,  and  had 
the  good  fortune  (at  my  request)  to  get  them  changed 
into  common  sense. 

How  happy  was  I  at  this  time  in  particular,  who  wanted 
for  nothing,  and  who  had  such  an  agreeable  partner  con- 
stantly near  me,  whose  sweet  conversation  was  divine  music 
to  my  ears,  and  whose  presence  banished  every  languor 
and  hardship  from  my  mind  ! 

One  day,   straying  with  me  through  a  v/atery  savanna, 
I  shot  a  bird,  which  I  found  to  be  the  spur-winged  water- 
hen  of  Edwards.     This  beautiful  creature  is  supposed  to 
be  of  the  plover  kind,  with  the  body  about  the  size  of  a 
pigeon,   being  of  a  deej)  cinnamon  colour,   between  red 
and  a  very  rich  orange  ;  the  neck  and  belly  are  perfectly 
black,   the  larger  feathers  of  the  wings  of  a  bright  yellow, 
and  armed  on  each  pinion  with  a  short  and  sharp  horny 
spur,  which  it  uses  for  its  defence,  as  game-cocks  use  theirs 
in  Endaad.     It  has  no  tad  ;  its  bill  is  near  two  inches  in 
length ;  its  legs  are  long,  and,  as  well  as  the  bill,   are  of  a 
yellowish  green  colour ;  its  toes,  especially  the  hinder  ones, 
are  of  a  remarkable  length,  and  seem  calculated  to  support 
its  weight  iu  the  mud,  where  it  is  most  frequently  seen,  if 

not 


'///f   •  //////■  //'///ac:// // f///'///r //  ^Z f ////// //i^/ . 


///f  _//cf./  /  // /A//'  ."■/ .  ////■. 


f  UCi?/? 


30 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  353 

not  wading  in  the  water  to  seek  its  food.  These  birds, 
like  plovers,  never  swim ;  the}-  have  a  scarlet  crest  and 
small  pearls  (like  those  of  the  Muscov}'  duck)  separating 
the  bill  from  the  eyes ;  they  are  always  seen  in  pairs,  and 
■when  they  fly  produce  an  agreeable  whistling  from  their 
throats.  The  spur-winged  water-hen,  on  account  of  its 
great  beauty,  reminded  me  of  another  fine  bird  I  lately 
saw  upon  one  of  the  neighbouring  estates,  but  which  I 
had  forgotten  to  mention :  this  w^as  the  Guiana  curlew, 
here  called  flamingo,  from  its  great  resemblance  to  the 
famous  bird  of  that  name,  seen  in  Canada  and  many  parts 
of  North  and  South  America,  and  which  is  supposed  to  be 
of  the  crane  kind,  with  its  body  as  large  as  that  of  an 
European  swan.  This  bird,  however,  is  only  the  size  of  a 
small  heron ;  it  has  no  tail,  but  a  very  long  neck,  and 
long  limbs,  with  four  toes :  the  head  is  small,  and  the  bill 
also  long,  round,  and  arched.  The  flamingo  lays  always 
two  eggs,  which,  when  hatched,  the  chickens  appear 
black,  next  grey,  then  white,  as  they  come  nearer  ma- 
turity ;  and,  finally,  the  whole  bird  becomes  a  bright 
scarlet  or  crimson,  some  not  lighter  than  the  colour  of 
blood.  They  live  in  society  like  the  storks,  and  mostly 
on  the  banks  of  rivers,  or  near  the  sea,  where  the}'  are 
seen  in  such  amazing  flocks,  that  the  sands  seem  dyed 
with  vermilion ;  these  birds,  when  young,  are  accounted 
very  good  eating,  and  are  so  tame,  that  on  the  planta- 
tions they  are  freqoently  seen  walking  and  feeding 
Vol.  I.  Z  z  among 


354  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

among  the  poultry,    though   fish  and  animal  food  they 
generally  prefer. 

Thus  I  daily  found  some  new  object  to  describe,  and 
spent  the  most  agreeable  hours,  constantly  accompanied 
by  my  young  mulatto,  upon  this  Elysian  plantation — but 
alas  !  all  at  once,  in  the  midst  of  my  hopes,  my  truly 
halcyon  days  were  blasted,  and  I  v/as  almost  plunged  into 
despair,  by  receiving  the  fatal  news  of  the  death  of  IMr. 
Passalao-e  at  Amsterdam,  to  whom  I  had  written  to  obtain 
my  mulatto's  manumission :  and  what  must  certainly  re- 
double my  distress,  was  the  situation  in  which  she  proved 
to  be,  promising  fair  to  become  a  mother  in  the  space  of 
a  few  months.  It  was  now  that  I  saw  a  thousand  horrors 
intrude  all  at  once  upon  my  dejected  spirits ;  not  only  my 
friend  but  my  offspring  to  be  a  slave,  and  a  slave  under 
such  a  government ! — Mr.  Passalage,  on  whom  I  relied, 
dead — the  whole  estate  going  to  be  sold  to  a  new  master 
—  I  could  not  bear  it,  and  was  totally  distracted  ;  nay, 
must  have  died  of  grief  had  not  the  mildness  of  her  temper 
supported  me,  by  suggesting  the  flattering  hopes  that 
Lolkens  would  still  be  our  friend.  In  the  midst  of  these 
reflections,  on  the  evening  of  the  4th,  we  heard  the 
report  of  several  alarm-guns  towards  the  North  East,  on 
which,  by  day-break  next  morning,  I  sent  a  detachment 
to  Rio-Pirica,  which  returned  about  noon  with  the  account 
of  the  rebels  attacking  the  estate  Merseille,  in  the  ri^er 
Cottica;  but  that  they  had  been  beaten  back  by  the 
3  plantation 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  355 

plantation  slaves,  as  they  had  Ijefore  by  those  of  Korten- 
duur.  The  other  news  was,  that  they  had  ill  treated  a 
party  of  poor  Indians,  suspecting  them  to  have  assisted 
the  estates  in  making  their  defence ;  also  that  at  Parama- 
ribo, an  insurrection  ^^^as  discovered  amons;  the  neoroes, 
who  had  determined  to  join  the  rebels,  after  first  having 
massacred  all  the  inhabitants  ;  that,  however,  they  were 
detected,  and  the  ringleaders  executed. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th,  Ave  again  heard  several 
musquet-shot  in  the  woods,  which  apprehending  to  be 
some  European  party  that  had  lost  their  way,  I  made  my 
sentinel  answer  the  signals  of  distress,  by  firing  his  piece 
alternately  with  theirs,  shot  for  shot,  to  which  I  added  two 
drums,  that  kept  beating  for  several  hours  without  inter- 
mission, when  the  report  of  their  fire-arms  gradually  ap- 
proached nearer  and  nearer :  and  now  at  length  appeared 
a  Society  serjeant  and  six  privates  that  belonged  to 
Reedwyk  in  Pirica,  and  had  been  lost  in  the  forest  for 
three  days,  nearly  starved,  without  hammocks,  meat,  or 
drink,  excepting  water.  Having  refreshed  them  in  the 
best  manner  I  was  able,  they  all  recovered  to  my  very 
great  satisfaction,  though  one  of  them  remained  perfectly 
blind  for  several  hours,  with  the  sting  of  a  kind  of 
wasps,  Avhich  are  known  in  this  country  by  the  name  of 
marohonso ;  of  which  the  only  thing  that  I  can  say  is, 
that  they  are  extremely  large,  live  in  hollow  trees,  are 
the  strongest  of  the  bee  kind,   and  sting  so  violently, 

z  z  2  that 


356  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

that  the  pain  is   excruciating,   and    always    occasions  a 
fevei'. 

Having,  on  the  12th,  swam  twice  across  the  river 
Cottica,  which  is  above  half  a  mile  broad,  I  came 
home  in  a  shiver,  and  next  da}'  had  an  intermitting  fever : 
by  abstaining,  however,  from  animal  food,  and  using 
plenty  of  acid  with  my  drink,  1  had  no  doubt  of  getting 
well  in  a  fcAv  days  ;  the  more  so,  as  tamarinds  grew  here 
in  profusion. 

Indeed,  on  the  l6th,  I  was^  almost  perfectly  recovered, 
(weakness  excepted)  when  about  ten  in  the  morning,  as 
I  was  sitting  with  Joanna  before  my  cottage,  I  had  an  un- 
expected visit  from  a  Mr.  Steger,  who  happened  to  be 
one  of  our  surgeons.  After  having  felt  my  pulse,  and  ex- 
amined my  tongue,  he  declared  Avithout  ceremony  that  I 
should  be  dead  before  the  morroAV,  unless  Avithout  further 
delay  I  made  use  of  his  prescription.  I  acknowledge  the 
sentence  staggered  me  so  much  that,  though  at  other  times 
I  never  used  medicines  at  all,  I  instantly  SAvalloAved  the 
dose,  which  he  had  prepared  for  me  in  a  tumbler,  Avithout 
hesitation,  but  almost  as  instantly  I  dropped  doAvn  on  the 
ground. 

In  this  manner  I  lay  till  the  20th,  being  four  days  be- 
fore I  came  to  my  senses,  Avhen  I  found  myself  stretched 
on  a  mattress  in  my  little  house,  Avith  poor  Joanna  sitting 
by  me  alone,  and  bathed  in  tears,  Avho  begged  of  me  at 
that  time  to  ask  no  questions,  for  fear  of  hurting  my 

spirits, 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  357 

spirits,  but  who  next  clay  related  to  me  the  dismal  trans- 
action, viz.  that  the  moment  I  fell,  four  strong  negroes 
had  taken  me  up,  and  by  her  direction  placed  me  where 
I  now  was ;  that  the  surgeon  having  put  blisters  on  se- 
veral parts  of  my  body,  had  finally  declared  that  I  was 
dead,  and  had  suddenly  left  the  plantation,  when  a  grave 
and  coffin  were  ordered  for  my  burial  on  the  1 7th,  which 
she  had  prevented  by  dropping  upon  her  knees  to  implore 
a  delay  ;  that  she  had  dispatched  a  black  to  her  aunt  at 
Fauconberg  for  wine-vinegar,  and  a  bottle  of  old  Rhenish, 
with  the  first  of  which  she  had  constantly  bathed  my 
temples,  wrists,  and  feet,  by  keeping  without  inter- 
mission five  wet  handkerchiefs  tied  about  them,  Avhile 
with  a  tea-spoon  she  had  found  means  to  make  me  swal- 
low a  few  drops  of  the  wine  mulled  ;  that  I  had  lain 
motionless  during  all  that  time ;  while  she  had  day  and 
night,  by  the  help  of  Quaco  and  an  old  negro,  attended 
me,  still  hoping  for  my  recovery :  for  which  she  now 
thanked  her  God.  To  all  this  I  could  only  answer  by  the 
tear  of  sympathy  that  started  from  my  eyes,  and  a  feeble 
squeeze  of  my  hand. 

I  had,  however,  the  good  fortune  to  recover,  but  so 
sIoAvly  that,  notwithstanding  the  great  care  that  was  taken 
of  me  by  that  excellent  young  woman,  (to  whom  alone 
I  owed  my  life)  it  was  the  15th  of  June  before  I  could 
walk  by  myself,  during  all  which  time  I  was  carried  on  a 
species  of  chair  by  two  negroes,   supported  on  two  poles 

like 


358  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

like  a  sedan,  and  fed  like  an  infant,  being  so  lame  and 
enervated  that  I  was  not  able  to  bring  my  hand  to  my 
mouth  ;  while  poor  Joanna  (who  had  suffered  too  much 
on  my  account)  was  for  several  days  following  very  ill 
herself. 

Great  was  the  change  from  what  I  had  been  but  so 
shortly  before — then  the  most  healthy  and  most  happy  in 
body  and  mind,   and  now  depressed  to  the  lowest  ebb,  in 
my  constitution  and  my  spirits.     My  friend  Heneman, 
who  visited  me  every  day,  at  this  time  told  me  that  upon 
information  he  had  discovered  the  medicine  which  had  so 
nearly  killed  me  to  be  only  tartar-emetic  and  ipecacuanha, 
but  in  too  great  a  quantity,  viz.  four  grains  of  the  first, 
mixed  with  forty  grains  of  the  latter ;  the  surgeon  having 
measured  my  constitution  by  my  size,  which  is  above  six 
feet.     I  was  so  much  incensed  at  this  piece  of  stupidity, 
that  on   the  4th   of  June,   having   drank   his    Britannic 
Majesty's  health  in  a  rummer  of  Madeira,  and  the  fatal 
surgeon  coming  to  make  me  a  bow,    he  no  sooner  put 
his  foot  on  the  landing-place,  where  I  was  sitting  in  my 
palanquin  or  chair  for  air,  than,  having  previously  clubbed, 
one  of  the  poles  that  carried  me,  upon  my  shoulder,  I  let 
it  fall  upon  his  guilty  pericranium,  my  strength  being  as 
yet  too  feeble  to  aim  a  blow.     The  poor  fellow  no  sooner 
felt  the  weight  of  the  pole,  than  forgetting  the  rest  of  his 
compliments,  he  skipped  back  into  his  boat  with  all  expe- 
dition, with  Avhich  he  decamped  as  fast  as  the  negroes 

could 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  359 

could  row  liim,  to  our  no  small  entertainment,  who  saluted   chap. 
him  with  three  cheers. 

About  this  time,  while  the  troops  were  doing  nothing, 
two  of  the  bravest  men  in  the  colony,  with  the  rangers, 
entered  the  woods,  viz.  Captain  Fredericy,  and  the  militia 
captain,  Stoelman  ;  they  killed  three  or  four  of  the  rebels, 
and  took  a  few  more  prisoners,  who  had  been  starving  for 
want  of  subsistence  ever  since  Fourgeoud  had  ransacked 
the  surrounding  forest,  and  destroyed  their  fields.  In 
the  creek  Patamaca  also,  two  rebel  negroes,  attempting 
to  plunder  Mr.  Winey's  plantation,  were  shot  by  his 
slaves,  who  sent  their  right  hands  barbacued  to  Para- 
maribo. 

Being  still  so  weak  that  T  was  unfit  for  any  duty,  even 
at  the  Hope,  I  now  surrendered  the  command  of  that  post 
to  the  next  officer  in  rank  :  and  expecting  that  a  change 
of  air  would  be  beneficial  to  me,  Avith  the  previous  know- 
ledge of  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  I  went  on  a  visit  to  a  neigh- 
bouring  estate,  called  Egmond,  where  the  planter.  Monsieur 
de  Cachelieu,  a  French  gentleman,  had  given  me  a  most 
hearty  invitation,  with  Joanna,  my  boy  Quaco,  and  a  white 
servant.  At  this  place  I  v/as  extremely  comfortable,  and 
nothing  could  be  better  calculated  for  my  speedy  recovery 
than  this  Frenchman's  hospitality  and  good-humour.  How 
inconsistent  with  this  was  his  injustice  and  severity  to  his 
slaves  !  For  instance,  two  young  negroes,  Avho  well 
deserved  a  flogging,  by  breaking  in  and  robbing  their 

master's 


360  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

CHAP,    master's  store-house,  came  off  with  a  few  lashes ;  while 

XIV. 

two  old  ones,  for  a  trifling  dispute,  were  each  condemned 
to  receive  no  less  than  three  hundred. 

On  my  asking  the  cause  of  this  partiality,  I  was  an- 
swered by  Mons.  de  Cachelieu,  that  the  young  ones  had 
still  a  very  good  skin,  and  might  do  much  work ;  whereas 
the  old  ones  had  long  been  disfigured,  worn  out,  and 
almost  unfit  for  any  service ;  nay,  that  killing  them 
altogether  would  be  a  benefit  to  the  estate. — At  Arentrust, 
a  few  plantations  lower  down,  some  days  before,  a  poor 
negro  was  sent  with  a  letter  from  his  proprietor  to  the 
manager  there — this  last,  not  liking  the  contents,  gave 
the  messenger  four  hundred  lashes,  telling  the  innocent 
man,  at  the  same  time,  to  carry  that  for  the  answer  to 
his  master. 

But  to  return  to  my  French  host,  (who  was,  in  this 
alone  excepted,  as  polite,  hospitable,  and  well-bred  a  man 
as  ever  I  would  wish  to  converse  with)  I  must  mention 
some  particulars  of  his  remarkable  oeconomy,  viz.  a  West- 
India  rabbit,  called  in  Surinam  coiiet/  coney,  and  by  the 
Indians  puccarara,  but  properly  the  agouti,  I  saw  one  day 
come  roasted  to  the  table.  Of  this,  he  and  I  eat  one 
quarter.  Next  day  it  made  its  appearance  a  la  crapodine, 
that  is,  with  salt  and  pepper  on  the  gridiron.  The  third 
day  the  remaining  half  entered  in  the  form  of  a  French 
fricasee ;  and  a  fourth,  the  last  quarter  was  converted  into 
what  i  call  meagre  soup. 

This 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  36i 

This  I  relate  as  a  fact ;  and  though  the  planter,  his  chap. 
overseer,  his  dog,  and  his  two  cats,  could  not  weigh 
fourteen  stone  amongst  them  all,  no  family  in  Surinam 
could  be  more  healthy  or  contented. — As  an  instance  of 
abstemiousness,  the  overseer,  Mr.  Bodewyn,  declared  that 
he  never  had  fought  a  battle,  fired  a  nmsquet,  mounted  a 
horse,  or  taken  any  illicit  freedom ;  though  he  acknow- 
ledged he  was  every  day  dressed  and  shaved  by  the  soft 
hand  of  a  young  negro  female. 

Nothing  could  be  better  than  the  oranges  and  china 
apples  that  I  found  on  this  estate. — The  first  I  have 
already  described  ;  and,  though  often  confounded  with  the 
latter,  it  is  a  very  distinct  fruit  upon  the  whole.  The  China 
apples,  or  Seville  oranges,  as  they  are  usually  called,  differ 
in  this  from  the  other  oranges,  that  they  are  more  lucid, 
and  of  a  more  savoury  taste ;  that  the  shell  is  smoother, 
thinner,  and  not  so  deep  coloured  ;  and  particularly,  that 
while  the  oranges  may  be  eaten  in  any  quantit}-,  without 
pernicious  consequences,  the  immoderate  use  of  the  China 
apples  is  by  long  experience  in  this  colony  found  to  pro- 
duce very  dangerous  effects.  This  fruit  being  here  much 
the  same  as  that  which  conies  from  Lisbon,  it  is  supposed 
to  have  been  imported  at  first  (as  was  the  other)  by  the 
Portuguese  or  the  Spaniards;  and  it  may  well  be  conceived, 
that  in  those  countries,  where  it  drops  ripe  from  the  trees 
in  golden  clusters,  it  must  be  incomparably  more  delicious 
than  it  can  ever  be  tasted  in  Great  Britain,  being  sent 

Vol.  I.  -       3  A  thither 


362  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

thither  green,  after  which  it  indeed  becomes  orange,  but 
can  never  arrive  to  its  proper  state  of  maturity.  As  for 
the  fine  fragrance  that  is  diffused  through  all  this  colony, 
by  the  continued  groves  of  orange-blossoms  and  odorife- 
rous fruits  that  it  produces,  it  can  be  more  easily  con- 
ceived than  described.  I  also  found  some  fine  lemons  on 
this  estate,  which  however  are  here  thick  shelled,  but  very 
large.  There  are  also  a  species  of  sAveet  ones,  which  are 
smaller,  and  which  have,  in  my  opinion,  a  very  insipid 
taste. 

