CHAP. XXIX.

[Contents]CHAP. XXIX.Some Account of a remarkable Negro.—The Troops prepare for Europe.—Description of a Coffee Plantation.—Plan of Reform for the Increase of Population, and universal Happiness.—One more Instance of horrid Barbarity; and Example of Humanity.—The Regiment embarks.Being now once more arrived in town, and wishing to be no longer troublesome to any body, I hired a very neat small house by the water-side, in which we lived nearly as happy as we had done at the Hope.The first person that visited me here was the American CaptainLewis, of thePeggy, who, to my great concern, told me, that poorMacdonald, the grateful sailor, had died on the homeward passage, after being twelve days at sea; and desired him in his last words to return me, with his good wishes, the mother-of-pearl cork-screw I had formerly given him. He farther acquainted me also, to my sorrow, that three English vessels had been captured by theAmerican Revenueprivateer sloop, which lay at this time, with her prizes, in the road before Paramaribo; one of which, belonging to Ireland, was valued at above £. 50,000 sterling.Having been waited on by a number of planters and[346]others with congratulations on our success against the rebels; amongst the rest appeared the celebratedGramman Quacy, who came to shew me his fine coat, gold medal, &c. which he had received as a present from the Prince of Orange, in Holland. This man, being one of the most extraordinary characters of all the negroes in Surinam, or perhaps in the world, I cannot proceed without giving some account of him; the more so, as he has made his appearance once or twice already in the course of this history.—This African (for he was born on the coast of Guinea) by his insinuating temper and industry, not only obtained his freedom from a state of slavery, but by his wonderful ingenuity and artful conduct found the means of procuring a very competent subsistence.Having got the name of alockoman, or sorcerer, among the lower slaves, no crime of any consequence was committed, especially at the plantations, butGramman Quacy, which signifies Great-man Quacy, was instantly sent for to discover the perpetrators, which he so very seldom missed, owing, in fact, to their faith in his sorceries, added to his penetrating look1and authority among them, that he has often prevented farther mischief to their masters; and, for these services, occasionally received very capital rewards. The corps of rangers, and all fighting free negroes, are under his influence; to whom he sells hisobiasoramulets, in order to make them invulnerable,[347]and, of course, to engage without fear: by which deceit he has most certainly done much good to the colony, and at the same time filled his pockets with no inconsiderable profit to himself; while his person by the blacks is adored and respected like a God. The trash of which his amulets are made costs him in reality nothing; being neither more nor less than a collection of small pebbles, sea-shells, cut hair, fish-bones, feathers, &c. the whole sewed up together in small packets, which are tied with a string of cotton round the neck, or some other part of the bodies of his credulous votaries.But besides these, and many other artful contrivances, he had the good fortune, in 1730, to find out the valuable root known by the name ofQuaciæ bitter, of which he was actually the first discoverer, and from which it took its name: and, notwithstanding this medicine is now less in repute in England than formerly, it is highly esteemed in many other parts of the world for its efficacy in strengthening the stomach and restoring the appetite. It has, besides this valuable property, that of being a powerfulfebrifuge, and may be successfully used when the bark is nauseated, as is frequently the case.In 1761, it was made known toLinnæusby Mr.d’Ahlberg, formerly mentioned; and the Swedish naturalist has since written a treatise upon it. By this drug alone Quacy might have amassed riches, were he not entirely abandoned to indolence and dissipation; the consequence of which is, a complication of loathsome distempers,[348]of which the leprosy is one: and that disorder is, as I have already stated, absolutely incurable. Nevertheless his age, though he could not exactly ascertain it, must have been very great, since he used frequently to repeat that he acted as drummer, and beat the alarm on his master’s estate, when the French commodore,Jacques Cassard, put the colony under contribution, in the year 1712.Having taken a portrait of this extraordinary man, with his grey head of hair, and dressed in his blue and scarlet with gold lace, I, in the annexed plate, beg leave to introduce it to the reader.This very same week we had indeed a fresh proof of the good effects of Gramman Quacy’s animating obias or amulets, a captain of the rangers, namedHannibal, bringing in the barbacued hands of two rebel negroes, which he had himself encountered and shot; and one of these hands proved to be that of the noted rebelCupido, formerly taken, in 1774, and brought to Colonel Fourgeoud in the forest, but from whom he had since that time, though loaded with chains, found means to run away.The celebrated Graman Quacy.Blake Sculpt.The celebrated Graman Quacy.London, Published Decr. 2nd, 1793, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.In returning the visits of my friends, I paid one to Mr.Andrew Reynsdorp, who shewed me the loop and button of his hat, which being diamond, had cost him two hundred guineas—such is the luxury of Surinam. But even this is exceeded by the magnificence of M.d’Ahlbergh, who, when I waited on him, besides a gold snuff-box set[349]with brilliants, value six hundred pounds sterling, made me remark two silver bits (small pieces of money) set in gold, and surrounded with diamonds, with this inscription:“Soli Deo Gloria. Fortuna beaticum, &c.”Having signified my surprize at this peculiar attention and respect to two sixpences, he declared to me that they were all the money he had in the world when he first came to Surinam from his own country,Sweden.—“Did you work?” said I.—“No.”—“Did you beg?”—“No.”—“You did not steal, sir?”—“No: but,entre nous, I whined and acted the enthusiast, which sometimes is very necessary, and I found preferable to the otherthree.”—To which I answered, “Sir, your candid confession brings back to my remembrance your usage of your negro slave,Baron, after having promised him his manumission in Amsterdam, and fully proves what you have just asserted.”