Plaving  mentioned  Mons.  de  Cachelieu's  fine  fruit,  I 
ought  not  to  forget  his  excellent  French  wines,  which  M'ere 
perfectly  unadulterated  and  truly  delicious,  particularly 
his  muscadell.  But  in  spite  of  all  these  good  things,  I 
still  continued  a  valetudinarian,  being  oppressed  with 
weakness  and  indigestion.  Thus,  in  hopes  that  exercise 
on  horseback  might  do  me  good,  I  determined  to  take 
leave  of  my  hospitable  French  friend,  and  ask  leave  of 
absence  to  go  for  some  time  to  Paramaribo. 

In  consequence,  on  the  9th,  Colonel  Fourgeoud  arriving 
in  the  river  at  the  estate  Crawassibo,  and  expecting  soon 
to  renew  his  manoeuvres,  I,  on  the  10th,  wrote  him  a 
letter  for  the  above  purpose,  and  also  for  above  six  months 
pay,  which  was  due  to  me.  I  was  answered,  on  the  1 2th, 
not  only  with  a  negative  to  both  my  requests,  which  had 
been  granted  to  other  officers,  but  in  so  truly  impertinent 
a  style,  as  I  could  not,  even  from  himself,  have  expected — 

I  such 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  363 

such  as  calling  in  question  my  zeal,  though  he  knew  I  was 
sick ;  and  refusing  me  my  own  money,  or  even  the  proper 
remedies  and  means  of  recovering.  This  incensed  me  so 
much,  that  I  wrote  him  a  second  letter,  to  let  him  know  I 
was  incapable  of  doing  or  asking  any  thing  unbecoming 
my  character,  but  on  the  contrary  (ill  as  I  was)  ready  to 
give  him  such  j^roofs  of  my  honour  as  should  leave  him 
no  farther  room  to  doubt  of  it,  should  he  be  pleased  to 
put  it  to  the  proof.  This  epistle,  Aveak  and  unfit  as  I  was 
for  service,  I  followed  in  person  two  days  after,  with  my 
French  friend  Cachelieu  for  my  companion  and  voucher, 
who  gave  me  the  use  of  his  tilt-barge  with  eight  oars  for 
the  purpose. 

On  our  arrival  I  expected  to  see  Fourgeoud  raging  with 
resentment,  that  he  would  put  nie  under  an  arrest,  and 
ask  an  explanation  of  our  last  correspondence.  But  I 
dreaded  not  the  worst  that  he  could  do,  after  the  man}' 
trials  to  ruin  me  which  he  had  already  put  in  execution, 
and  death  itself  was  almost  preferable  to  his  cruelty. 

Monsieur  de  Cachelieu  and  I,  however,  were  both  dis- 
appointed. He  not  only  took  us  politely  by  the  hand,  but 
solicited  us  to  dine  with  him,  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
But  this  affectation  I  despised,  and  refused  to  accept  of  his 
invitation  with  contempt,  in  which  I  was  followed  by  the 
French  planter.  When,  in  my  turn,  I  enquired  for  the 
cause  of  his  refusing  my  request,  and  sending  me  so 
strange  a  letter,  this  was  the  answer — That  thirty  or  forty 

3  A  2  of 


364  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

c  u  A  p.  of  the  Ouca  negroes,  who  were  our  alhes  by  treaty,  had 
deceived  him,  in  doing  nothing  while  they  had  been  in  the 
woods,  and  during  the  time  he  had  been  at  Paramaribo : 
that  he  was  in  consequence  determined  to  push  on  the  war 
with  double  vigour ;  on  which  account  he  had  not  only 
forbidden  me  to  go  to  town,  but  had  since  ordered  even 
all  the  sick  officers  to  come  up  and  to  follow  the  enemy, 
while  they  had  strength  or  breath  remaining,  not  so  much 
as  leaving  one  at  Paramaribo  to  guard  the  colours  and  the 
regiment's  chest,  which  had  both  been  left  to  the  care  of  a 
quarter-master. — This,  indeed,  was  literally  the  fact ;  but 
to  this  he  might  safely,  and  without  hurting  his  conscience, 
have  added,  the  inveteracy  of  his  disposition,  with  which 
he  had  determined  to  persecute  me  and  some  others  to  anni- 
hilation. I  ought  to  mention,  that  it  was  not  till  about 
this  time  that  he  issued  orders  to  be  observed  on  a  march, 
and  that  previous  to  this  every  thing  was  performed  in 
perfect  hurry  and  confusion,  which  indeed  even  afterwards 
Avas  too  frequently  the  case. 

Having  now  been  near  two  months  on  the  estate 
Egmond,  where  I  could  not  recover,  and  not  being  per- 
mitted to  go  to  Paramaribo,  I  preferred  returning  back 
again  to  take  the  command  at  the  Hope ;  where  having 
entertained  Monsieur  de  Cachelieu  in  the  best  manner 
I  was  able,  this  gentleman  in  the  evening  returned  to  his 
plantation. 

At  the  Hope  I  found  my  friend  Mr.  Heneman  (who 

was 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  36 

was  now  made  a  captain)  very  sick,  with  several  others. 
All  these,  as  well  as  myself,  Avere  left  without  a  surgeon, 
medicines,  or  money ;  while,  as  I  stated  before,  the 
many  hogsheads  of  wine  sent  from  Amsterdam,  together 
with  scores  of  kegs  containing  preserved  vegetables,  and 
other  fresh  provisions,  were  for  ever  kept  invisible  from 
the  poor,  emaciated,  and  languishing  troops,  for  whom 
they  had  certainly  been  intended  by  that  city.  I  indeed 
here  made  one  more  attempt  to  recover  our  property,  but 
to  no  purpose ;  money,  medicines,  wine,  and  refreshments, 
were  all  kept  back.  Thus  did  we  continue  to  pine  and 
lose  strength,  instead  of  gaining  it.  I  mean  the  greatest 
part  of  us ;  as  for  myself,  I  had  the  least  cause  to  com- 
plain, being  well  attended  by  Joanna  and  my  servants, 
who  the  next  day  all  arrived  from  Egmond  at  the  Hope, 
besides  receiving  presents,  which  were  as  usual  sent  me 
from  all  quarters.  One  additional  inconvenience  I  however 
felt — my  feet  were  infested  with  chigoes,  which  I  partly 
impute  to  having,  during  my  illness,  worn  stockings  and 
shoes  while  at  the  good  Frenchman's  estate  Egmond.  Of 
this  troublesome  insect  1  have  already  made  some  mention, 
as  being  extremely  numerous  at  Devil's  Harwar,  but  now 
shall  circumstantially  describe  it. 

The  chigoe  is  a  kind  of  small  sand-flea,  that  gets  in 
between  the  skin  and  the  flesh  without  its  being  felt, 
and  generally  under  the  nails  of  the  toes;  where,  while 
it  feeds,   it  keeps  growing  till  it  becomes  the  size  of  a 

large 


366  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

large  pea,   causing  no  further   pain  than  a  disagreeable 
itching ;  in  process  of  time  it  appears  in  the  form  of  a 
small  bladder,  in  which  are  deposited  thousands  of  eggs 
or  nits,  and  which,  if  it  breaks,  produce  so  many  young 
chigoes,    that  in  course  of  time    create  running  ulcers, 
which  are  often  of  very  dangerous   consequence  to  the 
patient :  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  I  have  known  a  soldier, 
the  soles  of  whose  feet  Avere  obliged  to  be  cut  away  with  a 
razor,  before  he  could  recover ;  and  some  men  have  lost 
their  limbs  by  amputation — nay  even  their  lives,  by  having 
neglected  in  time  to  root  out  these  abominable  vermin. 
The  moment,  therefore,  that  one  perceives  a  kind  of  itching 
and  redness  more  than  usual  about  the  feet,  it  is  time  to 
begin  extracting  the  chigoe  that  occasions  it :  this  is  done 
with  a  sharp-pointed  needle,  at  which  operation  the  black 
girls  are  extremely  dexterous,   taking  every  care  not  to 
occasion  imnecessary  pain,  and  to  prevent  the  chigoo  or 
bladder  from  breaking  in  the  wound.     The  cure  is  to  put 
tobacco-ashes  in  the  orifice,  by  which  in  a  little  time  it  is 
perfectly  healed.     Being  at  this  time,  as  I  have  just  men- 
tioned, infested  with  the  chigoes,  Joanna  with  her  needle 
picked  twenty-three  of  these  insects  out  of  my  left  foot; 
which  being  all  hatched  under  the  nails,  caused,  as  may 
be  imagined,  the  most  terrible  torment,  but  which  I  bore 
without  flinching,  with  the  resolution  of  an  African  negro. 
These  are  the  insects  called  niquas  by  the  Spaniards  at 
Carthagena. 

On 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  367 

On  the  2 1  st  I  received  a  letter  from  the  Commander  in 
chief,  not  an  answer  to  my  last,  but  orders  to  send  him 
up  to  the  estate  Crawassibo  (Avhich  was  at  present  his 
head-quarters)  all  the  provisions,  kettles,  axes,  &c.  that 
could  be  spared  from  the  Hope,  as  he  was  preparing  to 
re-enter  the  woods.  I  accordingly  dispatched  them  the 
next  day  :  but  the  supply  of  victuals  was  not  great;  for  a 
whole  barge,  with  beef  and  pork,  bound  for  the  Hope, 
had  been  shipwrecked  in  the  river. 

On  the  25  th    Mr.  Steger,    the    surgeon    who    had    so 
nearly  poisoned  me  that  I  could  not  yet  get  the  better  of 
the  effects  of  his  ignorance,  was  discharged  from  the  regi- 
ment, as  incapable  of  his  profession.  Still,  notwithstanding 
my  unsettled  state  of  health,  as  several  officers  were  going 
to  join  Fourgeoud  about  this  time,   and  weak  as  I  was,  I 
intreated  once  more  to  be  one  of  the  party.     But  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th,   his  adjutant,  with  another  surgeon, 
visiting  all    the  troops   that  were    in   Comewina,    I   was 
deemed  totally  incapable  of  supporting  the  fatigue :   in- 
deed so  much  so,  that  relapsing  on  the  29th,  I  was  even 
glad  to  be  superseded  in  the  command  of  the  river  by 
the  major,    Mr.   Medlar,  who  arrived  at  the  Hope  this 
day  for   that  purpose.      Nevertheless  I  was  condemned 
to  linger  at  this  place,  while  one  month  at  Paramaribo 
might  have  perfectly  recovered  me. — I  had  now  nothing 
to  do  but  to  continue  my  drawings,  for  v/hich  the  above 
gentleman  at  that  time  offered  me  one  hundred  crowns, 

but 


368  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

but  my  desire  was,  if  possible,  to  complete  the  collection ; 
and  when  I  had  the  strength,  1  Avalked  round  the  planta- 
tion with  my  gun.     Amongst  others,  I  shot,  on  the  3d  of 
September,  a  small  bird,  called  kibry-fowlo,  on  account  of 
its  continuing  in  a  manner  constantly  under  cover.     It 
was  about  the  size  of  a  thrush,  and  very  much  the  colour 
of  a  quail,  which  it  also  exactly  resembled  in  shape,  but 
the  limbs  were  rather  longer,  and  the  bill  was  extremely 
sharp-pointed.    This  bird  is  very  seldom  seen  on  the  wing, 
but  runs  incredibly  fast  through  the  grass  and  savannas, 
where  it  hides  itself  the  instant  it  is  perceived.     When 
dressed,  it  Avas  as  fat  as  a  lump  of  butter,  and  as  delicious 
as  an  European  ortolan. 

On  the  1  Ith  of  September,  Fourgeoud  at  last  broke  up 
from  Crawassibo,  and,  with  all  the  able  troops  he  could 
collect  (which  were  now  not  much  more  than  one  hundred) 
he  again  marched  into  the  forest  after  the  enemy ;  having 
previously  taken  away  the  post  from  the  Jew  Savannah, 
which  he  placed  at  the  forsaken  estate  Oranjebo,  in  the 
very  upper  parts  of  Rio  Comewina,  leaving  the  river 
Surinam  to  take  care  of  itself. 

On  the  19th  of  this  month  in  the  forenoon,  a  herd  of 
Avild  swine,  called  pingos,  (more  than  two  hundred  in 
number)  having  lost  their  way  in  the  forest,  came  to  the 
Hope,  galloping  over  the  plantation,  when  above  a  score 
of  them  were  killed  by  the  negroes,  who  knocked  them 
down  with  their  bill-hooks  and  axes.      In  Surinam  the 

wild 


l-//iC'  ,'xS/^^  //'/■/ /'/vy;  ^'/-  /L///  ,^Jpf//-  r'/  /y/z/a/zt'/ 


Cj2y;^'_^^^//-y'^;  (7r  G  ///'^XUV^n  '-."^/(^Z . 


Limlftt ,  riihli.thr<l  nrcr:i"''f;i):i,hy  .f.Jrlui.-;ii  .%'  I'miLr  Cliiinli  V.ii;! . 


EXPEDITION  TO  SURINAM.  369 

wild  boars  are  of  three  species;    which  I  will  embrace 
this   opportunity   to   describe — these  are  the  pingos   or 
zeiaree  above-mentioned,  the  cras-pingo,  and  the  Mexican 
hog,  called  the  peccary.     The  pingos  are  about  the  size 
of  our   English   small  hogs  ;    they  are  black,   and   have 
coarse    bristles   thinly   scattered ;    they  live  in  herds    of 
sometimes  above  three  hundred,  in  the  thickest  parts  of 
the  forest,   and  run  always  in  a  line,  the  one  closely  fol- 
lowing the  other  ;   when  the  foremost  or  leader  is  shot, 
the  line  is  instantly  broken,    and    the  whole    herd  is  in 
'  confusion ;   for  which    reason   the  Indians  take  care   (if 
possible)    to   knock  their  captain   on  the    head    before 
the   rest ;    after   this   the   others  even  often   stand   still, 
stupidly  looking   at   one   another,    and    allowing    them- 
selves to  be  killed  one  by  one,  of  which  I  have  been  a 
witness.      They  do  not    attack   the  human  species,    nor 
make  any  resistance  at  all,  like  the  European  wild-boar, 
when   wounded,    as   has    been    by   some  authors  errone- 
ously asserted.     As  for  their  attacking  dogs,    I  can  say 
nothing  about  it,  never  having  had  any  with  me  when  I 
met  them. — The  cras-pingos  are  large,  armed  vvith  strong 
tusks,  and  their  bristles  still  coarser  than  the  former.    This 
large  species  indeed  are  very  dangerous,  as  well  from  their 
strength  as  their  ferocity,  attacking  any  thing  that  obstructs 
them  in  their  way,  especially  Avhen  wounded.   They  move 
in  the  same  manner,  and  in  as  large  herds,  as  the  former, 
but  inhabit  chiefly  the  more  inland  parts  of  the  country. 
Vol.  I.  3  B  Both 


S70  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

Both  these  species,  when  they  hear  the  smallest  noise  in 
the  forest  that  indicates  danger,  stop  short  in  their  course, 
form  in  a  close  body,  and  gnash  their  teeth,  preparing 
themselves  for  defence  against  the  enemy :  I  am  of 
opinion  that  these  are  not  natural  to  Guiana,  but  ori- 
ginally from  Africa  and  Europe.  Their  flesh  is  eaten 
with  avidity  by  the  natives,  and  even  esteemed  by  the 
white  inhabitants,  but  is  in  my  opinion  dry,  hard,  and 
unsavoury. — That  species  which  is  called  the  peccary  or 
Mexican  hog,  is  alone  supposed  to  be  indigenous  to 
Guiana,  and  will  not  intermix  with  either  the  wild  or 
domestic  hogs.  This  animal  is  particularly  remarkable  by 
having  an  orifice  on  the  back,  which  is  vulgarly  mistaken 
for  its  navel,  and  which,  being  about  one  inch  deep,  con- 
tains a  stinking  fetid  liquor,  Avhich  some  compare  to  the 
smell  of  musk,  but  which  is  so  very  disagreeable,  that  the 
instant  the  animal  is  killed,  the  natives  take  care  to  cut 
away  this  part  with  a  knife,  to  prevent  its  infecting  the 
flesh,  which  it  would  soon  do,  making  it  so  disgusting  as 
not  to  be  eatable.  The  length  of  the  peccary  is  about 
three  feet :  it  has  no  tail ;  fine  limbs,  short  tusks,  and 
yellowish  grey  bristles,  much  resembling  those  of  an 
English  hedge-hog;  on  the  back  they  are  very  long,  but 
on  the  sides  and  on  the  belly  they  are  both  short  and  yery 
thinly  scattered.  This  creature  has  a  light-coloured  spot 
that  comes  down  from  the  shoulder  on  each  side  the 
breast,  something  like  a  horse-collar.  Hogs  of  this  species 
1 0  are 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  371 

ave  more  uncommon  in  the  low  and  marshy  countries  than 
in  the  inland  parts,  where  they  prefer  feeding  amongst  the 
mountains  and  dry  savannas.  The  peccary  is  easily  tamed, 
and  in  that  state  harmless  and  inoffensive,  but  not  so 
stupid  as  is  asserted  by  the  Count  de  Butfon,  who  says, 
they  know  no  person,  and  have  no  attachment  to  those 
that  feed  them  ;  for  Major  Medlar  had  one  at  the  Hope 
that  followed  him  like  a  dog,  and  shewed  the  greatest  de- 
light in  being  caressed  by  its  master.  I  ought  also  to 
observe  that  it  is,  when  irritated,  very  vicious  and  mis- 
chievous. They  go  in  large  herds  as  the  other  species, 
produce  many  young  at  a  time,  and  their  grunting  is 
extremely  loud  and  disagreeable. 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th,  we  again  heard  the  report 
of  several  guns  toward  the  river  Cottica,  where  it  since 
appeared  the  rebels  were  a  second  time  beaten  back  from 
the  plantation  INIerseille,  by  the  fidelity  and  bravery  of  the 
slaves  belonging  to  that  estate. 