—One instance more of the extravagance and folly of the inhabitants of this colony, and I have done: Two of them disputing about a most elegant and expensive carriage that was imported from Holland, a law-suit ensued immediately, to determine who was to possess it, during which time the coach was left uncovered in the street till it fell to pieces, and was totally destroyed.On the 10th of February, most of our officers being now arrived at Paramaribo from the camp, Colonel[350]Fourgeoud entertained the whole with a feast, as he was pleased to call it, at the head-quarters; an old stable lanthorn, with broken panes of glass, hanging over our heads, which I expected every moment to drop into the soup. And here he acquainted us, with evident marks of satisfaction, that he had at last put a final end to the expedition; having, notwithstanding there was so little blood-shed, perfectly accomplished his aim in rooting out the rebels, by destroyingTWENTY-ONE TOWNSorVILLAGES, and demolishingTWO HUNDRED FIELDSwith vegetables of every kind, on which they depended for subsistence: also, that the intelligence was now confirmed, that the negroes were to a man fled over the River Marawina, where they and their friends were settled, and protected by the French colony of Cayenne, who not only gave them shelter, but supplied them with every thing they wanted. On which good news we all heartily congratulated him, and drank further prosperity to the colony of Surinam with three cheers; the future safety of which now depended on the new cordon or path of circumvallation, defended by the troops of the Society, and the corps of black soldiers or rangers.In Dr.Firmyn’s works, Colonel Fourgeoud and his troops are twice mentioned as the saviours of the colony; and by the AbbéReynalthey are noticed as a very brave and valiant corps: compliments to which they are with truth entitled. And what cannot but redound to his honour, is, that at the time he imposed such hardships[351]on his own troops, he never deliberately put a rebel negro captive to death, nor even, if he could avoid it, delivered them into the hands of justice; well knowing, that while it was his duty to expel them, nothing but the most barbarous usage and tyranny had driven these poor people to this last extremity. Indeed I myself, whom during the first three years he persecuted with unremitting severity, must do him the justice to say, that he was indefatigable in doing his duty; and that, though confused, I believe him at bottom to have been an undaunted and veryBRAVE OFFICER.He further acquainted us, that the vessels, with a fresh supply of provisions from Holland, had been cast on the lee-shore in the Texel Roads, one of them having her upper cabin stove away, with the second mate and three of her men washed overboard; he added, however, that part of the stores had been saved, and loaded on board two bilanders, which were this very day arrived in the River Surinam. And now, so much in particular was I become his favourite, that he even made me his confidant; and declared, that he proposed keeping the last arrived troops, however fast they were dying away (and who had lately lost a man by straying in the woods) encamped for many months after our departure. He then began to tell me what officers he meant, if possible, to ruin on their return, and which, by his recommendation, he intended to promote: but here I took the liberty to stop him short, by declaring, upon my honour, that those very gentlemen should be apprised by myself of their impending[352]danger, if he persisted in carrying this cruel plan in execution. This at least had the effect to end the disagreeable conversation: when, in my turn, I added, “Sir, permit me farther to put you in remembrance of these very troops you have just mentioned, in regard to their truly distressed situation at theCasseepore Creek; while their surgeon is gaining gold watches and diamond rings by curing fashionable diseases among the gentry at Paramaribo.” To which he replied, “Vous êtes un brave garçon;” and promised to take my hints into consideration.I was now invited once more by Captain Mackneal to spend a few days on his coffee estate, Sporksgift; but though I was prevented on this occasion from accepting the invitation, I will take this opportunity to describe that useful berry, which, not being a native of Guiana, it is said was first planted in Surinam by the Countde Neale, though others ascribe it to oneHansbach, a silver-smith, in 17202.Sprig of the Coffee Tree.Sprig of the Coffee Tree.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.The coffee-berry is the produce of an elegant tree, which is seldom allowed to grow higher than a man can reach, in order to facilitate the gathering of it. The bark of this tree is light brown, and the leaves like laurel, having a beautiful polish; with these it is thickly covered,[353]the branches diverging from near the surface of the earth to the summit. The berries, which are oval, are first green, and gradually change their colour, till they are ripe, when they acquire a bright crimson hue, like that of a cherry. In each of these berries are two kernels resembling beans, lying flat upon each other. Of these a good tree is said to produce three or four pounds weight at each crop; for this tree, like most other vegetable productions in this luxuriant climate, bears two crops every year.To give the curious a better idea of this useful plant, I present him with a sprig of it, copied from nature in theannexed plate;—in which the figureArefers to the wood, where it was cut off;Bis the upper side of the leaf;Cthe lower side of the same;Dis the berry just beginning to change;Ethe same in full perfection, being of a beautiful crimson; andFthe kernels or beans as they appear when they are divested of their husk, and ready for exportation.The buildings on a coffee estate are, first, the dwelling house, which is usually situated for pleasure near the banks of a river; and for convenience adjoining to it are erected the outhouses for the overseer and book-keeper, with store-houses and small offices: the other necessary buildings are a carpenter’s lodge, a dock and boat-house, and two capital coffee-lodges, the one to bruise and separate the pulp from the berries, the other to dry them; the rest consist of negro-houses, a stable, hospital,[354]and warehouses, which altogether appear like a small village. The coffee-lodge alone sometimes costs five thousand pounds sterling, and sometimes more. But to give a more complete idea of the whole apparatus, I must refer to theplate, where all the