On  the  8th  of  the  succeeding  month,  we  received  the 
news,  that  Colonel  Fourgeoud,  having  discovered  and 
destroyed  some  fields  belonging  to  the  enemy  (who  had 
again  kept  up  a  distant  conversation  with  him)  and 
having  found  the  mangled  remains  of  poor  Schmidt,  who 
had  been  murdered  by  the  rebels,  as  I  related  above,  was 
once  more  come  with  his  troops  to  Magdenberg,  Avhere 
he  encamped  till  the  eleventh.  He  then  re-entered  the 
forest,  previously  sending  to  the  Hope  the  sick,  and  with 

3  B  2  them 


372  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

CHAP,  them  a  young  officer  under  an  arrest,  in  order  to  be 
tried  for  not  being  able  to  undergo  the  fatigues  as  well 
as  himself.  In  other  words,  having  been  ordered  to 
watch  two  days  and  two  nights,  the  youth  had  proved 
unequal  to  the  task,  and  had  dropt  asleep  under  arms,  as 
he  was  sitting  on  the  ground.  The  climate  indeed  was 
such  that  even  without  these  trials  nature  was  often 
overcome. 

The  preservation  of  Fourgeoud's  vigour  hitherto  may,, 
in  a  great  uieasure,  be  attributed  to  his  continuall}' 
drinking  a  medicine  he  called  tisan,  in  large  full  basons» 
which  had  a  most  nauseous  taste,  and  was  composed  of 
the  Jesuits  bark,  cream  of  tartar,  and  stick-liquorice,  boiled 
together,  which  he  drank  as  hot  as  he  could  bear  it,  and 
to  which  having  accustomed  his  constitution,  he  could  not 
do  without  it.  In  this,  however,  he  was  followed  by  none 
of  the  rest,  as  they  were  apprehensive  that  when  this 
should  once  cease  to  operate,  (which  it  must  at  last)  all 
other  medicines  in  time  of  real  need  would  be  ineftectual. 
As  for  my  own  part,  I  still  continued  to  be  so  exceedingly 
weak,  that  I  almost  despaired  of  evermore  recovering ; 
while  my  depressed  spirits,  on  account  of  Joanna's  critical 
and  almost  hopeless  situation,  greatly  contributed  to  pre- 
vent the  restoration  of  my  health.  These  alarms  were  not 
diminished  on  the  21st,  when,  being  visited  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lolkens  at  the  Hope,  this  gentleman  told  me,  that 
the  whole  estate  Fauconberg  was  again  transferred,  with 

its 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  37s 

its  dependants,  since  the  death  of  Mr.  Passalage ;  that  chap. 
the  new  proprietor  was  a  Mr.  Lude  of  Amsterdam,  with  ^^^' 
whom  he  had  not  the  smallest  interest ;  and  that  there 
was  in  town  a  general  report  that  we  had  both  been 
poisoned.  This  sentence  was,  however,  greatly  alleviated 
by  the  kindness  of  his  lady,  who  insisted  that  my  Joanna 
should  accompany  her  to  Paramaribo  immediately  ;  where, 
at  her  own  house,  she  should  meet  with  every  care  and 
attention  that  her  situation  could  require,  till  perfectly 
recovered :  for  this  I  thanked  her  in  the  best  manner  I 
was  able,  and  poor  Joanna  wept  with  gratitude.  Havino- 
therefore  conducted  them  as  far  as  their  estate  Killestyn- 
Nova,  where  ^ve  dined,  I  took  my  leave  of  them  and 
Joanna,  and  bid  them  all  an  affectionate  farewell  for  the 
present. 

At  my  return  to  the  Hope,  my  indignation  was  scarcely 
to  be  restrained  within  the  bounds  of  prudence,  when  I 
found  myself  upbraided  by  my  mess-mates  for  taking  care 
of  my  own  offspring :  "  Do  as  we  do,"  said  they,  "  Sted- 
"  man,  and  never  fear.  If  our  children  are  slaves,  they 
"  are  provided  for;  and  if  they  die,  what  care  we,  should 
"  they  be  d — n'd  in  the  bargain  ?  Therefore  keep  your 
"  sighs  in  your  own  belly,  and  your  money  in  your  pocket, 
"  my  boy,  that's  all." — I  repeat  this  in  their  own  language, 
to  shew  how  much  my  feeling  must  have  been  hurt  and 
disgusted  with  similar  consolation. 

The  following  morning,  awaking  by  day-break  in  my 

hammock. 


^74  NATxRATIVE    OF   AN 

hammock,  the  first  thing  that  I  saw,  when  looking  up,  was 
a  snake  about  two  yards  long,  hanging  with  its  head  down- 
wards like  a  rope,  and  straight  above  my  face,  from  which 
he  was  not  one  foot  distance,  while  his  tail  was  twisted 
round  the  rafters  under  the  thatch.  Observing  his  eyes 
bright  as  stars,  and  his  forked  tongue  in  agitation,  I  was 
so  distressed  that  I  scarcely  had  power  to  avoid  him, 
which  however  I  did,  by  running  out ;  after  which,  I 
heard  a  rustling  in  the  dry  thatch,  where  the  negroes  at- 
tempted to  kill  him,  but  in  vain,  he  having  escaped,  and 
thus  I  cannot  say  what  species  he  belonged  to.  Being 
now  by  myself,  and  rather  startled  by  this  unwelcome 
guest,  I  shut  up  my  house,  and  lodged  and  messed  with 
jny  friends  the  Major,  Heneman,  and  Macdonald. 

On  visiting  my  boxes,  I  now  found  that  great  depre- 
dations had  been  committed  by  the  ants,  which  are 
throughout  all  Guiana  so  very  numerous,  and  of  so  many 
different  species,  that  once  I  had  a  pair  of  new  cotton 
stockings  perfectly  destroyed  by  them  in  one  night  only. 
Those  which  frequent  the  estates  are  generally  small,  but 
very  troublesome.  The  only  way  possibly  to  keep  them 
from  the  refined  sugar,  is  by  hanging  the  loaf  to  the 
ceiling  on  a  nail,  and  making  a  ring  of  dry  chalk  around 
it,  very  thick,  which  crumbles  down  the  moment  the  ants 
attempt  to  pass  it.  I  imagined  that  placing  my  sugar- 
boxes  in  the  middle  of  a  tub,  and  on  stone,  surrounded 
with  deep  water,  would  have  kept  back  this  formidable 

enemy, 


EXPEDITION  TO  SURINAM.  S75 

enemy,  but  to  no  purpose :   whole  armies  of  the  lighter 
sort  (to  my  astonishment)  marched  over  the  surface,  and 
but  a  very  few  of  them  were  drowned.     The  main  body 
constantly  scaled  the  rock,  and  in  spite  of  all  my  efforts 
made  their  entry  through  the  key-holes  ;  after  which,  the 
only  way  to  clear  the  garrison  is  to  expose  it  to  a  hot  sun, 
which  the  invaders  cannot  bear,  and  all  march  off  in  a  fe\v~ 
minutes.     That  the  ants  provide  for  winter,  as  not  only 
Dr.  Bancroft  and  many  others,  but  even  King  Solomon, 
reports,  is  found  to  be  an  error  by  the  most  modern  in- 
vestigation.    In  Surinam,  indeed,  there  is  no  winter  ;  but 
where  there  is,  the  ants  lie  dormant,  during  which  torpid 
state  they  want  no  food. 

My  friend  Captain  Van  Coeverden,  at  this  time,  march- 
ing in  tlie  woods,  suffered  a  much  worse  depredation  at 
Paramaribo,  where  not  the  ants,  but  the  negro-slaves,  had 
broken  open  his  boxes,  and  robbed  him  of  all  his  best 
effects,  and  near  twenty  guineas  in  money. 

On  the  6th,  a  marine  drowned  himself,  in  one  of  those 
phrenzy  fevers  which  are  so  common  in  Guiana.  About 
the  same  time  another  Society  soldier  was  shot  by  order  of 
a  court-martial.  Thus  perished  those  men  who  were  spared 
by  the  climate  or  the  enemy. 

Having  written  to  a  Mr.  Seifke,  to  enquire  whether  it 
was  not  in  the  power  of  the  Governor  and  Council  to  re- 
lieve a  gentleman's  child  from  bondage,  provided  there  was 
paid  to  its  master  fuch  a  ransom  as  their  wisdom  should 

judge 


376  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

CHAP,  judge  adequate  ;  I  received  for  answer,  that  no  money  or 
interest  could  purchase  its  freedom,  without  the  pro- 
prietor's consent ;  since,  according  to  law,  it  was  just  as 
much  a  slave  as  if  it  had  been  bom  in  Africa,  and  imported 
from  the  coast  of  Guinea.  This  information  now  perfectly 
completed  my  misery,  and  I  at  last  had  recom'se  to  drink- 
ing; which  temporary  relief,  however,  only  caused  my 
spirits  to  flow  higher,  in  order  to  make  them  sink  lowe 
after  its  evaporation.  Daring  this  conflict  it  happened 
that  I  was  invited  Avith  the  Major  to  dine,  at  an  estate 
called  Knoppemonbo,  in  the  Casavinica  Creek,  where  a 
]\Ir.  De  Graav,  the  proprietor,  did  every  thing  in  his 
power  to  amuse  me,  but  to  no  purpose. — ^At  last,  seeing 
me  seated  by  myself  on  a  small  bridge  that  led  to  a  grove 
of  orange-trees,  with  a  settled  gloom  on  my  countenance, 
he  accosted  me,  and  taking  me  by  the  hand,  to  my  asto- 
nishment, pronounced  the  following  words : 

"  Sir,  I  am  acquainted  by  Mr.  Lolkens  Avith  the  cause 
"  of  your  just  distress.  Heaven  never  left  a  good  intention 
*'  unrewarded.  I  have  now  the  pleasure  to  acquaint  you, 
"  that  Mr.  Lude  has  chosen  me  for  his  administrator;  and 
"  that  from  this  day  I  shall  pride  myself  in  making  it  my 
"  business  to  render  you  any  service  with  that  gentkman, 
"  as  well  as  the  virtuous  Joanna,  whose  deserving  character 
"  has  attracted  the  attention  of  so  many  people,  while 
"  your  laudable  conduct  redounds  to  your  lasting  honour 
**  throughout  the  colony." 

No 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  377 

No  angel  descending  from  above  could  have  brought  c  n  a  p. 
me  a  more  Avelcome  message  ;  and  no  cruiiinal  under 
sentence  of  death  could  have  received  a  reprieve  with 
greater  joy.  The  weigiit  of  a  mill-stone  was  removed  from 
my  labouring  breast;  and  having  made  M\\  De  Graav 
repeat  his  promise,  I  felt  I  should  yet  be  happy.  Soon 
after  this  I  was  surrounded  by  several  gentlemen  and  ladies, 
to  whom  my  friend  had  communicated  his  generous  inten- 
tions. They  congratulated  me  on  my  sensibility,  and  on 
having  met  with  so  valuable  an  acquaintance.  All  seemed 
to  partake  in  the  pleasure  that  I  now  felt;  and  the  day 
being  spent  in  mirth  and  conviviality,  I  returned  to  the 
Hope,  much  better  pleased  than  when  I  left  it,  where 
next  day  the  whole  company  was  entertained  by  Major 
Medlar ;  nor  did  we  separate,  or  cease  feasting  up  and 
down  the  river,  till  the  J  3th,  when  we  once  more  spent  the 
day  at  Knoppemonbo. 

Here  Mr.  De  Graav,  having  bought  some  new  slaves, 
gave  a  holiday  to  all  the  negroes  on  his  estate;  and  here 
I  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  the  diversions  peculiar  to 
that  people :  but  of  these  I  must  reserve  the  particular 
account  to  another  occasion,  and  for  the  present  only  give 
a  short  description  of  the  Loango  dancing,  as  performed 
by  the  Loango  negroes,  male  and  female,  and  not  by  any 
others ;  which  consists  from  first  to  last  in  such  a  scene  of 
wanton  and  lascivious  gestures,  as  nothing  but  a  heated 
imagination  and  a  constant  practice  could  enable  them  to 

Vol.  I.  3  C  perform. 


378  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

perform.  These  dances,  which  are  performed  to  the  sound 
of  a  drum,  to  which  they  strike  time  by  clapping  of  hands, 
may  properly  be  considered  as  a  kind  of  play  or  panto- 
mime divided  into  so  many  acts,  which  lasts  for  some 
hours.  But  the  most  remarkable  is,  that  during  this  repre- 
sentation, the  actors,  instead  of  being  fatigued,  become 
more  and  more  enlivened  and  animated,  till  they  are 
bathed  in  sweat  like  post-horses,  and  their  passions  wound 
up  to  such  a  degree,  that  nature  being  overcome,  they  are 
ready  to  drop  into  convulsions. 

However  indelicate  the  above  exhibitions  maybe,  fashion 
has  rendered  them  no  more  disgusting  than  any  other  diver- 
sions to  the  European  and  Creole  ladies,  who  in  company 
with  the  gentlemen  crowd  about  them  Avithout  the  least 
reserve,  to  enjoy  what  they  call  a  hearty  laugh;  while  such, 
scenes  Avould  change  an  English  woman's  face  from  white 
to  scarlet. 

That  custom  and  habit  give  a  sanction,  and  render 
familiar,  in  some  countries,  many  things  which  would  be 
considered  as  preposterous  in  others,  is  an  observation, 
which  is  more  or  less  verified,  in  proportion  to  the  variety 
of  places  which  the  traveller  has  visited.  An  officer  in 
the  India  service  has,  in  a  late  publication,  described  the 
variety  of  attitudes,  gestures,  looks,^  sighs,,  expressions 
of  desire,  fear,  hope,  trepidation,  and  every  gradation  of 
passion,  which  is  acted  by  the  dancing-girls  in  the  East 
Indies ;  and  yet,  though  these  young  wonien  are  exerting 

all 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  S7P 

all   tlieir  faculties  for  promoting  wantonness  in  the  be-   c  u  a  p. 
holders,    to  obtain  a  living,    the  whole  race   of   Gentoo 
women  are  most  remarkable  for  the  purest  minds  of  any 
people  in  the  universe  *. 


*  Not  to  go  so  far  eastward,  it  is 
notorious  that  nearly  similar  to  these 
dances  are  those  which  we  find  prac- 
tised on  a  part  of  this  continent. 
Tiiey  are  called  fandangos,  and  ai-e 
said  to  have  been  brought  from  Peru 
to  Spain.  As  I  have  been  favoured 
with  a  very  accurate  and  curious 
description  of  them,  extracted  from 
a  coJlectioii  of  letters  of  Emanuel 


Martinns,  dean  of  Ahcant,  I  shall 
venture  to  insert  it  as  it  came  to  my 
hands,  since  I  doubt  not  but  it  may 
afford  amusement  to  some  of  my 
readers,  while  I  hope  the  admission 
of  it  will  not  be  offensive  to  others; 
it  being  ray  wish  and  desire  to 
please  all,  by  bringing  to  light 
whatever  might  otherwise  escape 
observation. 


E.  M.     I.  A.  suo. 


I  nunc,  et  veterum  morum  licen- 
iiam  accusa,  nostrorum  verecundiam 
lauda.  Nosti  saltationem  illam  Ga- 
ditanam,  obscoenitate  su&  per  omne 
jEVum  famosam.  At  qui  hodie  ip- 
sammet  per  omnia  hujus  urbis  com- 
pita,  per  omnia  cubicula,  cum  incre- 
dibili  astantium  plausu,  saltari  videas. 
Nee  inter  iElhiopas  tan  turn  et  ob- 
scures homines,  sed  inter  honestissi- 
mas  foaminas,  ac  nobili  loco  natas. 

Saltationis  modus  hoc  ritu  peragi- 
tur.  Saltant  vir  et  fcemina  vel  bini 
vel  plures.  Corpora  ad  musicos 
modos  per  omnia  libidinum  irrita- 
menta  versantur.    Membrorum  mol- 


lissimi  flexus,  clunium  motationes, 
micationes  femorum,  salaci:im  in- 
sultuum  imagines,  omnia  denique 
turgentis  lasciviae  solertissimo  studio 
expressa  simulacra.  Videas  cevere 
virum,  et  cum  quodam  gannitu, 
crissare  fceminam,  eo  lepore  ac  vc- 
nustate,  ut  inepta;  profecto  ac  rusti- 
cte  tibi  vidcrentur  tremula;  nates 
Pliotidos  Appulcianffi.  Interea  om- 
nia constrcpunt  cachinnis  et  ronchis. 
Quin  spectatores  ipsi  satyrice  atel- 
lanaeque  ofxnirfaj  furore  correpti,  in 
ipso  simulate  iibidinis  campo,  leni 
quodam  gestu  nutuque,  velitantar  ac 
fluctuant. 


3  C  2 


On 


380  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

On  the  1 4th  I  returned  to  the  Hope,  Avhere  I  saw  my 
cottage  unroofed  by  a  storm  ;  but  Avhich  now  expecting 
no  niore  to  inhabit,  I  permitted  to  go  to  ruin — 

"  The  cloud-capt  towers,  the  gorgeous  palaces,  &c.  shall  dissolve." 

Be  that  as  it  may,  I  had  passed  in  it  the  happiest  days  of 
my  whole  lifetime. 

On  the  26th  Colonel  Fourgeoud  marched  once  more 
to  the  Wana  Creek  ;  but  having  taken  the  troops  from  the 
Jew  Savannah,  the  i-ebels  availed  themselves  of  their  ab- 
sence, and  not  only  pillaged  a  plantation  in  the  river 
Surinam,  but  burnt  several  dwellings  in  the  Creek  Casa- 
vinica.  From  the  above  river  they  were  bravely  pursued 
by  a  feeble  Society-detachment,  which  chanced  to  be  there, 
but  without  success  ;  two  soldiers  were  killed,  and  Mr, 
Negle  their  leader,  with  several  others,  wounded.  The 
Major  now  broke  up  the  new  post  formed  at  Oranjebo, 
which  he  also  dispatched  after  the  enemy  ;  and  having 
ranged  a  whole  week  in  the  forest,  also  returned  without 
any  manner  of  success.  These  frequent  miscarriages  evince 
how  difficult  it  is  for  European  troops  to  carry  on  a  war 
in  the  forests  of  South  America. 

The  30th  of  this  month  being  the  Anniversary  of  St. 
Andrew,  and  now  finding  myself  in  excellent  spirits,  I 
roasted  a  whole  sheep,  with  which  I  entertained  all  the 

officers 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  381 

officers  on  the  Hope,  as  well  as  v.iili  a  couple  of  gallons  chap. 
of  good  Jamaica  rum  in  punch,  which  we  drank  to  the 
healths  of  all  our  friends  on  the  old  continent.  This 
festivity  I  repeated  on  December  the  4th,  on  receiving  the 
tidings  that  my  Joanna  was  delivered  of  a  strong  and 
beautiful  boy.  That  very  morning  I  dispatched  another 
letter  to  Mr.  Lude  at  Amsterdam,  to  obtain  her  manu- 
mission, couched  much  in  the  same  terms  as  that  which  I 
had  written  to  his  predecessor  Mr.  Passalage,  only  praying 
for  dispatch,  as  I  was  now  uncertain  how  much  longer  the 
expedition  was  to  last  ;  in  Avhich  request  I  was  again 
seconded  by  my  ncAv  friend  Mr.  De  Graav,  as  I  had  been 
before  by  Mr.  Lolkens  ;  after  which  I  entertained  the  sick 
with  a  dozen  of  old  Rhenish,  received  from  the  former 
gentleman,  which  had  been  in  his  cellar  from  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  twenty-six. 

Walking  round  the  plantation  the  morning  of  the  10th 
with  my  gun,  I  found  the  whole  of  the  slaves  on  the  estate 
in  a  mutiny,  on  account  of  the  cruel  usage  inflicted  by  the 
managers :  happily  for  all  parties  the  interference  of  the 
military  soon  ended  this  matter  to  mutual  satisfaction. 
These  frequent  disturbances,  which  I  have  at  different 
times  mentioned,  plainly  indicate  the  inclination  of  the 
negroes  to  break  out  in  an  open  rebellion  ;  and  this  would 
certainly  have  been  more  often  attempted,  had  they  not 
been  awed  by  the  troops.  The  same  morning  I  brought 
home  two  birds,  the  one  called  toreman,  the  other  a  species 

of 


382  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

of  grass-snipe.  The  ioremm\,  or  hanaquaw,  is  a  shining 
black  bird,  as  large  as  a  pullet,  with  grey  legs,  and  a  bill 
of  a  dark  brown  colour;  it  is  very  good  eating,  and  easily 
discovered  in  the  trees  (where  it  perches  on  the  highest 
branches)  by  its  note  repeating  distinctly  the  word  liana- 
quazv,  hanaquaw,  at  the  approach  of  any  person  in  the 
forest;  which  has  also  occasioned  tiie  name  of  torema7i, 
and  w^hich  signifies,  in  the  negro  language  of  Surinam,  a 
tale-bearer  or  a  spy ;  on  this  account  the  rebels  in  parti- 
cular  have  an  invincible  hatred  against  it. 

The  grass-snipe  is  something  less  than  a  woodcock,  of  a 
beautiful  silv^r^-grey  colour,  and  in  shape  much  like  the 
snipes  of  Europe.  This  bird  is  mostly  found  in  the 
wet  savannahs  ;  it  is  very  plump,  and  exquisitely  de- 
licate food. 

On  the  1 1  th  the  estate  Rectwy k  in  Pirica  was  attacked, 
but  the  enemy  was  beaten  back  by  the  military. 

Colonel  Fourgeoud  being  now  again  arrived  at  Mag- 
denberg,  and  I  at  last  being  perfectly  recovered,  after 
seven  months  illness,  I  ventured  to  propose,  by  another 
letter  to  the  Commander,  that  I  might  accompany  him 
on  his  future  excursions  in  the  woods,  or  go  for  some 
time  to  Paramaribo ;  but  neither  the  one  or  the  other 
request  was  yet  granted.  In  this  situation  I  wrote  a  letter 
to  town,  to  inform  my  poor  friend  that  I  was  well,  with 
which  I  went  to  the  river  side  to  look  out  for  a  boat, 
and  towards  noon  hailed  the  tent-barge  belonging  to 
1 0  Fauconberg, 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  383 

Fauconberg,  which  was  rowino;  with  the  overseer  to 
Paramaribo.  This  was,  unfortunately,  a  new  superin- 
tendant ;  and  not  knowing  me,  he  refused  to  come  ashore 
for  the  message.  IIoAvever,  seeing  the  negroes  rest  upon 
their  oars,  I  took  the  letter  in  my  teeth,  and  leaped  in- 
stantly into  the  river  to  dispatch  it,  knowing  they  would 
put  me  again  on  terra-jirma.  Having  thus  swam  with 
the  stream,  in  my  shirt  and  trovvsers,  till  I  came  within, 
two  oars  length  of  the  boat,  I  held  up  the  letter  in  my 
hand,  and  called  out,  "  Who  the  devil  are  you,  that  re- 
**  fuse  to  take  on  board  a  piece  of  paper.''"  When,  being 
answered  in  French,  "  Je  suis  Jean  Bearnee,  paysan  de 
"  Guascogne,  a  votre  service,"  I  had  the  mortification  to 
see  them  pull  away  without  a  possibility  of  overtaking 
tljem,  or  returning.  In  this  distress  I  had  now  nothing 
left  but  to  perish,  it  being  impossible  to  swim  against  the 
stream,  especially  as  I  was  incumbered  with  my  cloaths. 
I  struggled,  however,  but  sunk  twice  to  the  bottom  in 
the  attempt ;  and  must  inevitably  have  been  drowned,  had 
I  not  caught  hold  of  a  projecting  paling  that  was  erected 
in  the  river  for  the  purpose  of  catching  fish.  To  this  I 
remained  sticking  fast ;  when  a  Dutch  carpenter,  who 
observed  me  from  tlie  top  of  thesugar-mill,  called  out,  that 
the  English  captain  was  trying  to  kill  himself.  On  this  news 
a  dozen  stout  negroes  immediately  leapt  into  the  riv'er,  and 
having  dragged  me  safe  on  shore  (under  the  direction  of  my 
good  friend  Medlar,  wbo  was  inclined  to  believe  the  re- 
port) 


S84  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

port)  lifted  me  upon  their  shoulders  to  carry  me  home. 
The  disappointment,  the  danger,  the  anger,  vexation,  and 
shame  (for  there  was  no  contradicting  them)  had  by  this 
time  wound  up  my  passions  to  such  a  height,  and  made 
such  an  impression  on  my  spirits,  that  I  became  perfectly 
mad,  and  had  almost  perpetrated  the  act  of  which  1  was 
accused  ;  since,  on  crossing  over  a  small  bridge,  I  actually 
gave  a  sudden  twist,  and,  from  their  shoulders,  threw 
myself  with  a  jerk  headlong  over  the  balustrades  once 
more  into  the  water.  Here  a  second  time  I  was  picked 
up  by  the  negroes  ;  and  now  the  suspicion  being  con- 
firmed that  I  intended  suicide,  I  was  put  to  my  ham- 
mock, Avith  two  sentinels  appointed  to  guard  me  during 
the  night,  while  several  of  my  friends  were  shedding 
tears  around  me.  Having,  however,  drank  some  mulled 
wine,  I  enjoyed  a  sound  nap  till  morning ;  when  appearing 
calm  and  perfedly  composed,  my  words,  to  my  great 
joy,  began  to  gain  credit,  and  the  apprehensions  of  my 
companions  were  dispelled. — Such  was  the  danger  to 
which  I  was  exposed  by  the  unkind  and  inhospitable 
behaviour  of  this  Frenchman,  who  nearly  obliterated  the 
memory  of  this  transaction  by  his  many  succeeding  in- 
stances of  unprecedented  brutality.  The  following  day, 
however,  by  one  of  my  negroes  and  a  small  canoe,  I 
sent  my  letter  to  Paramaribo.  Seeing  now  about  noon  a 
melasses-boat  at  anchor  before  the  Hope,  in  which  was 
broiling  in  the  sun  an  English  sailor  and  two  negroes,  I 

made 


EXPEDITION  TO   SURINAM.  385 

made  the  first  come  ashore,  and  entertained  the  poor 
fellow  with  a  bowl  of  punch  and  a  good  meal  of  eggs 
and  bacon,  to  his  great  surprize,  he  not  having  expected 
this  kindness,  or  to  be  accosted  in  his  own  country  lan- 
guage at  this  place.  What  were  this  man's  grateful  ac- 
knowledgments, whose  name  was  Charles  Macdonald, 
will  be  seeh  in  the  sequel  of  my  work. 

A  melasses-boat  is  a  barge  rowed  by  two  oars,  which 
fetches  this  commodity  in  large  hogsheads  from  the  sugar 
plantations,  and  delivers  it  on  board  the  English-American 
vessels  for  exportation,  to  be  distilled  into  rum  in  the 
islands;  for  which  they  pay  the  Dutch,  on  an  average, 
three  guineas  per  hogshead. 

On  the  l6th  another  officer  arrived  from  our  hero 
under  an  arrest  (the  first  was  a  Mr.  Geelguin,  and  this  was 
a  Mr.  Neys),  for  the  crime  of  contending  with  the  free 
negro  Goasary  for  a  bunch  of  plantains.  Both  these 
young  men  were  afterwards  sent  to  Europe  by  Four- 
geoud,  in  expectation  that  they  would  be  broke  by  a 
court-martial;  but,  after  a  very  short  confinement,  they 
were  honourably  acquitted,  to  the  joy  of  the  whole  corps, 
and  the  mortification  of  this  hectoring  Swiss.  Such  was 
the  inveteracy  of  this  old  gentleman,  who  had  not  the 
smallest  consideration  for  the  foibles  of  youth ;  and  who 
constantly  saw  the  mote  in  the  eye  of  his  neighbour,  over- 
looking the  beam  that  appeared  so  conspicuously  in  his 
own.     As  I  have  been  speaking  of  plantains,  I  shall  take 

Vol.  I.  3D  this 


386  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

this  occasion  to  give  some  account  of  a  production,  which 
in  fact,  I  ought  to  have  described  long  before. 

Ihis  is  rather  a  plant  than  a  tree,  as  the  trunk  has  nei- 
tiier  wood  nor  bark,  but  consists  of  a  stamen  enwrapped  hy 
green  vascular  husks,  succeeding  each  other  in  the  man- 
ner of  an  onion,  and  above  ten  inches  in  diameter.  These 
husks  rise  alternately  about  fourteen  feet  distance  from 
the  ground,  and  form  not  in  branches,  but  in  leaves,  that 
spread  like  an  umbrella,  about  twelve  or  fourteen  in  num- 
ber, so  as  to  cover  the  tallest  person.  They  are  of  a 
shining  sea-green  till  they  fade,  and  hang  down  in  tatters, 
as  their  places  are  supplied  by  the  young  ones.  From  the 
centre  of  all  this  there  grows  a  strong  stalk,  about  three 
feet  long,  and  bending  downwards  by  the  weight  of  a 
purple  spatha,  something  like  a  calf's  heart;  and  on  this 
stalk  grows  the  fruit  called  plantains,  in  the  shape  of 
cucumbers,  and  above  one  hundred  in  number,  which  is 
usually  called  a  bunch.  Each  tree,  or  plant,  bears  but  one 
of  these  bunches  at  a  time.  When  it  is  cut  down,  it  is 
speedily  supplied  by  the  young  shoots,  which  spring 
from  its  bulbous  root,  and  which  in  the  space  of  ten 
months  time  are  ready  to  undergo  the  same  operation. 
It  requires  a  rich  nourishing  soil  to  make  it  prosper,  with- 
out which  it  never  arrives  at  proper  maturity.  This  fruit 
being  divested  of  its  tegument  when  green,  has  in  the 
inside  a  pale  yellow  farinaceous  substance,  and  supplies 
(as  1  have  already  intimated)  the  want  of  bread,  when 
1 1  either 


'Vi^: 


'jy//r  ^^/////A////    '>y/'/r,  ////y  ///r     ■    '"^^fz/i^/na^^ 


I..  ,„(,':i.ri,OI,..lial   Or,-ri<'i-!,,i .I.V  .I..UI,iu;m,.(.i I'ouli-    I'Ulinl,    t.ir.l. 

'is 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  387 

either  boiled  or  roasted :  it  has  an  agreeable  taste,  and  is    chap. 

XIV 

very  wholesome ;  when  the  shell  becomes  yellow  the  in- 
side is  soft,  and  then  may  be  eaten  raw,  having  much  the 
taste  of  a  very  ripe  pear  ;  but  when  arrived  at  that  degree 
of  maturity  it  is  only  used  by  way  of  dessert. 

Another  species  resembling  this,  is  the  banana,  which 
only  differs  from  the  plantain,  in  its  fruit  being  less,  and 
more  oval,  and  this  species  is  never  eaten  till  it  is  yellow 
and  fully  ripe.  The  former  is  most  useful  in  point  of 
food;  but  this  last,  which  has  the  flavour  of  musk,  is 
accounted  by  far  the  most  delicate.  For  a  more  perfect 
idea,  however,  than  I  am  capable  of  giving  by  descrip- 
tion, I  refer  the  curious  to  the  annexed  plate ;  where  A 
is  the  plantain-tree  with  its  fruit;  B  the  young  shoots 
that  succeed  it;  C  the  fruit  in  its  green  tegument;  D  the 
same,  cut  through  the  middle;  and  E  the  fruit  called  ba- 
nanOi  in  full  maturity.  In  Surinam  the  first  is  known 
by  the  name  of  banana,  and  the  second  goes  by  that  of 
bacooba. 

I  now,  obtaining  my  friend  Medlar's  concurrence,  took 
a  trip  on  the  18th  to  Paramaribo;  where  I  found  my  boy 
bathing  in  Madeira  wine  and  water*,  while  his  mother 
was  happy,  and  perfectly  recovered.     Having  seen  them 

*  This,  howevei- uncommon  it  may  hospitable  Mrs.  Lolkens,  who  gene- 
appear  to  an  European,  is  often  prac-  rously    presented    Joanna  with  the 
tised  in  Surinam  by  such  as  can  af-  wine, 
ford  it;  amongst  whicli  class  was  the 

3  D  2  well, 


588  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

well,  and  presented  Joanna  with  a  gold  medal,  that  m3^ 
father  had  given  my  mother  on  the  day  of  my  birth,  also 
thanked  Mrs.  Lolkens  for  her  very  great  kindness,  I  imme- 
diately returned  to  the  Hope,  where  I  arrived  on  the  £2d. 

The  poor  negro  whom  I  had  sent  before  me  Avith  a 
letter  had  been  less  fortunate  than  I  was,  having  his 
canoe  overset  in  the  middle  of  the  river  Surinam,  by  the 
roughness  of  the  water.  With  great  address,  how^ever, 
he  kept  himself  in  an  erect  posture  (for  this  inan  could 
not  swim),  and  by  the  buoyancy  and  resistance  of  the  boat 
aoainst  his  feet,  he  was  enabled  just  to  keep  his  head 
above  the  water,  while  the  weight  of  his  body  kept  the 
sunk  canoe  from  moving.  In  this  precarious  attitude,  he 
was  picked  up  by  a  man-of-war  s  boat;  who,  taking  away 
the  canoe  for  their  trouble,  put  him  on  shore  at  Parama- 
ribo. He  kept  the  letter,  however  surprising,  still  in  his 
mouth,  and  being  eager  to  deliver  it,  he  accidentally  ran 
into  a  wrong  house ;  where^  being  taken  for  a  thief  (for 
refusing  to  let  them  read  it),  he  was  tied  up  to  receive 
four  hundred  lashes;  but,  fortunately,  was  reprieved  by 
the  intercession  of  an  English  merchant  of  the  name  of 
Gordon,  avIio  was  my  particular  friend,  and  knew  the 
negro.  Thus  did  the  poor  fellow  escape  drowning,  and 
being  flogged,  either  of  which  he  would  have  undergone, 
sooner  than  disclose  what  he  called  the  secrets  of  his 
masera. —  Query,  How  many  Europeans  are  possessed  of 

equal  fidelity  and  fortitude .'' 

Having 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM. 

Having  lately  mentioned  the  mode  of  catching  fish  by 
means  of  a  projecting  paling,  it  will  probably  not  be  dis- 
agreeable to  the  reader  to  have  some  account  of  it,  parti- 
cularly as  on  many  different  occasions  it  helped  me  to  a 
comfortable  dinner.     It  consists  simply  of  a  kind  of  square 
enclosure,  that  juts  out  into  the  river,  surrounded  by  long 
palisadoes  of  the  manicole-trce,  tied  very  close  together  by 
nebees.     In  this  fence  is  a  large  door,  which  is  left  open 
with  the  flood,  and  shut  at  high  water,  to  prevent  the   en- 
closed fish  from  escaping;  and  by  this  simple  contrivance 
the  negnjes    and    Indians  frequently    catch    very    large 
quantities.     Amongst  those  taken  lately,  were  the    logo~ 
logo  and  matuary.     The  first  is  a  species  of  eel,  and  is 
sometimes  two  feet  long,  and  very   thick  ;  dark  blue  on 
the  back  and   sides,  but  whitish  on  the  belly :   it  is  ex- 
tremely fat,  and  very  good  eating.     The  other  is  a  small 
sweet  fish  without  scales  ;  but  one  thing  very  remarkable 
is,  that  in  Surinam  most  fishes,  the  moment  they  are  out 
of  the  water,  begin  to  make  a  noise,  not  unlike  the  grunt- 
ing  of  a  small  pig :    and    that   fish  have   hearing   (after 
many   doubts  and  disputes)  has  of  late  been  clearly  de- 
monstrated by  the  most  able  inquirers  into  the  history  of 
nature*. 

Having  on  the  23d  dined  at  the  estate  Knoppemonbo,  I 
will  also  mention  two  birds,  which  attracted  my  particular 

*  See  the  account  given  to  the  Members  of  the  Royal  Society^  by  Juhn 
Hunter,  Esq;  F.  R.  S. 

attention. 


NARRATIVE  OF  AN 
attention.  The  one  on  account  of  the  very  great  pecu- 
harity  of  its  nest;  it  is  called  in  this  country  lipee-hanuna , 
as  supposed  to  feed  much  on  the  ripe  bananas.  Whether 
this  is  the  mock-bird  of  Dr.  Bancroft,  I  know  not,  but  in 
some  particulars  it  approaches  his  description. 