buildings, fields, paths, gardens, floodgates, and canals are marked, and explained by the necessary references. The plan, as exhibited in this plate, is intended to unite at once elegance, convenience, and safety. It is elegant, as being perfectly regular; convenient, as having every thing at hand and under the planter’s own inspection; and safe, being surrounded by a broad canal, which by floodgates lets in the water fresh from the river, besides a draw-bridge, which during the night cuts off all communication from without.I shall now proceed to the planting-ground, which is divided into large square pieces, in each of which are generally two thousand beautiful coffee-trees, growing at eight or ten feet distance from each other. These trees, which begin to bear at about the age of three years, are in their prime at six, and continue to produce fruit till they are thirty; the manner of supplying them being from good nurseries, which no coffee estate is ever without, having already mentioned that they afford two crops every year, which is about Midsummer and Christmas.Plan of a regular Coffee Plantation.T. Conder SculpsitPlan of a regular Coffee Plantation.References to the Plan.1.The Dwelling House2.The Overseers Dwelling3.The Book-keepers Office4.The Kitchen5.The Storehouse6.The Poultry-house7.The Hogs-sty8.The Boat-house or small Dock9.The Carpenters & Coopers Lodge10.The Drying Lodge for the Coffee11.The Bruising Lodge for do12.The Negro-houses13.The Horse Stables14.The Fold for Sheep & Bullocks15.The Great Guard house16.The Hospital17.The Pigeon-house18.The Corn-house or Granary19.The Necessary houses20.The Sentry Boxes for Watchmen21.The Floodgates22.The Great Draw-bridge23.The Landing Place24.The Great Canals25.The River or Creek26.The Gravel walks27.The Drying Floor for Coffee28.The Negro Gardens29.The Pasture for the Horses30.The Pasture for the Sheep & Bullocks31.The Poultry-yard32.The Hogs-yard33.The Kitchen Gardens34.The Flower do35.The Plantain Trees36.The Groves of Orange Trees37.The Dams & Gutters for Draining38.The Path to enter the Fields39.The Bridges over the Gutters40.The Gates, Barriers, &c.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.At the times of harvest, it is not unpleasing to see the negroes picking the crimson berries among the polished green, where all ages and sexes are employed to fulfil their[355]task with ardour, when the youth who having first filled their baskets, wantonly run naked, and play amongst the luxuriant foliage.I will now conduct them before the overseer’s presence, where, all the baskets being inspected, the flogging commences, which is mostly inflicted with impartial severity on all who have not fulfilled their tasks, whether from idleness or incapacity. This ceremony concluded, the berries are carried home into the bruising-lodge, and the slaves return home to their houses. The berries being bruised in a mill for that purpose, in the above lodge, to separate the kernels from the husks or pulpy substance, they are next steeped in water one night to cleanse them, and then spread on the drying-floor, which is exposed to the open air, and is constructed of flat stones; after which they are spread on garrets made for the purpose, to let them evaporate and dry internally, during which time they must be turned over every day with wooden shovels: this done, they are once more dried in large coolers or drawers, that run easily on rollers in and out of the windows, to prevent them from being overtaken by showers of rain: then they are put into wooden mortars, and beaten by candle-light with heavy wooden pestles, like the rice at Gado-Saby, to divest them of a thin coat or pellicle that unites the two kernels in the pulp. At this exercise the negroes wonderfully keep time, and always sing a chorus. Being next separated from the chaff through a bunt-mill, once more thoroughly dried on the[356]coolers, and the whole beans picked from the bruised, which last are consumed in the colony: they are finally put into casks or barrels, of about three or four hundred, weight each, for exportation.I shall only farther observe, that in Surinam some coffee plantations produce above 150,000 pounds weightper annum; and that, as I have already mentioned, in the year before our arrival no less was exported to Amsterdam alone than 12,267,134 pounds of this valuable article, the prices of which have fluctuated, from three-pence halfpenny to eighteen pence; but which, calculated at the average price of eight-pence halfpenny, produces a yearly income of not less than 400,000 pounds sterling; (which, is no despicable revenue) besides what goes to Rotterdam and Zealand.This is sufficient to prove that the cultivation of coffee is highly worthy the attention of the planters: and as for the virtues of this excellent berry, without entering into particulars, I will only refer the reader to that highly-approved pamphlet, entitled “A Treatise concerning the Properties and Effects of Coffee; byBenjamin Mosely, M. D. Author of Observations on the Dysentery of the West Indies;” from which I cannot resist the temptation of extracting the following passage:—“Baconsays, coffee comforts the head and heart, and helps digestion. DoctorWillissays, being daily drunk, it wonderfully clears and enlivens each part of the soul, and disperses all the clouds of every function. The celebrated[357]DoctorHarveyused it often.Voltairelived almost entirely on it; and the learned and sedentary of every country have recourse to it to refresh the brain, oppressed by study and contemplation.”With the above description I must conclude the observations which I have been able to make on such of the vegetable productions of this colony, as have offered themselves to my examination. But so abundant is the variety, and so extraordinary the properties, of the trees, plants, roots, &c. of this country, that by far the greater number are as yet perfectly unknown to the oldest inhabitants of this settlement, and to all the world besides.A few years ago a CountGentelly, an ingenious nobleman, travelled through the desarts of Guiana with some Indians, and had acquired considerable knowledge in this his favourite study. But alas! his labours, which promised fair to be of material benefit to the Botanic Society, and to mankind in general, were interrupted by a fever, which, owing to his excessive fatigue, he caught at the River Correntine, and cut him off in the midst of his useful and entertaining researches.Having now concluded my account of the different productions of the colony, particularly cotton, sugar, cacao, indigo, and coffee, to which it is indebted for its riches; and having once more repeated that the different trees, shrubs, plants, roots, gums, and perfumes, are equally as innumerable as they are excellent; I cannot have a fairer opportunity of fulfilling my promise of[358]submitting to the reader a few considerations, by an attention to which I cannot help thinking that not only Surinam, but the West India colonies in general, might accumulate wealth to themselves, and promote the permanent happiness of the slaves that are under their subjection, without having recourse to theCoast of Guineato supply the almost hourly consumption of that unfortunate people. But before I proceed, it will be necessary to state the manner in which the negro slavesaredistributed and treated, by the customs of this settlement only, without adverting to the distribution or government of them in other colonies; from which, however, those may equally derive some profit;—and then I shall endeavour to point out how, in my opinion, theyoughtto be distributed and treated, according to the laws, not only of humanity but of common sense.I have before observed that in Surinam there are supposed to be on an average about 75,000 negro slaves of all denominations, which (allowing them, for the sake of a round number, to amount to 80,000) are here distributed in the following extraordinary manner,viz.The plantations, being about 800 in number, though some have but 24 negroes, and others 400, we will suppose them to possess 100 slaves each, which complement is exactly the above number of 80,000 people. These are employed in this settlement as follows; the first column of figures alluding tooneestate, the second ditto toeight hundred.[359]EMPLOYMENTS.On OneEstate.On 800Estates.Four boys or male servants to attend about the house43,200Maids or female servants to wash, sew, iron, &c.43,200A cook for the planter, overseer, &c.1800A fowler, or huntsman, to provide game for the table1800A fishing negro to provide fish for ditto1800A gardener to provide the table and the flower garden1800To attend the bullocks and horses on the estate1800To attend the sheep on the estate1800To attend the hogs on the estate1800To attend the poultry that is on the estate1800Carpenter negroes, to build, houses, boats, &c.64,800Cooper negroes, to make and repair hogsheads21,600A mason, to build and repair the brick foundations1800At Paramaribo, some to trades, others for shew1512,000A negro surgeon, to attend the sick negroes1800Sick and incurable, that are in the hospitals108,000A nurse for the negro children that cannot be with their parents1800Children under age, that can do no work of any kind1612,800Superannuated negroes, worn out by slavery75,600To work in the fields no more than 25 miserable wretches2520,000Total, or compleat number of slaves in the colony10080,000[360]By this it appears, that no more than 20,000, or only one-fourth of the whole number, are condemned to do all the labour of the fields, on whom it may be said chiefly falls the dreadful lot of untimely mortality that I have formerly mentioned. Now it is evident, that if the 50,000 able-bodied slaves that are in the colony of Surinam were put to equal drudgery, the mortality, which is now at the rate of fiveper cent.would then increase to at least the number of twelve out of every hundred, and would compleatly extirpate the whole mass in little more than eight years time.Having thus at an average demonstrated how they are distributed, I must briefly observe, that while full 30,000 live better than the common people of England, and near 30,000 are kept in idleness, and do no work in the fields; the remaining 20,000 may be classed (that is in general) among the most miserable wretches on earth; and are worked, starved, insulted, and flogged to death, without being so much as allowed to complain for redress, without being heard in their own defence, without receiving common justice on any occasion, and thus may be considered as dead-alive, since cut off from all the common privileges of human society.I will now proceed, by candidly asking the world, If the above is not an improper and senseless misapplication, not only of wealth, but of human life and labour; which, only by a proper distribution and management, might accumulate the one and relieve the other?[361]Now would this inconsiderate colony but give up their habits of pride and luxury, nay, in a moderate degree, 20,000 negroes at least might be added to those now labouring in the fields, which (providing the whole were treated with less severity) must at the same time keep the above superfluous number of idlers employed; and by assisting the others in their necessary occupations, could not but tend greatly to prevent that shocking mortality, to which they are at present exposed by unbounded ill-usage and barbarity.But every reform must begin at that which is the source ofmannersas well as ofjustice; and those therefore who are entrusted with the executive government should have no temptation to overlook the breaches of alaw, while it ought to be a sacred and invariable rule never to allow either the governor or the magistrates of such a colony to be the proprietors of more slaves than merely a limited number, to attend on their persons, according to their ranks: since more than once, even tomyobservation, it has occurred that those who made, and those who were appointed to enforce the laws, have been the first thatbroke them, for the paltry benefit of causing their negroes to work on a Sunday, or to follow the bent of their unbounded passions; from which shameful example from the magistrate, the contagion must necessarily spread among the individuals.Let thegovernorand principalmagistrates, therefore, be sent out from Europe; let them be gentlemen of fortune and education; and, above all, men[362]of liberal minds, men that are firm and proof against the allurement of a bribe, or the glittering of gold, and whose passions are restrained by sentiment and manly feelings. Let these men be handsomely rewarded by that nation whom they so materially serve, and the colony which they so conspicuously protect; but let their salaries be ascertained, without depending on the blood and sweat of the miserable Africans. Then let such men enact impartial regulations, by which the negro slaves are to perform no more than their fair task and labour a reasonable number of hours in the twenty-four: let these be followed by protecting laws, and let them be no longer racked, tormented, wantonly murdered, or infamously robbed of