These  birds  that  I  speak  of  had  taken  possession  of  a 
large  tree  near  the  water-side,  which  the  negroes  told  me 
they  had  frequented  undisturbed  for  many  years ;  they 
were  at  least  above  two  hundred  in  number,  about  the 
size  of  English  thrushes,  some  were  a  shining  black, 
with  the  tails  and  part  of  the  wings  of  a  bright  crimson  ; 
the  others  were  also  black,  but  their  tails  and  wings  of  a 
fine  yellow  colour.  The  first  I  was  informed  Avere  the 
males,  and  the  latter  the  females  of  the  same  species :  they 
indeed  whistled  a  variety  of  notes,  but  neither  had  that 
melody  or  imitation  of  other  songsters,  which  is  so  gene- 
rally ascribed  to  the  mock-bird,  and  which,  besides,  I  never 
heard  mentioned  in  Surinam.  These  birds  had  their  nests 
(above  threescore  in  number)  fixed  to  the  extremity  of 
the  branches,  where  they  were  dangling  in  the  wind, 
resembling  egg-nets  stuffed  with  hay,  of  which,  indeed, 
they  were  built;  and  about  the  middle  of  them  there  was 
a  small  hole,  at  which  the  birds  enter  and  go  out.  The 
bottom  is  built  wide,  and  perfectly  round;  there  they  lay 
their  eggs,  and  hatch  their  young  ones,  while  the  spiral 
roof  protects  them  from  birds  of  prey,  and  from  the 
weather.     But  what  is  of  more  consequence,  the  monkeys, 

which 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  391 

which  arc  so  numerous  in  this  country,  are,  by  such 
a  situation,  prevented  from  destroying  them,  since  the 
branches  or  twigs  from  which  they  depend,  though 
strong  enougli  to  support  the  nests,  and  what  is  in  them, 
arc  too  weak  to  bear  the  load  of  more  weighty  invaders; 
and,  for  greater  security,  I  may  add,  they  are  mostly 
built  depending  over  water.— {See  the  nests  in  Plate  XLV.) 
The  other  bud  which  I  shot  in  returning  home,  was  the 
Surinam  falcon  or  hawk.  Its  size  and  shape  was  like  those 
of  the  same  species  in  England :  its  colour  light  brown, 
variegated  on  the  breast  and  tail  with  specks  of  red, 
black,  and  yellow;  its  tongue  was  cloven,  its  eyes  remark- 
ably bright,  its  legs  a  citron  colour,  and  its  talons  armed 
with  long  and  sharp-pointed  claws.  This  bird  is  exceed- 
ingly destructive  to  the  plantations,  committing  great 
ravages  amongst  the  poultry,  &c. 

But  I  must  once  more  return  to  the  operations  of  our 
commander  in  chief,  who  having  rested  a  i'ew  days  at  Mao-- 
denberg,  again  marched,  on  Christmas-day,  with  the 
remaining  Landful  of  his  men,  to  the  Jew  Savannah,  whence 
he  returned  (having  seen  nothing)  back  to  Magdenbero-, 
with  the  new  title  of  being  himself  the  wanderino-  Jew. 
This  did  not  prevent  me  and  Major  Medlar  from  renewino- 
our  solicitations  to  accompany  him  in  his  expeditions; 
but  we  were  still  prevented  by  his  going  to  town,  where 
about  this  time  a  fresh  supply  of  troops  was  hourly  ex- 
pected 


392  NARRATIVE    OF  AN 

c  ji  A  p.  pected  to  arrive  from  Europe.  At  last,  however,  he  gave  me 
leave  to  follow  him,  with  some  other  officers  who  were 
actually  in  want,  at  a  time  when  fifteen  hogsheads  of  fine 
claret,  and  fifteen  thousand  florins  in  specie,  were  waiting 
his  commands  at  Paramaribo. 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM. 


CHAP.   XV. 

Description  of  the  Indians,  Aborigines  of  Guiana — Tlieir 
Food — Arms  —  Ornaments — Employments — Diversions — ■ 
Passions — Religion — Marriages — Funerals,  ^-c. — Of  the 
Caribbee  Indians  in  particular — Their  Trade  with  the 
Furopeans. 

/'"\  N  the  18tli  of  January  1774, 1  at  last  bid  farewell  to  chap. 
^^-^  the  Plope,  of  which  I  am  convinced  the  reader  by  ^^• 
this  time  is  as  tired  as  I  have  been.  Thence  rowing  down, 
I  slept  at  the  estate  Arentlust,  and  next  day  dined  at  the 
beautiful  plantation  Catwyk.  In  this  place  I  had  nearly 
ended  all  my  travels ;  for  Mr.  Goetzee,  the  owner,  having 
lent  me  one  of  his  horses  to  ride  round  the  estate,  the 
animal  and  I  both  at  once  disappeared  :  a  wooden  bridge 
over  which  we  passed  being  rotten,  the  part  under  us  gave 
■way,  and  we  dropped  through  into  the  canal.  "With  much 
exertion  however  (being  alone)  I  got  ashore,  and  having 
run  to  call  some  negroes,  the  horse,  which  stuck  in  the  mud, 
was  (though  with  great  difficulty)  extricated. 

In  the  evening  I  rowed  to  Paramaribo  with  the  ebb 
tide,  which  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  man- 
groves that  line  the  banks  of  the  river  Surinam  full  of 
oysters,  stuck  in  the  branches  like  fruit,  from  the  water's 

Vol.  I.  3  E  edge 


S94  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

c  II  A  P.  edge  up  to  high-water  mark.  These  oysters  attaching 
themselves  to  trees  as  they  do  to  rocks,  has  given  rise  to 
the  vulgar  error  that  they  grow,  or  vegetate  like  fruit ; 
but  it  is  not  more  extraordinary  that  they  should  stick 
on  any  one  substance  than  on  another,  for  many  species 
of  shell-fish  are  as  commonly  found  to  adhere  to  ships 
bottoms  as  to  rocks.  These  oysters,  which  at  some  dis- 
tance look  like  mushrooms,  are,  indeed,  very  small  and 
trifling  ;  for  one  hundred  are  not  comparable  to  one  dozen 
that  come  from  Colchester.  In  Surinam  are  also  a  kind 
of  muscles,  but  these  are  so  small  and  insipid,  that  they 
are  scarcely  worthy  of  mention. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  I  visited  the  Governor :  as 
also  Mr.  Kennedy,  Mrs.  Lolkens,  Mrs.  De  Melley,  &c. 
who  all  congratulated  me  on  my  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
De  Graav,  and  highly  honoured  me,  and  approved  of  what 
I  had  done  for  my  Mulatto  and  her  infant. 

On  the  2 2d,  our  few  remaining  troops  being  mostly  at 
Paramaribo,  a  Mr.  Van  Eys  gave  an  entertainment  to  the 
whole  corps. 

On  the  25th  a  great  number  of  Indians,  or  natives,  ar- 
rived at  Paramaribo ;  which  afforded  me  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  and  describing  this  people,  who  are  the  aborigines 
of  the  country.  These  Indians,  who  appear  the  happiest 
creatures  under  the  sun,  are  divided  into  many  casts  or 
tribes,  such  as  the 

1 1  Caribbees, 


iy-r 


7i<-  f  Uit   ^tuip' 


//////////  -  ''A//////// r/ ///f   C//rr/7'f'rr    ■_    yaAo?u 


l.m,l,m.riMu!i.,l  n.r'i-^ij.y!.  fy-  .I..h,lu,.vii,Sfr,ml.<  Own/i  r,mi. 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  S95 

Caribbees,  Arrowouks, 

Accawaus,  Taiiras,  and 

Worrows,  Piannacotaus ; 

besides  which,  there  are  many  others  whose  manners  are 
unknown  to  us.  All  these  tribes  of  Indians  are  in  gene- 
ral of  a  copper-colour ;  while  the  negroes  of  Africa,  that 
live  under  the  same  degree  of  latitude,  are  perfectly  black. 
This,  however  inconceivable  it  may  appear,  is  easily  ac- 
counted for,  when  one  considers,  first,  that  the  American 
Indians  in  Guiana  are  constantly  refreshed  by  the  cooling 
sea  breeze,  or  easterly  wind,  that  blows  between  the  tropics ; 
and  that  those  who  dwell  in  Terra-Firma  and  Peru,  on  the 
West  coast,  enjoy  that  same  easterly  breeze,  still  kept  cool 
by  the  great  chain  of  inland  mountains  over  which  it 
passes,  and  which  have  their  summits  perpetually  covered 
with  snow.  While  the  inhabitants  of  Africa,  south  of 
the  river  Senegal,  get  the  same  east  wind  rather  heated 
than  cooled,  by  the  prodigious  quantity  of  inland,  hot, 
sandy  deserts  over  which  it  passes. 

These  are  the  most  probable  reasons  why  the  Americans 
are  of  a  copper-colour  or  red,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Africa, 
called  Negroes,  are  black,  viz.  the  one  being  more  burnt 
by  the  sun  than  the  other,  and  not  because  they  are  two 
distinct  races  of  people :  since  no  person  who  examines 
and  reflects,  can  avoid  seeing  that  there  is  but  one  race 
of  people  on  the  earth,  who  differ  from  each  other  only 
according  to  the  soil  and  the  climate  in  Avhich  they  live. 

3  E  2  -  I  am 


396  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

I  am  further  of  opinion,  that  these  aborigines,  or  In- 
dian nativesj  will  appear  to  have  still  less  title  to  be  called 
a  distinct  people  from  those  of  the  old  continent,  when 
we  consider  the  proximity  of  Russia  to  North  America, 
whence  apparently  they  have  emigrated,  and  hitherto  but 
thinly  peopled  the  New  World,  the  Mexicans  and  a  few 
others  excepted,  till  they  were  butchered  by  Spanish  ava- 
rice and  superstition.  A  happy  people  I  call  them  still, 
whose  peace  and  genuine  morals  have  not  been  conta- 
minated with  European  vices ;  and  whose  errors  are  only 
the  errors  of  ignorance,  and  not  the  rooted  depravity  of 
a  pretended  civilization,  and  a  spurious  and  mock  Chris- 
tianity. 

"  Lo  !   the  poor  Indian,  whose  untutor'd  mind 

"  Sees  God  in  clouds,  or  hears  him  in  the  wind ; 

"  His  soul  proud  science  never  taught  to  stray 

"  Far  as  the  solar  walk,  or  milky  way; 

"  Yet  simple  nature  to  his  hope  has  giv'n, 

"  Behind  the  cloud-topt  hill,  an  humbler  heav'n ; 

•'  Some  safer  world,  in  depth  of  woods  embrac'd, 

"  Some  happier  island  in  the  wat'ry  waste ; 

"  Where  slaves  once  more  their  native  land  behold,. 

"  No  fiends  torment,  no  Christians  thirst  for  gold, 

"  To  be,  contents  his  natural  desire, 

"  He  asks  no  Angel's  wing,  no  Seraph's  fire ; 

"  But  thinks,  admitted  to  that  equal  sky, 

"  His  faithful  dog  shall  bear  him  company. 

"  Go,  wiser  thou  !  and  in  thy  scale  of  sense 

"  Weigh  thy  opinion  against  Providence." 

For 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  597 

For  my  part  I  must  say,  with  Socrates,  that  this  kind  of   c  ii  a  v. 

•  XV 

poverty  is  alone  the  truest  kind  of  riches;  as  those  who 
want  least  approach  nearest  to  the  gods,  who  want  no- 
thing. This  naturally  leads  me  to  the  speech  of  an  In- 
dian, in  reply  to  a  sermon  preached  by  a  Swedish  minister 
at  an  Indian  treaty,  held  at  Covestogue,  of  Avhich  the 
principal  substance  was  as  folloAvs: 

"Do  you  then  really  believe,  that  we  and  our  fore- 
"  fathers  are  all,  as  you  would  teach  us,  condemned  to 
"  suffer  eternal  torments  in  another  world,  because  we 
"  have  not  been  taught  your  mysterious  novelties  ?  7\.re 
"  we  not  the  work  of  God  ?  And  can  the  Almighty  not 
"  manifest  his  will  without  the  help  of  a  book  ?  If  this  is 
"  true,  and  God  is  just,  then  how  is  it  consistent  with  his 
"  justice  to  force  life  upon  us  without  our  consent,. and 
"  then  to  condemn  us  all  to  eternal  damnation,  because 
"  we  did  not  meet  with  you.  No,  Sir,  we  are  convinced 
"  that  the  Christians  are  more  depraved  in  their  morals 
"  than  we  Indians,  if  we  may  judge  of  their  doctrines  by 
"  the  general  badness  of  their  lives." 

There  cannot  indeed  be  a  more  laudable  undertaking, 
than  the  endeavour  to  engraft  divine  truths  on  the  pure 
minds  of  these  innocent  people,  so  worthy  of  instruc- 
tion ;  but  I  fear,  and  it  is  too  observable,  that  the 
words  of  one  good  man  will  have  but  little  eiFect,  when 
the  practice  of  the  far  greater  number  of  Moravian 
preachers  settled  amongst  them  on  the  banks  of  the  Sera- 
mica 


398  NARRATIVE    OT    AN 

mica  rivers,  where  they  endeavour  to  convert  the  negroes 
as  well  as  the  Indians,  is  in  direct  contradiction  to  his  life 
and  precepts. 

All  the  Guiana  Indians  believe  in  God  as  the  supreme 
author  of  every  good,  and  never  inclined  to  do  them  an 
injury ;  but  they  worship  the  devil,  whom  they  call 
YawaJioo,  to  prevent  his  afflicting  them  with  evil,  and  to 
whom  they  ascribe  pain,  disease,  wounds,  and  death; 
and  where  an  Indian  dies,  in  order  to  avert  future  fata- 
lity, the  whole  family  soon  after  leave  the  spot  as  a  jilace 
of  residence. 

The  Guiana  Indians  are  a  perfectly  free  people,  that  is, 
they  have  no  division  of  land,  and  are  without  any  go- 
vernment, excepting  that  in  most  families  the  oldest  acts 
as  captain,  priest,  and  physician,  to  whom  they  pay  a  re- 
verential obedience  :  these  men  are  called  Peii  or  Pa- 
gai/ers,  and,  as  in  some  civilized  nations,  live  better  than 
all  others. 

Polygamy  is  admitted  among  them,  and  every  In- 
dian is  allowed  to  take  as  manj' wives  as  he  can  pro- 
vide for,  though  he  generally  takes  but  one,  of  whom 
he  is  extremely  jealous,  and  whom  he  knocks  on  the 
head  the  moment  he  receives  a  decided  proof  of  her 
incontin^ncy.  These  Indians  never  beat  their  chil- 
dren on  any  account  whatever,  nor  give  them  any  edu- 
cation, except  in  hunting,  fishing,  running,  and  swim- 
ming;   yet    they    never   use    abusive   language  to   each 

other, 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  ^9 

other,  nor  steal;  and  a  lye  is  totally  unknown  among 
them.  To  which  I  may  add,  that  no  people  can  be  more 
grateful  when  treated  with  civility,  of  which  I  shall  in 
future  relate  a  remarkable  instance :  but  I  must  not  for- 
get that,  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  extremely  revenge- 
ful, especially  when,  as  they  suppose,  they  are  injured 
without  just  provocation. 

The  only  vices  with  which  to  my  knowledge  they  are 
acquainted,  if  such  amongst  them  they  may  be  called,  are 
excessive  drinking  when  opportunity  offers,  and  an  un- 
accountable indolence:  an  Indian's  only  occupation,  when 
he  is  not  hunting  or  fishing  being  to  lounge  in  his  ham- 
mock, picking  his  teeth,  plucking  the  hairs  from  his 
beard,  examining;  his  face  in  a  bit  of  broken  lookins;- 
glass,  &c. 

The  Indians  in  general  are  a  very  cleanly  people,  bath- 
ing twice  or  thrice  every  day  in  the  river,  or  the  sea. 
They  have  all  thick  hair,  which  never  turns  grey,  and 
the  head  never  becomes  bald;  both  sexes  pluck  out 
every  vestige  of  hair  on  their  bodies,  that  on  the  head 
only  excepted :  it  is  of  a  shining  black,  which  the  men 
wear  short,  but  the  women  very  lOng,  hanging  over  the 
back  and  shoulders  to  their  middle;  as  if  they  had 
studied  the  scriptures,  where  it  is  said  that  long  hair  is  an 
ornament  to  a  woman,  but  a  disgrace  to  a  man. 

The  Guiana  Indians  are  neither  tall,  strong,  nor  mus- 
cular: but  they  are  straight,    active,  and    generally   in 

a  good 


XV. 


400  NARRATIVE     OF    AN 

CHAP,   a  good  state   of  health.     Their  faces    have    no  expres- 
sion whatever,   that  of  a  placid   good-nature  and    con- 
tent   excepted;  and   their    features    are   beautifully   re- 
gular, with  small    black  eyes,   thin   lips,  and  very  white 
teeth.     However,  all  the  Guiana  Indians  disfigure  them- 
selves more  or  less    by  the   use  of  arnotta  or  rocow,  by 
them    called    cosowee,    and    by    the    Dutch   orlean.     The 
seeds  of  the  arnotta   being   macerated   in   the  juice    of 
lemon,    and   mixed  M'ith    water,   and    gum    that   exudes 
from  the   mawna   tree,   or  with  the   oil  of  castor,  com- 
poses a  scai'let  paint,  with  which  all  the  Indians  anoint 
their  bodies,  and   even  the  men  their  hair,  which  gives 
their  skin  the  appearance  of  a  boiled  lobster ;  they  also 
rub   their  naked  bodies  with  caraba  or  crab-oil.     This,  it 
must   be   allowed,   is   extremely  useful  in  scorching  cli- 
mates, where   the   inhabitants  of  both  sexes   go    almost 
naked.     One  day,  laughing  at  a  young  man  Avho  came 
from  the  neighbourhood    of  Cayenne,    he  answered  me 
in    French,    saying,    "  My    skin.    Sir,  is  kept    soft,    too 
"  great  perspiration  is  prevented,  and  the  musquitocs  do 
"  not  sting  me  as  they  do  you :  besides  its  beauty,   this 
"  is  the  use  of  my  painting  red.     Now  what  is  the  rea- 
"  son  of  your  painting  white?"  [meaning  powder  in  the 
hair]  "  You  are,  without  any  reason,  wasting  your  flour, 
'  dirtying  your  coat,  and  making  yourself  look  grey  be- 
*'  fore  your  time." 

These  Indians  also    make  use  of  a  deep  purple  blue, 

which 


EXPEDITION    TO   SURINAM.  401 

which    they    call    tapowripa;    but  this  is   purely  for   or- 
nament,   and    is    absolutely    indelible    for    about     nine 
days.     It  is  the  juice  of  a  fruit  in  size  like  a  small  apple 
that  grows  on  the  lauma  tree,  and   which  is  bruised  and 
macerated  in  water.    With  this  these  people  make  figures 
on  their  faces,  and  all  over  their  bodies,    resembling  hie- 
roglyphicks,  like  those  that  were  a  few  years  since  called 
d,  la   Grec  in  Europe,    and   are   still  cut  in  coal-grates, 
fenders,  &c.     But  for  a  more  correct  idea  I  must  refer  the 
reader  to  the  annexed  plate,  vhere  the  children  alone  are 
not  painted.     So  very  permanently  does  this  paint  adhere 
to  the  skin,  that  one  of  our  officers,   who  could  not  be- 
lieve the  fact,  having  by  way  of  a  frolic  made  a  pair  of 
enormous  whiskers  with  it  on  his  face,   was  obliged,  to  our 
great  amusement,  to  parade  Paramaribo  with  them  for 
above  a  week,  and  wait  till  they  gradually  disappeared. 

The  only  dress  worn  by  these  Indians  consists  of  a . 
slip  of  black  or  blue  cotton  worn  by  the  men  to  cover 
their  nakedness,  and  called  camisa;  something  like  that 
of  the  negroes.  Being  wound  round  their  loins,  it  passes 
through  between  their  thighs,  and  the  ends  of  it,  which 
are  very  long,  they  either  throw  over  their  shoulders, 
or  negligently  let  them  trail  on  the  ground.  For  the 
same  purpose,  the  women  wear  an  apron  of  cotton,  with 
party-coloured  glass  beads  strung  upon  it,  which  they 
call  queiou.  This  covering  is  of  no  great  size,  being 
only  about  one  foot  in  breadth  by  ciglit  inches  in  length. 
Vol.  I.  3  F  ornamented 


4d2  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

ornamented  with  fringes,  and  fastened  round  the  waist 
with  cotton  strings ;  but  being  heavy,  though  of  no 
larger  dimensions,  it  answers  all  the  purposes  for  which  it 
was  intended.  Many  also  wear  a  girdle  made  of  human 
hair  round  their  waist,  through  which,  before  and  behind, 
they  fasten  a  square  broad  piece  of  black  cotton,  bat 
lighter,  and  without  a  train,  like  the  camisa  of  the  men  : 
both  sexes  wearing  these  belts  or  girdles  so  low,  that  they 
ahuost  slide  down  over  their  buttocks,  and  make  their 
bodies  appear  wonderfully  long. 

In  the  inland  parts,  many  Indians  of  both  sexes  go  quite 
naked,  without  any  covering  whatever.     The  Indian  wo- 
men also,  by  way  of  ornament,  often  cut  small  holes  in  their 
ears  and  their  lips,  in  the  first  of  which  they  wear  corks  or 
small  pieces  of  light  Avood,  and  through  their  lips  they  stick 
tlicrns,  and  sometimes  all   the  pins  they  can  lay  hold  of, 
\iith  the  heads  inside  against  the  gums,  and   the  points 
like  a  beard    dangling   down   upon  their  chins.      Some 
wear   feathers   throuo;li   their   cheeks    and   through  their 
noses,  though  this  is  but  seldom.     But  the  most  unac- 
countable ornament  in  my  opinion  is,  that  the  girls  at 
ten  or  twelve  years  old   work  a   kind  of  cotton    garter 
round  their  ankles,  and  the  same  below  the  knee ;   which 
being  very  tight,   and  remaining  for  ever,  occasions  their 
calves  to  swell  to  an  enormous  size  by  the  time  they  are 
grown  Avomen,    and    gives    their   limbs  a  very  odd  and 
unnatural    appearance.     They   also  wear  girdles,  bands, 

and 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  403 

and  bracelets,  of  various  coloured  beads,  shells,  and  fifli- 
teetb,  about  their  necks,  across  their  shoulders,  or 
round  their  arms,  but  generally  above  the  elbow.  Upon 
the  whole,  the  Indian  women,  naturally  disagreeable  in 
their  shapes,  with  their  txies  turned  inwards,  are  still 
less  attractive  by  their  ornaments.  But  from  this  gene- 
ral description  I  must  exempt  one  cast  in  particular, 
called  Arrowoiiks,  whom  I  shall  describe  in  their  proper 
place. 

The  ornaments  of  the  men  consist  of  croAvns  of  va- 
rious coloured  feathers,  or  a  sash  of  boars  or  tygers  teeth 
across  one  shoulder,  as  a  token  of  their  valour  and  ac- 
tivity. The  chiefs  of  families  sometimes  wear  the  skin  of 
a  tyger,  and  a  silver  jilate  resembling  a  croissant,  called 
by  them  a  caracoly  ;  they  also  frequently  have .  small  oval 
bits  of  silver  in  the  cartilaginous  separation  of  their  noses, 
and  sometimes  a  green  or  yellow  coloured  stone.  All 
these  nations  live  in  the  forest,  near  rivers,  and  alono-  the 
sea-coast,  where  they  are  scattered  in  small  villa o^es  or 
hamlets.  Their  houses  or  wigM'ams,  which  they  call  car- 
hets,  are  built  as  I  have  already  described  those  of  the  ne- 
groes ;  but  instead  of  being  covered  with  the  leaves  of  the 
manicole-tree,  they  are  covered  with  the  leaves  of  rattails 
or  jointed  canes,  here  called  tas,  which  grow  in  clusters  in 
all  marshy  places  :  but  they  mostly  use  trooUes,  which  are 
leaves  that  diverge  immediately  from  the  root,  and  are 
no  less  than  twenty  fr  twenty-four  feet  in  length,  and 

3  r  2  from 


404  NARRATIVE   OF   AN 

from  two  to  three  in  breadth,    and    this  will  for  jeai^s 
effectually  exclude  all  inclemencies  of  weather. 

Their  furniture  is  very  simple,  but  sufficient  for  their 
wants,  consisting  of  a  few  black  earthen  pots  of  their 
own  making  ;  a  few  calabashes  or  gourds ;  a  few  baskets, 
called  pagala;  a  stone  to  grind,  called  matta,  and  another  to 
bake  their  cassava  bread ;  a  fan  to  blow  the  fire  ;  a  wooden 
stool  or  mulee  ;  a  sieve  they  call  manary ;  a  press  to 
squeeze  the  Avet  cassava,  called  matappy ;  and  a  cotton 
harhmock  or  net  for  them  to  sleep  in. 

Besides  these,  since  their  intercourse  with  the  Euro- 
peans, many  of  them  are  furnished  with  a  hatchet  and  a 
knife,  which  last,  like  a  dagger,  the  Indians  always  wear 
by  their  side.  But  I  must  not  forget  that  every  Indian 
family  is  provided  with  a  large  boat  or  canoe  to  carry  all 
that  they  possess  when  they  travel  by  water,  which  is  not 
unfrequent. 

The  only  vegetables  cultivated  by  these  people  are 
the  yams,  plantains,  and  bananas,  already  described,  and 
particularly  cassava  or  manioc.  This  last  is  a  shrub, 
Avhich  grows  about  three  feet  high,  of  a  grey  colour, 
and  knotted ;  the  leaves  are  digitated  and  large,  and 
supported  by  cinnamon-coloured  foot-stalks.  Of  this 
shrub  there  are  two  species,  distinguished  by  the  appel- 
lation of  the  sweet  and  the  bitter  cassava,,  of  which  the 
roots  alone  arc  for  use.  These  are  soft  and  farinaceous ; 
and  in  colour,  size,  and  shape,  n^ch  resemble  European 

parsnips. 


XV. 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  405 

parsnips.     The  sweet  cassava,  roasted  in  hot  ashes,  hke    c  h  a  £■» 
the  green  plantains,  and  eaten  with  butter,  is  an  agree- 
able and   healthy   food,  tasting  much  like  the  chesnut. 
But  the  bitter  cassava,  which  when  raw  is  the  most  fatal 
poison  both  to  man  and  beast,  is  (however  strange  it  may 
seem)  when  prepared  by  fire,  not  only  a  very  safe  food, 
but  the  most  natural  bread  of  the  Indians  in  this  coun- 
try, as  well  as  of  several  Europeans  and  negroes.     The 
manner  in  which  the  Indians  prepare  it  is  first  by  grind- 
ing or  gi'ating  these  roots  on   the  matta  or  rough  stone  : 
after  which  they  put  it  in  a  press,  to  separate  the  juice 
from  the  meal.     This  press  is  a  kind  of  long  lube,  made 
of  warirnbo  or  reeds  ;    which  being  hung   to  a   tree,   and 
filled  with  ground  cassava,  a  heavy  stone  or  log  of  wood  is 
fixed  to  the  bottom,  the  weight  of  which  gradually  length- 
ens the  tube,  which  is  compressed  in  proportion,  and  the 
liquid  substance  is  squeezed  through  the  plated  reeds.  This 
done,  the  meal  is  baked  on  a  hot  stone  in  thin  round  cakes, 
until  it  becomes  brown  and  crisp,  and  then  it  is  a  whole- 
some food,  that  will  keep  good  for  half  a  year;  yet  I  must 
acknowledge  that  the  taste,  which  by  that  process  becomes 
sweetish,   is   at  the  same  time  extremely   insipid.      The 
cxtra(5ted  water  of  this  root,  if  not  carefully  prevented 
by  the  slaves,  is  sometimes  drunk  by  cattle  and  poultry 
on  the    estates,   whom  it  instantly  kills   with  convulsive 
tortures  and  sweUing;  yet  this  very  liquid,  if  boiled  with 
pepper,  butcher's  meat,    &c.  is  frequently  made  use  of 

fo? 


406  NARRATIVE    OF  AN 

for  soup.  None  should  use  the  cassava  root  for  food 
but  such  as  are  perfectly  acquainted  with' it:  many  peo- 
ple having  befen  poisoned,  to  my  knoAvledge,  by  using 
the  one  species  for  the  other;  the  distinction  between 
the  two  consisting  chiefly  in  a  tough  ligneous  fibre  or 
cbi'd  runnino;  throu2;h  the  heart  of  the  sweet  or  innocent 
cassava  root,  which  the  fatal  or  bitter  has  not.  The  acajou 
nuts  are  also  used  by  the  Indians;  and  they  often  bring 
them  to  Paramaribo,  where  they  are  called  inginotto. 
The  kernels  of  these  nuts  are  in  size  and  shape  very  like 
lambs  kidneys,  and  are  exceedingly  delicate.  They  grow 
very  far  inland  upon  high  trees,  which  having  never  seen, 
I  cannot  describe. 

The   other  food  of  the  Indian  consists  of  sea  and  land 
turtle,   and   crabs,    called   seereeca,   which  last  are    seen 
in  great  quantities  in   the    mud   all    along    the    coast  'Of 
Guiana  at  low  Avater.     Of  these  they  are  extremely    fond, 
as   also  of  the  river   lobsters  called  sarasara,  Avhich   are 
here  in  great  abundance.     But  nothing  pleases  them  so 
much  as  the  iguana  or  rcayamacca  lizards,  that  I   have 
already   described:    every    thing   they    eat  is    so    highly 
seasoned  with  Cayenne  pepper,  that   the   mere   tasting 
of   their   food    excoriates  the  mouth    of  an    European. 
They   use  little  or  no  salt,  but  barbacue  their  game  and 
fish  in  the  smoke,  which  equally  preserves  it  from  putre- 
faction ;  and  if  an  Indian  has   neglected  to  provide  food 
b}'  hunting  or  fishing,    his  hunger  is  assuaged  by  eating 
2  the 


EXPEDITION   TO   SURINAM.  407 

the  seeds  of  the  green-heart  or  the  eta  tree,  or  of  similar 
productions  of  the  forest. 

Their  drink  consists  of  various  fluids,  such  as  the 
juice  of  the  coumoo  fruit.  The  couinoo  tree  is  one 
of  the  smallest  of  the  palm  kind.  Its  seed  grows  in 
bunches  of  purple  blue  berries,  resembling  grapes,  the 
pulp  of  which  thinly  adheres  to  a  round  hard  stone, 
about  the  size  of  a  pistol  bullet.  These  berries  are  dis- 
solved and  macerated  in  boiling  water;  M'hich  beverage, 
Avhen  mixed  with  sugar  and  cinnamon,  is  frequently  used 
by  the  fair  inhabitants:  it  tastes  very  much  like  cho- 
colate. A  drink  they  call  piworree  is  a  composition  of 
the  cassava  bread,  chewed  by  the  females,  and  fermented 
with  water,  when  it  has  something  of  the  taste  of  ale, 
and  will  intoxicate.  It  appears  at  fii-stvery  extraordinary, 
that  what  has  been  within  the  teeth,  mixed  with  the  sa- 
liva, and  spit  from  the  mouths  of  others,  should  be  drank 
without  loathing  by  the  people  of  any  country:  bat 
those  who  have  read  Cook's  Voyages  will  find  that  this 
practice  was  so  common  in  the  islands  he  discovered, 
that  had  he  not  complied  with  it,  his  refivsal  might  have 
fatally  offended  the  inhabitants.  -  His  officers,  indeedi, 
did  not  think  it  so  necessary  for  them  to  comply,  and 
•tjierefdre '  Excused  themselves  iVon*  the'  disgusting  draught. 
A  bevlerage  nearlj^  of  the  same  kind  they  compose 
from  the  maize,  or  Indian  corn,  which  is  first  ground 
and  baked  into  bread,  after  which  it  is  crumbled  and 
'  '"  macerated 


408  NAIlliATIVE    OF    AN 

c  II  A  V.  macerated  with  water  till  it  ferments  like  the  former, 
''^'  and  this  they  call  c/ifocoaj-.  Another  drink  called  cassirce 
is  also  much  used  b}^  these  Indians,  being  a  composition 
of  yams,  cassava,  sour  oranges,  and  sugar  or  treacle, 
well  macerated,  and  fermented  with  water.  ]  shall  only 
add,  that  all  these  beverages  are  inebriating,  if  used  be- 
yond moderation,  which  is  frequently  the  case  with  both 
males  and  females  among  the  copper-coloured  generation 
I  am  speaking  of.  This  is  the  only  time  when  they  are 
unruly,  and  when  quarrels  arise  among  themselves. 

In  pronunciation  the  language  of  the  Indians  in  general 
much  resembles  the  Italian,  their  words  being   sonorous 
and    harmonious,   mostly   terminating  with  a    vowel,  as 
may  be  observed  by  the   few  specimens   above.     They 
have  no  calculation  of  time,  a  string  with  some  knots  be- 
ing   the   only   calendar   they  are  acquainted  with.     Their 
musical  instruments  consist  of  a  kind  of  flute  called  too- 
too,   and  made  of  a  single  piece  of  thick  reed,  on  which 
they   make   a   sound  no   better    than    the  lowing  of  an 
ox,  without  either  measure  or  variety. — Another  instru- 
ment is  also  used  by  them  to    blow  upon,  called  quarta 
(by    Ovid    a  sirinx;    by   some  poets  Pan's  chaunter)  and 
consists  of  reeds  of  different  lengths,  that  are  joined  to- 
gether like   the  pipes  of  an   organ,  but  even  at  the  top, 
which  they  hold  with  both  hands  to  the  lips,  and  which, 
by  shifting  from  side  to  side,  produces  a  warbling  of  clear 
but  discordant  sounds,  agreeable  to  none  but  themselves; 

nor 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  409 

nor  have  I  seen  a  better  representation  of  the  god  Pan  chap. 
playing  on  his  chaunter,  than  a  naked  Indian  among  the  ^^'' 
A'erdant  foUage  playing  upon  one  of  those  reedy  pipes. 
They  also  make  flutes  of  the  bones  of  their  enemies,  of 
which  I  have  one  now  in  my  possession.  Their  dancing, 
if  such  it  may  be  called,  consists  in  stamping  on  the 
ground,  balancing  on  one  foot,  and  staggering  round  in 
different  attitudes  for  many  hours,  as  if  intoxicated. 

The  Indians  are  a  very  sociable  people  among  them- 
selves, and  frequently  meet  together  in  a  large  wigwam 
or  caibet  that  is  in  every  hamlet  for  the  purpose,  where, 
if  they  do  not  play  or  dance,  they  amuse  each  other 
with  fictitious  stories,  generally  concerning  ghosts,  Avitches, 
or  dreams,  during  which  they  frequently  burst  out  into 
immoderate  fits  of  laughter.  They  greatly  delight  in 
bathing,  which  they  do  twice  at  least  every  day,  men, 
women,  boys,  and  girls,  promiscuously  together.  They 
are  all  excellent  swimmers  without  exception.  Amono- 
these  parties  not  the  smallest  indecency  is  committed,  in 
either  words  or  actions. 

The  employments  of  the  men  are,  as  I  have  stated,  but 
very  few,  and,  indeed,  may  be  comprized  in  two  words, 
hunting  and  fishing :  at  both  of  these  exercises  they  are 
indisputably  more  expert  than  any  other  nation  what- 
ever. For  the  first  they  are  provided  with  bows  and 
arrows  of  their  own  manufacturing,  the  arrows  being 
of    different    kinds   for  different  purposes.     The  Indian 

Vol.  I.  3  G  bows 


410  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

bows    are  all   made   of  the    hardest  and    toughest  kind 
of  ■wood,    about    five    or    six    feet  in    length,    and   Avon- 
derfully    well   polished;    and   this  is    effected    by    means 
of  a  stone.     In    the  middle   they   are  Avound   round  with 
cotton,  and  strung  Avith  chords  made  of  silk-grass.     The 
arroAvs   are  generally  about  four   feet  long,  made  of   a 
A'ery    straight     and     strong   kind  of  reed,    to    the    end   of 
Avhich    is    fixed    a  *  thin    twig   about   one    foot  long,    to 
balance   them;  this  is   armed  with  a  point  made  of  steel 
or  of  fish-bone,   generally  barbed.     Some  of  the  Indian 
arroAvs  are  pointed  like  a  lance,  others  are  doubly    and 
trebly  barbed,  and  so  contiived  as  to  stick   in  the  \vound 
when  the   reedy   part  is  pulled  back.     These  are   used 
mostly  for  game  and  fish ;  for  though  they  be  not  mortal, 
they   encumber  the    first,  and  being  buoyant    bring  the 
latter  to  the  surface,  till  both   are  taken.     These  arroAvs, 
like  all  others,  are  stuck  with  feathers  six  or  scA^en  inches 
long.     Some  arrows  have  blunted  heads  instead  of  points, 
about  the  size  of  a  large  chesnut,  like  Avhat  our  ancestors 
called  bolts;  Avith  these    they  do  not   kill,  but  stun  the 
macaAvs,  parrots,    and  small   monkeys,  so  that  they  can 
take  them  Avith  their  hands,  soon  after  which  they  reco- 
A^er,  and  are  sent  alive  to  Paramaribo.     Some  of  the  ar- 
rows  for  killing   fish  have  the  'appearance  of  a    trident, 
three  and  sometimes  five  barbed  sticks  being:  fixed  to  the 
reed  instead   of  one,   Avhich  enables    them  to  shoot  fish 
even  at   random.     A   few  of  the  above  arroAvs  are  fre- 
5  quently 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  4ii 

quently  dipped  in  the  woorara  poison*,  which  is  in- 
stantaneously fatal :  but  when  intent  on  certain  de- 
struction, this  people  make  use  of  another  kind  of 
arrow  that  is  not  above  ten  or  twelve  inches  lonsr, 
extremely  thin,  and  made  of  the  hard  splintei's  of  the 
palm-tree  bark,  having,  instead  of  feathers,  one  end 
wound  round  with  a  tuft  of  raw  cotton,  so  as  to  fill  up  a 
hollow  tube  made  of  reed  near  six  feet  in  leno-tli,  throuo-h 
which  they  blow  them  with  their  breath.  These  little 
implements  of  death  Avill  carry  to  the  distance  of  forty 
paces,  and  with  so  much  certainty,  that  the  intended 
victims  never  escape,  the  points  being  dipped  in  the 
woorara  poison.  As  an  instance  of  the  dreadful  cxTects 
of  this  poison,  I  shall  only  mention  a  negro  woman,  who, 
during  the  late  rebellion  in  Berbice,  being  slightly 
wounded  by  a  poisoned  arrow,  not  only  almost  instanth' 
expired,  but  her  sucking  infant,  though  not  touched  by  the 
arrow,  lost  its  life  by  tasting  her  milk. 