all that is dear to the human affections, their wives and daughters. Let regulations be adopted, by which they may be properly fed; and attended to when sick or indisposed; and, above all, let equal justice be administered; suffer them, when outraged or plundered, to obtain a hearing; permit them to complain, and enable them to prove byevidencethe grievances by which they are oppressed. Even give them what we so much value ourselves,AN INDEPENDANT JUDGE, andAN IMPARTIAL JURY, nay, partly composed of their own sable companions. Thus, would you have them work and act likemen, first suffer them to besuch.When regulations conform to these shall be adopted and enforced, then I venture to say, that nations will feel the benefit of their colonies—then planters will become rich, and their overseers become honest; then slavery will be little[363]more than a name; and subjects will, with pleasure, fulfil their limited task: then, and not till then, will population sufficiently encrease for the necessary work, and the execrableGuineatrade betotallyabolished, which is now too frequently carried on with barbarity and unbounded usurpation. Then the master will with pleasure look on his sable subjects as on his children, and the principal source of his happiness, while the negroes will bless the day their ancestors did first set foot onAmericanground.Having thus, according to my opinion, pointed out the way, and the only way (if well considered) to redress the grievances of this and many other colonies, I would also recommend toplantersandoverseersin general, to peruse with attention a small work, entitled “Letters to a young Planter; or Observations on the Management of a Sugar Plantation: to which is added, the Planter’s Calendar. Written on the Island of Grenada, by an old Planter,” and published in London in 1785, 8vo. price One Shilling and Sixpence, and sold byStrachan.Let them next take an example by that incomparable woman Mrs.Godefroy, by Mr.Thomas Palmer, and a few others, who consider their slaves as their fellow-creatures, without paying the smallest regard either to their paganism or complexion; and who increase both their wealth and their happiness by their humanity.—I will now once more proceed with my narrative.On the 16th, being invited to dine with his excellency the governor, I laid before him my collection of drawings,[364]and remarks on the colony of Surinam, which I had the satisfaction to see him honour with the highest approbation. I then returned him my thanks, not only for the material assistance he had afforded me in completing this work, but for the unlimited marks of regard and distinction with which he had treated me from first to last, during the whole time I resided in Guiana.Availing myself of his friendship, I ventured, two days after, to give him the following very uncommonrequest, praying him to lay it before the court; which, with a smile on his countenance, and a hearty shake by the hand, he actually promised me to perform;viz.“I, the under-subscribed, do pledge myword of honour, (being all I possess in the world besides my pay) asbail, that if my late ardent request to the court for the emancipation of my dear boyJohnny Stedmanbe granted, the said boy shall never to the end of his life become a charge to the colony of Surinam.(Signed)John G. Stedman.”“Paramaribo,Feb. 18th, 1777.”Having now done the utmost that lay inmypower, I for several days waited the result with anxiety, but without meeting with the smallest hopes of success; thus, with a broken heart, I was obliged at last to give him (sweet fellow) over for lost, or take him with me to Europe, which must have been plunging a dagger in the bosom of his mother.[365]While I remained in this situation, the transport ships were put in commission on the 26th for our departure, and I myself ordered as one of the commissaries to see them wooded and watered; the officers were also cleared their arrears, and thirteen men discharged at their own desire, to push their fortune at Paramaribo. I ought here not to omit, that the industrious Colonel Fourgeoud once more paid us all in paper, by which, as usual, we lost tenper cent.; which, by letting the Jews have the gold and silver, he prudently lodged in his own pocket; and while the many hundreds of florins allowed us by government to defray excise duties, taxes, &c. were never brought to account, or, rather, we were forbidden to enquire after them at all. These were trifles indeed, when divided among so many gentlemen; but, inonesolid mass, they were no contemptible picking.On the 1st of March a serjeant arrived from the camp at the Casseepore Creek, in Rio Cottica, where the last-arrived troops were hourly dying away; and brought the almost incredible account, that the man I mentioned to have beenlost in the woodson the 10th of February, was actually returned, after having been missingsix-and-twenty days, nine of which he subsisted on a few pounds of rusk biscuit, and seventeen on nothing at all but water. He added, that he had entirely lost his voice, and was reduced to a perfect skeleton: however, by the care taken of him by the officers, there were still hopes of his life. Should[366]any person hesitate to believe this extraordinary fact, let them readMonsieur Godin’s well-authenticated letter to his friendMonsieur de la Condamine, wherein he gives an account of the dreadful sufferings of his lady during her route fromRio HambatoLaguna, through the woods of South America, in October 1769; where a delicate woman, after being deserted by the Indian guides, and after both her brothers had fallen martyrs to their hardships and misery, subsistedten daysalone in a wild forest without food, without knowing where she was, and surrounded with tigers, serpents, and dangers of every description: I say, let them only read the narrative of this lady’s sufferings, and their credulity will no longer be staggered at what I myself have related. I have, indeed, even omitted facts, which, on account of their singularity, must in the eyes of some have appeared to border on the marvellous. But in the forests of South America such extraordinary realities are to be found, that there is assuredly no need to have recourse to fiction or the least exaggeration.Who, for instance, would believe, that almost a whole detachment of eighty marines, one day marching through a thick wood, imagined to a man that they were stepping one after another over a large fallen tree, that obstructed their way; till at length it began to move, and proved to be no other than a full grown serpent of