Their  manner  of  catching  fish  is  much  the  same  as 
I  have  described  at  the  Hope,  by  inclosing  the  entry 
of  small  creeks  or  shoal  water  with  a  paling,  shooting 
them  v/ith  their  tiident  arrows,  or  jwisoning  the  water 
by  throwing  in  it  the  roots  oi  hiarce-\-,  in  Surinam   called 

*  The    bark   of  a  tree  so    called,  wliieli  that  gentleman  has  made  to 

mixed  with  others;  but  for  a  verj-  par-  ascertain  its  instant  fatality. 
ticulardescriptionofthisacute  poison,  -f  This  tree   is  much  sought  after 

I'ir.  of  its  composition,  and  of  its  dire  b3'  the    Indians,   who    send    qiian- 

effects,  I  refer  the  reader  to  Dr.  Ban-  titles  of  it  to  Paramaribo  and   the 

croft,  and  the  repeated  experiments  plantations. 

5  G  2  trins'ce- 


412-  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

tringee-woodo  or  konamee,  by  -vvliich  the  fish  become 
stupified,  and  are  taken  by  the  hand,  -while  they  float  oa 
the  surface  of  the  water;  as  boys  in  England,  who  by 
mixing  the  Coculus  Indicus,  or  drugs  of  similar  effect, 
with  baits  which  the  fish  will  take,  find  them  soon  after 
rise  to  the  surface,  whence,  if  they  are  not  speedily  taken, 
they  will  recover  and  escape,  tlie  drugs  only  stupifying 
them  foK  a  while.  These  are  the  only  occupations  ^df 
the  men,  except  making  their  furniture,  ornaments,  ;anfl 
arms. 

I  must  not   forget  that   every  Indian   carries  a  club, 
Avhich   they  call  apootoo,   for  their   defence.     These  clubs 
are  made  of  the  heaviest  wood  in  the  forest;  they  are 
about  eighteen  inches  long,  flat  at  both  ends,  and  square, 
but  heavier  at  the  one  end  than  the  other.     In  the  mid- 
dle they   are    thinner,    and  are   wound   about  with  strong 
cotton    threads,    so   as  to  be  grasped,  having  a  loop  to 
secure  them   round   the   wrist,  as   the   sword-tassels   are 
used   by   some   cavalry.     One   blow    with    this  club,  in 
which    is   frequently   fixed   a   sharp    stone,   scatters    the 
brains.     They  are  used  by  the  Guiana  Indians  like   the 
tomahawk   by  the   Cherokees,   on  which,    besides  other 
hieroglyphical  figures,  they   often  carve  the  number   of 
persons  they  have  slain  in  battle.     The  manner  of  fixing 
the  stone  in  the  club  or  apootoo  is  by  sticking  it  in  the 
tree  while  it  is  yet  growing,  where  it  soon  becomes  so  fast 
that  it  cannot  be  forced  out ;  after  which  the  wood  is  cut, 
and  shaped  according  to  fancy. 

The 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  413 

The  women  are  occupied  in  planting  cassava,  plan- 
tains, and  other  roots,  besides  yams,  &c.  in  dressing 
the  victuals,  and  in  making  earthen  pots,  bracelets, 
baskets,  or  cotton  hammocks.  Their  best  baskets  are 
called  pagala,  and  are  formed  of  a  double  matting  of 
rushes  called  warimbo,  some  white,  some  brown,  be- 
tween which  is  a  separation  of  tas,  or  trooly-leaves, 
to  keep  out  the  wet.  The  covering  is  usually  larger 
and  deeper  than  the  basket  itself,  which  it  altogether 
envelops,  and  thus  makes  it  stronger;  the  whole  rest- 
ing on  two  cross  pieces  of  wood  fixed  to  the  bottom. 
Their  hammocks  are  woven,  which  must  require  a 
considerable  portion  of  time  and  trouble,  being  done 
thread  after  thread,  traversing  the  warp  in  the  manner 
that  a  hole  is  darned  in  a  stocking ;  after  which  they  are 
stained  with  the  juices  of  trees  according  to  fancy. 

The  Indian  girls  arrive  at  the  time  of  puberty  befoi'e 
twelve  years  old,  indeed  conmionly  much  sooner,  at 
which  time  they  are  married.  The  ceremony  consists 
simply  in  the  young  man's  offering  a  quantity  of  game 
and  fish  of  his  own  catching,  which,  if  she  accepts,  he 
next  proposes  the  question,  "  Will  you  be  my  wife  r"  If 
she  answers  in  the  affirmative,  the  matter  is  settled,  and 
the  nuptials  celebrated  in  a  drunken  feast,  when  a  house 
and  furniture  is  provided  for  the  young  couple.  Their 
women  are  delivered  without  any  assistance,  and  with  so 
little  inconvenience  or  suffering,  that  they  seem  exempt 

from 


j,\^  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

CHAP,    from  the  curse  of  Eve.     They  go  about  the  menial  ser- 
s„^L^  vices  for  their  husbands    the   day    after    their   delivery; 
then,  hoAvever  ridiculous  and   incredible  it  may  appear, 
it  is  an  absolute  fact,  that  every  one  of  these  gentlemen 
lie  in  their  hammocks  for  above  a  month,  groaning  and 
grunting  as  if  they  had  been  themselves  in  labour,  dur- 
ing which  time  all    the  women  must  attend  them    with 
extraordinary  care  and   the  best  food.     This   the   Indian 
calls    enjoying    himself   and    resting    from    his    labour. 
Most  of  these  people  esteeming  a  flat  foreliead  a  mark  of 
■    beauty,  they  compress  the  heads  of  their  children,   it  is 
said,  immediately  after  their  birth,  like  the  Chactaws  of 
North  America. 

No  Indian  wife  eats  with  her  husband,  but  serves  him 
as  a  slave :  for  this  reason  they  can  take  but  very  little 
care  of  their  infants,  which,  nevertheless,  are  always 
healthy  and  undeformed.  "When  they  travel,  they  carry 
them  in  small  hammocks  slung  over  one  shoulder,  in 
which  sits  the  child,  having  one  leg  before  and  the  other 
behind  the  mother.  For  an  emetic  they  use  the  juice  of 
tobacco,  Avhich  they  seldom  smoke. 

When  the  Indians  are  dying,  either  from  sickness  or  old 
age,  the  latter  of  which  is  most  frequently  the  cause,  the 
devil  or  Yaicahoo  is  at  midnight  exorcised  by  the  peii  or 
priest,  by  means  of  rattling  a  calabash  filled  Avith  small 
stones,  pease,  and  beads,  accompanied  by  a  long  speech. 
This  office  is  hereditary,  and  by  these  pretended  di- 
■  vines 


XV. 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  415 

vines  no   animal  food,  as   I  have   before  said,  is  publicly    chap, 
tasted,  and  yet   on  the  Avhole    they  live  better  than  all 
the     others.     When     an    Indian    is    dead,    being    first 
Mashed    and    anointed,    he    is    buried   naked,  in   a  new 
cotton  bag,  in    a  sitting  attitude,  his  head   resting  on  the 
palm^  of  his  hands,  his  elbows  on  his  knees,  and  all    his 
implements  of  war  and  hunting  by  his  side;   during  which 
time  his  relations  and  neighbours  rend  the  air  b}^  their  dis- 
mal lamentations;  but  soon  after,   by  a  general  drunken 
riot,  they  drown  their  sorrows  till  the  following 3ear.     This 
practice,  by  the  way,  bears  some   affinity  to  Dr.  SmoUet's 
description  of  a  burial  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.     At 
the  expiration  of  the  year,  the  bod}^  being  rotten,  is  dug 
up,  and    the  bones  distributed   to  all  the  friends  and  ac- 
quaintance,  during  Avhich    ceremony    the    former    rites 
are  repeated  for  the  last  time,    and    the  whole  neighbour- 
hood look    out   for  another  settlement.     Some  tribes  of 
Indians,   having   put  their  deceased  friends  in  the  above 
posture,    place  them  naked  for  a  few  days  under  v»ater, 
where  the  bones  being  picked  clean  by  thepiree  and  other 
fish,  the    skeleton  is  dried  in  the  sun,    and    hung  up    to 
the  ceiling  of  their  houses  or  wigwams;  and  this   is  done 
as  the  strongest  instance  of  their  great    regard  for  their 
departed  friend. 

When  these  Indians  travel  by  land,  their  canoe,  which 
is  made  of  a  large  tree  hollowed  by  means  of  fire,  is  al- 
ways  carried   along  with  them  to  transport  their  luggage 

across 


416  NARRATIV^E    OF    AN 

across  swamps,  creeks,  and  rivers ;  it  is,  like  themselves,, 
all  over  besmeared  with  arnotta.  If  they  travel  in  the 
rivers,  they  generally  paddle  against  the  tide,  to  have  a 
better  opportunity  of  shooting  such  game  as  they  see  in 
the  trees  or  on  the  banks ;  whereas,  if  they  went  with 
the  current,  the  rapidity  of  the  stream  would  often  make 
them  run  past  it.  When  travelling  on  the  coast,  it  fre- 
quently happens  that  these  canoes  ship  a  sea  which  fills 
them,  but  no  such  thing  as  a  shipwreck  is  heard  of:  both 
sexes  immediately  leaping  overboard ;  then-  with  one 
hand  they  hang  by  the  canoe,  with  the  other,  and  by 
means  of  calabashes,  they  throv/  out  the  water. 

Notwithstanding  the  Guiana  Indians  are  upon  the 
whole  a  peaceable  people,  they  sometimes  go  to  war 
among  themselves,  purely  for  the  sake  of  capturing  pri- 
soners, to  Avhich  they  are  too  much  encouraged  by  the 
Christians,  who  receive  them  in  exchange  for  other 
commodities,  and  make  them  slaves,  which  is  too  fre- 
quently practised.  But  these  kind  of  slaves  are  only  for 
shew  and  parade,  as  they  absolutely  refuse  to  work,  and 
if  at  all  ill-treated,  or  especially  if  beaten,  they  pine  and 
languish  like  caged  turtles,  even  refusing  food,  till  by  af- 
fliction and  want  they  are  exhausted,  and  finally  expire. 

The  Indians  always  fight  their  battles  by  midnight: 
indeed  their  contests  resemble  more  a  siege  than  a  battle, 
as  these  broils  consist  only  in  surrounding  the  hamlets  of 
their  enemies  Avhile  they  are  asleep,  making  prisoners   of 

the 


EXPEDITION    TO    SURINAM.  417 

the  women,  boys,  and  girls,  while  they  shoot  the  men  chap. 
with  poisoned  arrows,  or  with  their  clubs  or  apootoos  ^^'* 
divide  their  scidls  when  they  come  to  close  quarters; 
they  also  scalp  their  male  prisoners,  bring  home  their 
hair,  and  even  their  bones,  as  trophies  of  war,  and 
presents  to  their  Avives,  unless  they  intend  to  sell  them 
to  the  Europeans  at  Paramai'ibo.  In  their  open  ren- 
counters, which  happen  very  seldom,  the  bows  and 
barbed  arrows  are  their  principal  weapons  of  offence; 
with  these  they  often  kill  at  the  distance  of  sixty  paces: 
nay,  the  swiftest  bird  in  its  flight,  provided  it  has  the 
magnitude  of  a  crow,  seldom  escapes  them.  In  truth, 
such  is  the  skill  of  these  people  at  these  manly  exercises, 
that  the  best  archers  at  Cressy,  Poictiers,  and  Agincourt, 
must  have  yielded  to  their  superiority. 

Now  with  full  force  the  yielding  bow  he  bends, 
Drawn  to  an  arch,  and  joins  the  doubling  ends; 
Close  to  his  breast  he  strains  the  nerve  below, 
'Till  the  barb'd  point  approach  the  circling  bow. 
Th'  impatient  weapon  whizzes  on  the  wing, 
Sounds  the  tough  bow,  and  twangs  the  quivering  string. 

Pope's  Homer. 

I  shall  only  add  farther  on  this  subject,  that  when  these 
Indians  go  to  war  they  chuse  one  general  commander, 
whom  they  distinguish  by  the  title  of  Uill. 

The  trade  or  traffic  which  the  Indians  of  Guiana  carry 
Vol.  1.  3  H  on 


XV 

« — /- 


418  NARRATIVE  OF  AN 

CHAP,  on  with  the  Dutch  consists  chiefly  in  slaves,  earthen  jars, 
canoes,  hammocks,  baskets,  Brazil-wood,  hiaree-roots, 
macaws,  parrots,  monkeys,  balsam  capivi,  arracocerra, 
caraba  or  crab  oil,  and  arnotta,  for  which  they  receive 
in  return  checquered  cloth,  fire-arms,  gunpowder, 
hatchets,  knives,  scissars,  different  coloured  beads,  look- 
in  o'-o'lasses,  fish-hooks,  combs,  needles,  pins,  &r,.  The 
balsam  capivi  exudes  from  the  bark  of  a  thick  tree  that 
grows  far  inland,  with  large  pointed  leaves,  bearing  a 
fruit  like  a  cucumber.  This  gum  is  yellow,  hard,  and 
transparent,  resembling  amber;  when  melted,  it  has  an 
agreeable  smell:  its  uses  are  for  varnish,  and  to  stop  diu- 
retic complaints,  &c.  The  gum  called  arracocerra  ex- 
udes from  an  inland  tree  also;  it  is  yellow  as  the  former, 
but  tenacious  and  soft;  it  has  a  most  fragrant  smell,  and 
is  held  in  great  esteem  by  the  Europeans  as  well  as  In- 
dians, on  account  of  its  efficacy  in  curing  wounds,  and 
many  other  complaints.  The  caraba  or  crab  oil  is  made 
by  bruising,  macerating,  and  boiling  the  kernels  that 
grow  on  the  crab-tree  in  brown  angular  nuts,  much  about 
the  size  of  a  large  chesnut ;  this  oil,  which  is  bitter,  be- 
sides anointing  the  Indians,  is  used  for  many  purposes 
by  the  Europeans.  The  tree  grows  to  near  fifty  feet 
high,  with  leaves  resembling  those  of  the  laurel ;  but  as  I 
neither  have  seen  this  nor  the  two  former  growing,  to  my 
knowledge,  I  can  say  nothing  more  concerning  them. 
The  mawna  tree  is  high,  straight,  and  light  brown  co- 
I  loured ; 


EXPEDITION   TO    SURINAM.  419 

loured  ;  its  leaves  are  oval ;  its  nuts  resembling  nutmegs,  c  h  a  p» 
but  without  either  taste  or  flavour.  The  gum  exuding  ^^* 
from  its  trunk  by  incisions  in  the  bark  is  dissolved  by  the 
Indians  in  water,  and,  as  I  have  said,  mixed  with  arnotta 
to  anoint  them.  The  castor  or  palma-christi  bush,  by 
botanists  called  the  ricinus,  is  a  shrub  about  four  feet 
high,  jointed,  being  covered  with  large  digitated  leaves 
on  long  foot-stalks,  viz.  both  the  stem  and  the  branches. 
This  shrub  consists  of  the  red  and  the  Avhite,  and  pro- 
duces triangular  nuts  inclosed  in  a  green  husk,  which, 
when  ripe,  turns  to  brown,  and  falls  otF.  From  these  nuts 
is  expressed  the  castor  oil ;  in  Surinam  it  is  called  carrapat 
oil ;  it  is  very  like  that  made  of  olives,  and,  as  I  have 
mentioned  before,  is  much  used  by  the  Indians  to  paint 
themselves  with. 

Among  all  the  Indian  nations,  the  Caribs  are  the  most 
numerous,  active,  and  brave.  These  reside  in  great  num- 
bers near  the  Spanish  settlements,  which  they  often  harass, 
in  immortal  revenge  for  the  inhuman  cruelties  inflicted 
on  their  forefathers  at  Mexico  and  Peru.  They  are  com- 
manded by  a  captain,  and  assemble  by  the  blowing  of  a 
conch  or  sea-shell ;  they  have  also  frequent  battles  w^th 
neighbouring  Indians ;  but  what  disgraces  them  above  all 
others  in  Terra  Firma  is,  that  however  unnatuial  it  may 
seem,  and  however  much  it  has  been  contradicted,  they 
are  anthropophagi,  or  cannibals ;  at  least  they  most  cer- 
tainly feast  on  their  enemies,  whose  flesh  they  tear  and 

3  n  2  devour 


420  NARRATIVE    OF    AN 

devour  with  the  avidity  of  wolves,  though  this  is  generally 
supposed  to  be  more  from  a  spirit  of  revenge  than  from 
any  depravity  in  their  taste. 

~  The  Accawaw  Indians  are  few  in  number,  and  live  far- 
ther distant  from  the  sea  than  the  former.  Thouoh  like 
these  they  live  in  friendship  with  the  Dutch,  they  are 
both  treacherous  in  administering  slow  poison  concealed 
under  their  nails,  and  very  distrustful,  as  they  palisade 
the  ground  round  their  hamlets  with  poisoned  spikes. 