theabomakind, measuring, according to Colonel Fourgeoud’s computation, betweenthirtyandfortyfeet in length? yet this[367]is an indubitable truth. The above animal was neither killed nor hurt; the Colonel ordering the remaining party to form in a half circle and march around it, in order that they themselves at the same time might escape every danger from the monster’s matchless strength.In this place I shall mention another extraordinary circumstance, which is, that one morning Colonel Fourgeoud resting in his hammock, with one hand carelessly leaning over the side, a largerattle-snakethat lay coiled up among the long grass which was under it, was actually severed in two by the sentinel, during the very moment of action that it made a spring to bite him: of which the soldier, whose name wasJohn Kiefhaber, had been apprised first by the sound of its rattle, and next by seeing the snake’s head erected, while it was brandishing its forked tongue.As I am treating of these reptiles, I cannot resist the temptation of inserting a fact, which I learned from Mr.Francis Roweof Philadelphia, a respectable old man; who informed me, that riding out one morning to visit a friend, his horse refused to go forward, being terrified at a large rattle-snake that lay across the road. Mr. Rowe having heard of its power of fascination, in which he was a believer, alighted to lead the animal round it; but during that time the snake, having coiled himself up, sounded its rattle, and stared him so full in the face, and with such fire in its eyes, that the cold sweat broke out upon him; thus, whilst he durst neither retreat or advance,[368]he imagined himself gradually rivetted to the spot. “However,” continued he, “my reason remained; and my resolution getting the better of my alarm, I suddenly approached him, and with one stroke of my cudgel knocked out his brains.”On the 3d of March my friend de Graaf sailed for Holland, but first for St. Eustatia, where his brother was governor; and to my great satisfaction took with him Joanna’s youngest brother,Henry, for whom he has since obtained his freedom. I sailed with them down the river as far as Bram’s Point, and wished them a successful voyage. As I here went ashore in a fishing-boat, I was tempted to leap into the sea, and enjoy the cooling and healthy pleasure of swimming in the Atlantic ocean. The fisher-men having caught a quantity of large fish, I discovered one among them not yet mentioned in my narrative, this was theyellow-back, between two and three feet long, thus called from its colour, which almost resembles that of a lemon, but the belly is white: the head is very large, with two long barbs; but the body is small, and without scales, like the cod; it is, however, not near so good, being coarse and insipid eating. Two other small fishes I also saw in the boat, the one called here theweepee, resembling a whip-lash;theotherwaracoo, which is a delicate eating, but has nothing in its form or habits deserving a particular description.The 8th of March, being the Prince of Orange’s birthday,[369]it was celebrated at the head quarters; where, after dinner, in the court ledge, hearing CaptainBoltsin an undeserved manner censured by the colonel’s adjutant, for recommending one of the young volunteers of an excellent character, but who had no friends to support him3, I broke through the ring that surrounded them in a passion, and not being able to restrain myself, publicly reproved the aggressor, even in Fourgeoud’s presence, when a furious altercation and very high words immediately ensued; the consequence of which was, that next morning at sun-risewewalked to the savannah without seconds, where, near the gallows, we drew our small swords, and after making a few passes at each other, Captain Van Geurick’s point met my shell, which having nearly pierced, his blade snapped in two pieces, and the fortune of war put him entirely in my power. Disdaining, however, to take a mean advantage, I instantly dropped my small sword, and desired him to step home and replace his own, in order to renew the battle: but this proposal he was pleased to call so generous, that taking me by the hand, he requested a renewal of friendship; thus acknowledging we had been too hasty on both sides, we went to visit poor Bolts, who knew nothing of our morning’s walk, and was (though not without difficulty) persuaded also to enter into the amicable treaty: by which a second rencounter was happily prevented, and a general reconciliation took place.[370]On the 10th, having spent most of the day with the governor, I in the evening went on board the ships with Captain Bolts, to inspect the preparations for the voyage; where we found that the mice and rats had made such havock among our provision, with which we werenowvery well stocked, that I was under the necessity of procuring half a dozencatsto destroy them, which useful animals are in Surinam neither so plenty, nor so good, as in Europe, being lazy and indolent, on account of the climate. I observed they were also smaller and ranker, with remarkably long muzzles and sharp ears.The following day I was shocked and surprised beyond the power of expression, at seeing aMiss Jettee de la Mare, daughter to the lately deceased gentleman of that name, a lovely mulatto girl, aged fourteen, who had been christened in 1775, and educated as a young lady, dragged to court in chains, with her mother and a few more of her relations, the whole surrounded by a military guard. I had almost attempted a rescue, when, having enquired the cause, she called out to me herself, weeping most bitterly; and informed me, that “she was going to be tried by Mr.Schouten, her mother’s master, for refusing to perform the work of a common slave, which she was utterly unable to perform, and could never have expected, from the footing upon which she had been educated till that unhappy moment.”By the laws of the country, however, she was not only obliged to submit, but athisdesire was condemned, for disobedience, together with her poor mother, and all her[371]relations, who had presumed to support her claim to liberty, to be privately whipped; and had it not been for the humanity of Mr.Wickers, who was at that time the fiscal or town clerk, and since was governor, this infamous sentence would most certainly have been put in execution. The unfortunate Miss Jettee de la Mare was, from this period, nevertheless forced to submit to the tyranny of her unmanly master, while pitied by all her acquaintance, and lamented by every stranger that was a witness to the inhuman transaction.Such were the fatal consequences of not having been timely emancipated; and such were they indeed, that they made me tremble for my little boy. Happily my uneasiness was not of long duration; for, however improbable and unexpected, I was surprized on the very same day with a polite message from the governor and the court, acquainting me that, “having taken my former services into consideration, together with my humanity and gallantry, in offering myhonouras bail to see my child, before I left him, made a free citizen of the world; they had unanimously decreed, without farther ceremony or expence, to compliment me with a letter, which was at the same time officially presented to me, containingHIS EMANCIPATION FROM THAT DAY, FOR EVER AFTER.”No man could be more suddenly transported from woe to happiness than I was at this moment; while his poor mother shed tears for joy and gratitude; the more so, as we had lost all hopes, and the favour came perfectly unexpected,[372]and while near forty beautiful boys and girls were left to perpetual slavery by their parents of my acquaintance, and many of them without being so much as once enquired after at all.What is most extraordinary indeed is, that while the well-thinking few highly applauded my sensibility, many not only blamed, but publicly derided me for my paternal affection, which was called a weakness, a whim. So extravagant was my joy on this day, however, at having acted the reverse part ofInkletoYarico, that I became like one frantic with pleasure. I not only made my will in his favour (though, God knows, I had little to dispose of) but I appointed my friends Mr.Robert Gordonand Mr.James Gourlayto be my executors and his guardians during my absence, in whose hands I left all my papers sealed, till I should demand them again, or they should be informed of my death: I then ordered all my sheep, poultry, &c. which had prodigiously encreased, to be transported, and put under their care; and making a new suit of cloaths for the occasion, which cost me twenty guineas, I waited on a Mr.Snyderhans, one of the clergymen at Paramaribo, to appoint a day when my boy, myJohnny Stedman, should be made a Christian4.[373]On the 18th Colonel Fourgeoud’s remaining troops at last came down from the encampments at Casseepore Creek, and every preparation was made for our departure. At the same time, the extacy of the few surviving marines at their quitting this country was so great, having now also received part of their clearance, that such intemperance, riot, and disorder ensued as produced the most formidable quarrels between them and the troops of the Society, till, some being wounded and some being flogged, peace was finally, though with difficulty, re-established.This same day a poor sailor, while I was on board, was drowned in my presence, who fell from the gunwale into the river, with the sheet anchor, which had been neglected to be lashed to the ringbolts. I instantly leaped into a boat to try to save him, but could only get his hat; the man went to the bottom, and never more was seen.The day of our departure now approached fast, and I gave up my house; when, at Mrs. Godefroy’s pressing invitation, I spent the few remaining moments in that which she had prepared for the reception of Joanna and her boy, in her beautiful garden, charmingly situated under the shade of tamarind and orange trees; which house she also had neatly furnished with every accommodation that could be desired, besides allowing Joanna a negro woman and a girl to attend on her for life. Thus situated, how blest should I have been in this spot to end my days!—But fate ordained it otherwise.[374]On the 22d, I made it my business with CaptainSmall(who was come down with leave of absence) to wait on the Reverend Mr. Snyderhans, according to appointment, but who, to both our great surprize, peremptorily refused to christen the boy; alledging for his reason, that as I was going to Holland, I could not answer for hischristianeducation. We replied, that he was under two very proper guardians: the blacksmith’s son (for such was this divine) persisted, and we remonstrated, but to no purpose, for he was just as deaf as his father’s anvil, and I believe, upon my soul, quite as empty as his bellows; till at length, wearied out with his fanatical impertinence, I swore that I would sooner see the boy die a heathen, than christened by such a blockhead; while my friend Small could not help bellowing on him a hearty curse, and, slapping the door with a vengeance, we departed.Feasting and conviviality now prevailed once more at Paramaribo, as on our first arrival. Grand dinners, suppers, and balls were heard of in every quarter. But I only visited a few of my select friends, amongst which number had constantly been Governor Nepveu, and where, for the last time, I made one of the company at a truly magnificent entertainment, which ended the scene of liberality and hospitality, for which the inhabitants of Surinam are so justly conspicuous; and on the 25th the baggage was shipped on board the vessels.Numberless, indeed, were the presents for the voyage, with which I in particular was now overstocked from every quarter; and my provisions of live cattle, poultry,[375]wine, rum, &c. &c. were almost sufficient to carry me round the globe: amongst the rest, in a small bottle case, containing liquors, I found a crystal phial filled with essentialoiloforange, and a parcel of what they called heretonquin beans.—The first is extracted from the rind or peel of the oranges: which is done here by the tedious and laborious method of squeezing it between the finger and thumb. A few drops of this on a small piece of sugar, is said to be an excellent remedy to strengthen the stomach, create an appetite, and help digestion; and one single drop smells so strong, that it is sufficient to perfume a whole apartment. The tonquin beans are said to grow in a thick pulp, something like a walnut, and on a large tree. I never saw them otherwise than dried, when they bear some resemblance to a prune or dried plumb, and are made use of to scent snuff and tobacco, to which they impart a most agreeable odour.On the 26th, we took our last leave of his Excellency the Governor,en corps, as assuredly was his due; after which all the officers of the Society troops waited on Colonel Fourgeoud, at the head quarters, to wish us a prosperous voyage to Holland, and the day was spent by a regale,en militaire,viz.a dinner, as usual, of salt provisions; but I must acknowledge, accompanied with as much good liquor of every