The  Worrow  Indians,  if  not  the  most  cruel,  are  the 
most  despicable  of  any  in  Guiana.  These  are- settled 
along  the  coast  from  the  river  Oronoque  to  Surinam ; 
they  are  dark-coloured  and  extremely  ugly ;  though 
strong  they  are  pusillanimous,  and  withal  so  very  lazy 
and  indolent,  that  their  poverty  will  scarcely  afford  them 
a  covering  to  hide  their  nakedness,  which  they  often 
supply  by  the  web-like  bai'k  of  the  palm-tree.  They 
often  go  quite  naked,  and  are  stinkingly  dirty ;  from 
their  sluggish  inactivity  they  are  reduced  to  live  mostly 
upon  crabs  and  water.  If  it  should  seem  strange  to 
have  called  these  people  happy,  let  it  be  recollected  that 
their  wishes  are  confined  to  their  enjoyments,  and  that 
no  Indian  was  ever  heard  to  complain  that  he  was 
unhappy. 

The  Taiii'as  are  settled  also  on  the  sea-coast  between 
Surinam  and  the  river  Amazon.  These  are  exceedingly 
numerous,  being  computed,  in  this  settlement  alone,   to 

amount 


EXPEDITION  TO    SURINAM.  4'ii 

amount  to  near  twenty  thousand  :  they  are  a  very  peace- 
able but  indolent  people,  and  in  many  particulars  resem- 
ble the  JForrows. 

The  Piatmacofaus  live  very  far  inland,  and  are  enemies 
to  the  Europeans,  with  whom  they  refuse  all  connection 
or  dealings  whatever  :  of  this  tribe  the  only  thing  that  I 
can  say  farther  is,  that  they  would  murder  all  the  Chris- 
tians in  Guiana,  if  they  had  an  opportunity. 

The  only  Indian  nation  within  my  knowledge  now 
remaining  to  be  mentioned  are  the  Arrowouks,  my 
favourites ;  but  as  this  Chapter  is  already  swelled  to' 
a   considerable    length,    I   must  defer  them  to   another 

opportunity. Thus    for    the    present   do    I   take   my 

leave  of  this  happy  people,  who  with  the  distinctions 
of  rank  or  land  (the  causes  of  contention  in  more  en- 
lightened states)  are  unacquainted ;  who  know  no  evil 
but  pain  and  want,  with  which  they  are  very  sel- 
dom afflicted  in  this  ever-verdant,  this  ever-blooming 
climate ;  who,  while  their  wishes  are  so  very  limited, 
possess  all  that  they  desire  in  this  world  :  and  who,  while 
they  expect  a  future  state,  never  give  their  minds  the 
smallest  uneasiness,  but  die  in  peace ;  nay,  who  seldom 
think  upon  to-morrow.  But  while  I  allow  them  this 
species  of  negative  happiness,  let  it  not  be  understood  that 
to  the  contented  European  I  have  held  up  their  condi- 
tion as  an  object  of  envy. 

For 


422  NARRATIVE    OF   AN 

For  a  better  idea  of  their  furniture,    ornaments,   and 
arms,  I  refer  the  curious  to  the  annexed  plate,  where 

N°  1 .  is  an  Indian  coriala  or  canoe,  which  is  gene- 
rally made  of  one  tree. 

2.  Paddles  in  place  of  oars. 

3.  A  sieve  called  manary. 

4.  An  Indian  fan,  or  way-way. 

5.  A  stool  called  rnulee. 

6.  A  pagala  or  basket. 

7.  A  matappy,  or  cassava  press. 

8.  An  Indian  bow. 

9.  ArroM's  for  shooting  fish. 

10.  A  blunted  arrow  for  birds. 

11.  Common  arrows  barbed. 

12.  Small  poisoned  arrows. 

13.  The  pipe  or  tube  to  blow  them. 

1 4.  A  croM'n  of  various  feathers. 

15.  An  apron  called  queiou.  . 

16.  An  Indian  earthen  pot. 

17.  An  apootoo  or  Indian  club. 

1 8.  An  Indian  cotton  hammock. 
]  9.  A  sash  of  tigers  or  wild  boars  teeth. 
20.  A  magic  shell  or  gourd 
SI.  An  Indian  flute  called  too-too. 

22.  A  flute  made  of  the  human  bone  of  an  enemj. 

23.  An  Indian  flute  or  syrinx  called  quarta. 

24.  A  stone  to  grind  cassava,  called  matta. 

For 


l,o,i,l,;,.l'i.l:/M,.l  /l,,-1:''/-^i,  /.r  J.J..Im^-on  S/r.,M.-  t7ii.r,i,  Jjrd. 


\ 


N       D       E       X 


TO      THE 


FIRST        VOLUME. 


A. 

AbOMA  snake 
Accawaw  Indians 
Acajou-nuts 
Adjora-porcupine 
Agame-biid 
Agoma-shiub 
Ai,  sloth       -  •(    - 
Alligator 
Althea-plant 
Amsterdam,  fort 
Amazon  macaw 
Ants,   small 
Animals,  foreign 
Argonauta 
Armadillo 
Arracocerra  gum 
Avoira  nuts 
Avogato  pear 
Auberp-ines       ■  ,- 


184 
420 
406 
232 
272 
321 
161 
152 
338 
141 
208 
374 
219 

231 
413 
27 
312 
320 


Stag 


Bajew, 

Banana 

Balsam  capivi .     .-;     ^ 

Baboon  knifefe^r'^;! ' 

^skeeta        -'''-' 

Bee,  insect 

Bitter  brano-e^'  ^-"--'" 


Birdfe,  ntusical 
Boucol'r  town 
Vol.  I. 


321 
387 
41S 
tdo 
,284 
I'WJ 

255 
88 


Boossy-calcoo  -  p.  254 
JJlueandyellowmacaw207 
Blatta-beetle  -  203 
Braam's  Point  -  44 
Brocoli  -  -  321 
Brick  manufactory  322 
Bullocks  -  -  129 
Butterfly  (azure)        291 


Calapee  turtle        -       16 
Carett  turtle  -    ,    16 

Carribbean  wren    -     126 
Capasce,   animal    -     C3i 
Camy-camy  bird  -     272  ' 
Casava  (sweet)      -     404 

(bitter)       -     404 

Carrapat  oil       -  4  W 

Castor  bush       -         419 ' 

Caribbee  Indians     _4j9i 

Cayman       -        -       1 53 

Crystal       "  -  -        82 

Constable  rocks       -     14 

Cbmewina  river      -     42 

Cottica  river         -        42 

Coot-eye  fish       -       142 

Cotton  tree         -         221 

^Cock-roach        -        203 

"Cocoa-nut  tree      -      244 

Cbcareeta  tree      -      25  7 

'  'Cpemma-cogmma  fish  2G 1 

Consaca,  ground  itch  282 

Corn,   Indian        -       338 

3l 


Coumoo  tree 
Crocodile 
Cras  pingos 
Cherries 
Cuppy-tree 
Curetta 
Curlew  (red) 
China  apple 
Chigoe,  insect 

D. 


407 
153 
3G9 
321 
305 
284 
353 
361 
365 


Devil's  Islands       -  14 

Devils  Harwar  -  164 
Diamond  (MaraM'ina)  43 
Dolphin,  or  dorado   -     9 

Doves  (turtle)       -  318 

Dog,  sloth         -  161 

Dry  gripes          -  127 

Ducks,  tame        -  130 

Duncane  poison     -  336 

Dwarf  pigeon       -  318 

E. 

Euripice  Islands      -      14 

Emu,  bird         -  255 

Exocoetus  volitans  13 

Electrical  eel        -  132 


Falcon  (Surinam)       391 

Flying  fish      -        -       13 

Flycatcher, 


INDEX. 


Flycatcher,  bird     p. 

Flying  heart,  beetle 

Fire- fly 

Fowls  (common)  - 

Flamingo 


Frog 


(tree) 


Guiana 

Gnats 

Ground  itch 

Grow  muneck  fish 

Grass  snipe 

Green  turtle 

Geese 

H. 

Hanaquaw  bird 

Hawk 

Hog  (common) 

(hedge) 

— —  (Mexican) 
Horse 
Horse-fly 
Hiaree  tree 
Heron  (grey) 

-  (spotted) 
Honey 


125 
288 
148 
ISO 
35S 
234 


36 

27 
282 
308 
382 

16 
ISO 


-  382 
S91 

-  130 
£33 

-  370 
219 
288 
412 

-   338 

-  149 

-  196 


Jackee  fish        -  1 3 1 

Iguana  lizard       -  155 

Inginotto      -       -  406 

Indians  (American)  394 

■  Caribbee  -  4lS 
Accawaw  420 

■  Worrow    -  420 
-  Taiiras      -  420 

■  Piannacotaw42i 
Indian  wheat       -  338 


K. 

Kawiry  fish  -    p.  345 

Keesce-keesee  -  174 
Kibry-fowlo  -  368 
Kill-devil         -  103 


Lamentyn          -  230 

Laniper  fish        -  345 

Lawna  tree         -  401 

Lemons         -         -  362 

sweet       -  S6^ 

Lizard  (Iguana)    -  155 

Sapagala  321 

Lipee-banana  bird  390 
Lice,  common  -  1 1 
pattat         -  19 

scrapat         -  19 

Logo-logo  fish      -  389 


M. 

Marawina  river 
—  diamond 


Mineral  water     -    p. 
mountain 


Mawkers,  gnats 
Mangrove  trees 


17 

43 

29 

148 

white  148 
169 


Marcusa  tree 
Macaw  (blue  and  yel- 
low) 


Amazon     - 
Manicole  tree 
Matakee  roots 
Maripa  tree     - 
Maize,  Indian  corn 
Macrely-fisy 
Matuary  fish 
Manioc  root 
— —  bitter 
Mawna  tree 
Marobonso-bees     - 
Micoo  monkey 

on  I 


207 
208 
240 
257 
257 
338 
345 
389 
404 
404 
418 

-  355 

-  "'1^4 

rCnoD 


289 
289 
160 
176 

174 


Mocco-mocco  tree 
Monkee  monkee  - 
Monkey  micoo 

keesee-keesee  174 

—  (Ourang  Ou- 

tang) 
Monpeira  gnat 
Musquitoes 
Mulatto 
Muscles,  fish 
Mott  creek 


Mexican  hog 


174 

323 
27 
93 

394 
45 

370 


Narwhal  -  -  15 
Nautilus  -  -  11 
Naapjes,  a  root  -  337 
209,377 
different  na- 
tions -  216 
Nebees,  natural  ropes  240 
Nests  (curious  bird)  S90 


Negroes 


Ocro  shrub 

Oysters 

Otters 

Ourang  Outang 

Orange  tree 


Oxen 


bitter 
sour 


338 
393 
177 
174 
361 
313 
313 
129 


Parasalla  tree  -  240 
Paramaribo  town  -  29« 
Palmachristy  -  4i9 
Palm-tree  (avoira)    -    27 

-T- cocoa  nut  244 

/.,,  Palm-tree 


88 


.!     .^U 


INDEX. 


Palm-tree  coumoo  p. 

cocareeta 

■  nianicole 

maripa    - 

Pattat  lice 

Petrel,  storm  bird 
Pery,  fish 

Peacock-pheasant   - 
Pipa  frog 

Pine  apple,  wild    - 
Pigeon  (ring-tailed) 

dwarf 

Pingos,  wild  boar   - 


eras 


Peccary 

Piannacotaw  Indians 
Porcupine 
Powesa  bird 
Plantation  (cotton) 


Plantains 
Prickly  heat 
Putrid  fever 


sugar 


407 
257 
240 
257 
19 
7 
157 
272 
269 
277 
.Tis 
318 
368 
369 
370 
421 
232 

271 

oo  1 

325 
385 
102 
127 


Q. 

Quaderoon          -  309 

Que-quee  fish        -  157 

Queese-queedee  bird  3 1 7 

Quail         -         -  368 

R. 

Racasiry  gum       -  41 8 

Rats           -           -  25 

Rattans        -         -  403 

Rhinoceros  beetle  -  287 

Ring-tailed  pigeon  3 1  s 

Ricinus  shrub      -  419 

Ring  worm,  disease  205 

Rana  Piscatrix      -  13 1 

River  Surinam        -  41 

•          Comewina     -  42 

■ Cottica        -  42 

Seramika      -  41 

Copename      -  41 

■ Marawina      -  17 


Saw-fish 

Sapagala  lizard 

Subacoo  bird 

Samboe 

Sarasara  lobsters     - 

Seereeca  crabs 

Sea-swallow 

—  unicorn 

—  turtle     - 
Silk  grass 
Somelsdyk  fort 
Sour  orange 
Sword-fish 
Surinam  river 
Sun  fowlo 
Swine 
Sugar-cane 
Surinam,  colony 
Sweet  orange 
Storm-bird 
Scrapat  lice 
Shaddock 
Sheep 

Stag  (bajew) 

■  wirrebocerra 

Spui'-Avinged    water 

hen 
Snipe  (grass) 
Snake  (aboma) 

Avater 

Sloth  (sheep) 

dog 

T. 

Tamarind  tree 
Tavous,  animal 
Tapoeripa 
Tas  rattans 
Taiiras  Indians 
Texel  Island 
Tiger  bird 
Torporific  eel 
Toucan,  bird 


p.  15 

321 

338 

340 

406 

406 

7 

15 

16 

284 

315 

313 

15 

41 

125 

130 

327 

40 

S61 

7 

19 

26 

129 

321 

322 

352 
382 
179 
151 
161 
161 


97 
177 
401 
403 
420 
5 
149 
132 
124 


Toreman  bird 
Toad 
Turkies 
Tuyew  bird 
Turtle  doves 


-     P 


sea 


Troolies,  plant 


Tree  frog 


U. 


Unicorn  (sea) 
Unan  sloth 


Vreedenburgh  fort 


W. 

Wassy-wassy  bees 
Warappa  tish 
^Variml10  reed 
Wana  tree 
Wayamaka  lizard 
Worrow  Indians     - 
Water  worm 

snake 

A\ithy 

hen 

Wild  turkey 

aloes 

Wirrebocerra  stag 
Woorara  poison     - 
Wieringen  Island 
Worms  (bush) 


382 
269 
130 
S55 
318 
16 
403 
234 


15 
161 


280 


196 
2G0 
284 
304 
155 
420 
44 
151 
277 
352 
254 
284 
322 
411 
6 
294 


Yams,  a  root       -       337 
Yombo-yombo  frog    334 


Zealandia  fort       -        45 
Directions 


Directions  for  placing  the  Plates. 


Plate 


Vol.     I. 

FRONTISPIECE         -        -        -        ^o /ace  Title. 


I.     ly/r  A  P  of  Guiana,  &c.             -             -             -         facing  Page     \ 

II.     ^^  The  Harangus  Volans,  and  Dolphin  or  Dorado        -  -  lO 

III.    View  of  the  Conftable  Rocks,  and  the  Saw  Fish       -         -  -  14 

IV.     A  Female  Negro  Slave  in  Chains           -           -         -         -  -  l9 

V.     The  Fruit  called  Avoira,  and  Shaddock  Apple           _         _  -  26 
VI.     Map  of  Surinam              --------36 

VII.     A  Coroniantyn  free  Negro  or  Ranger  armed             -         -  -  87 

VIII.     A  Female  Mulatto         --------  95 

IX.     Sprig  of  the  Tamarind  Tree            .__.--  93 

X.     A  View  of  the  Estate  Alkmaar,  and  Tent  Boat         -         -  -  99 

XI.     A  Negro  hung  alive  by  the  Ribs  to  a  Gallows         -         -  —  116 

XII.     The  To  wean  and  the  Flycatcher     -         -         -         -         -  -  125 

XIII.     A  private  Marine  of  Col.  Fourgeoud's  Corps           -         -  -  140 

XIV.     View  and  Plan  of  the  Fortress  called  Amsterdam      -         -  -  141 

XV.     The  Iguana  Lizard,  and  Alligator           -----  152 

XVI.     The  Ai  and  Unan  Sloth -  -  161 

XVII.     View  of  DeviFs  Harwar,   and  the  armed  Barges       -         -  -  \Q5 

XVIII.     The  Micoo  and  Keesee  Keesee  Monkeys                    -         -  -  174 

XIX.     The  Skinning  the  Aboma  Snake,   shot  by  Capt.  Stedman  -  182 

XX.     Order  of  March  through  the  Woods  of  Surinam             -  -  195 

XXI.     The  Blue  and  Yellow,   and  the  Amazon  Macaw      -         -  -  207 

XXII.     Groupe  of  Negroes  imported  to  be  sold  for  Slaves         -  -  209 

XXIII.     Sprig  of  the  Cotton  Tree      -         -         -                   -         -  -  223 

XXIV.     The  Armadillo  and  Porcupine  of  Guiana       -  _      -         -  -  233 

-   XXV.     The  Skulls  of  Lieut.  Lepper  and  his  Companions           -  -  237 

XXVI.     The  jSLinicole  and  the  Cocoa-nut  Tree         _         -         -  -  245 

XXVII.     The  Agame  and  Powesa,  or  wild  Turkey      -         -         -  -  272 

XXVIII.     The  Post  Vreedenburgh,  and  Encampments  at  Wana  Creek  -  281 

xxix'.     Azure  blue  Butterfly  of  South  America           ...  -  292 

XXX.     View  of  Paramaribo  and  the  Shipping         _         -         -  -  299 

XXXI.     Plan  of  the  Town  of  Paramaribo         -           _         .         -  -  301 

XXXII.     A  Female  Quaderoon          -           -         -          -         -,        -  -  3iO 

XXXI II.     The  Baiew  and  Wirrebocerra  Stags  of  Guiana         -         -  -  322 

XXXIV.     The  Sugar-cane  in  its  four  different  Stages      .         -         -  -  S28 

'    XXXV.     Flagellation  of  a  female  Samboe  Slave           _         _         -  -  S39 

XXXVI.  The  spur-wing'd  Water  Hen,  and  Curlew       -         _         -  -  353 

XXXVII.  The  Pingo  and  Peccary  wild  Boar  of  Guiana         -         -  -  369 

XXXV II I.  The  Plantain  Tree,  and  the  Banana       ....  -  387 
'  XXXIX.     Indian  Family  of  the  Charribbee  Nation      -         -         -  -  395 

XL."     Arms,  Ornaments,   &c.  of  the  Indians         -         -         -  -  422 


Luke  Hansard,  printer,  near  LIncoln's-Inn  Fields.