kind, as Surinam could furnish, and a very hearty welcome.I believe that now a hundred times Fourgeoud shook me by the hand, declaring, “That there was not a young[376]man he loved better in the world; that had he commanded me to march through fire as well as water, he was convinced I should never have left it, without accomplishing his orders;” with many other fine compliments. But I must candidly acknowledge, that though I had a heart toforgive, my mind would never permit me toforgetthe many and unnecessary difficulties and miseries to which I had been too wantonly exposed. At the same time he informed me, thathedid not propose to depart with us, but intended to follow the regiment very soon, with the remains of the last-come relief, when he would render me every service in his power. Whatever were hisrealmotives for such a sudden change in his disposition towards me, suffice it to say, that few people at this time were better friends, than were the old ColonelFourgeoudand CaptainStedman.In the evening I went to take a short farewell of my most valuable acquaintances, such as Mrs.Godefroy, Mr. and Mrs.Demelley, Mr. and Mrs.Lolkens, Mr. and Mrs.Gordon, Mr.Gourlay, CaptainMackneal, DoctorKissam, &c. who had all (besides Mr.Kennedyand Mr.de Graaf, now gone to Holland) treated me with the most constant and distinguished civility since I had been in the colony: but my soul was too full of afriendthat was still dearer, to be impressed with that sensibility on separating from them, that it must have felt on another occasion.—And here I cannot in justice omit remarking, that while I gave the most impetuous vent to my feelings, not the smallest expression of poignant sorrow, or even of dejection,[377]escaped from Joanna’s lips; while her good sense and fortitude even restrained the tear from starting in my afflicted presence. I now once more earnestly pressed her toaccompanyme, in which I was seconded by the inestimable Mrs. Godefroy and all her friends; but she remained equally inflexible, and her steady answer was as before—“That, dreadful as appeared the fatal separation, perhaps never more to meet, yet she could not but prefer remaining in Surinam: first, from a consciousness that, with propriety, she had not the disposal of herself; and, secondly, from pride, wishing in her present condition rather to be one of the first among her own class in America, than a reflection or burthen on me in Europe, as she was convinced must be the case, unless our circumstances became one day more independent.” Here Joanna shewed great emotion, but immediately retired to weep in private.—What could I say or do?—Not knowing how to answer, or sufficiently to admire her firmness and resignation, which so greatly exceeded my own, I determined, if possible, to imitate her conduct, and calmly to resign myself to my fate, preparing for the fatal moment, when my heart forebode me we were to pronounce theLAST ADIEU, and separate for ever.“Zaïre, il est trop vrai que l’honneur me l’ordonne,Que je vous adorai! que je vous abandonne!Que je renonce a vous! que vous le désirer!Que fous un autre loix——Zaïre vous pleurer.”[378]The whole corps being ordered, at seven o’clock on the morning of the 27th, to wait on Colonel Fourgeoud at the head quarters, I tore myself away from all that was dear to me in this world without disturbing them, in order to prevent the tender scene of parting. He then conducted us to the water-side, where the boats lay in waiting; and we were immediately embarked, under a general salute, and colours flying, from the fortress and the vessels in the roads. The whole corps now having dined on board the staff-ship with Lieutenant Colonel de Borgnes, Colonel Fourgeoud politely invited me to accompany him back to town till next morning; but which, with a broken heart, I thought best to decline. He then took his final leave, and wishing us all a safe and prosperous voyage to Europe, he returned, under a salute of nine guns and three cheers, with Captain Van Geurike, his adjutant, back to Paramaribo.On the 29th of March, at midnight, the signal-gun being fired, the two ships got under way, and dropped down till before the fortress New Amsterdam, where they once more came to an anchor.Here my friends Gordon and Gourlay, the guardians of my boy, after the convivial Colonel Seyburg (for such he certainly was) had entertained them on board his vessel, theHollandia, affectionately coming to visit me, they did no less than actually prevail on me to accompany them back to Paramaribo. My soul could not resist this second invitation of once more beholding what was so dear to me.—I went, and, must I say it?—found Joanna, who had displayed[379]so much fortitude in my presence, now bathing in tears, and scarcely alive, so much was she become the victim of melancholy and despair. Nor had she partaken of food, or sleep, since my departure, nor spoken to any living creature, indeed not stirred from the spot where I had left her on the morning of the 27th.The ships not being quite ready to go to sea till two days after, I was prevailed upon to stay on shore a little longer, with poor Joanna and her boy, which seemed to chear her: But, alas! too dear we paid for this too short reprieve! since, but few hours had elapsed, when a sailor abruptly came in, with the message that the ship’s boat lay in waiting that minute to carry me on board.—At that instant—Heavens! what were my feelings!—Joanna’s mother took the infant from her arms, the all-worthy Mrs. Godefroy supporting herself——her brothers and sisters hung around me, crying, and invoking Heaven aloud for my safety—while the unfortunate Joanna (now but nineteen) gazing on me, and holding me by the hand, with a look ten thousand times more dejected thanSterne’s Maria,—was unable to utter one word!!!——I perceived she was distracted—the hour was come—I exchanged a ringlet of their hair, and fondly pressed them both to my bosom:—the power of speech also forsook me, and my heart tacitly invoked the protection of Providence to befriend them.—Joanna now shut her beauteous eyes—her lips turned the pale colour of death—she bowed her head, and motionless sunk in the arms ofHER ADOPTED MOTHER:—Here I roused all my remaining[380]fortitude, and leaving them surrounded by every care and attention departed, and bidGod bless them!!!The boat still delaying a few moments, I now stepped up to poor Fourgeoud, surrounded by my friends, and grasping his veteran hand, I could not, for my soul, but forgive him all the hardships he had ever occasioned me.—He wasaffected.—This was a debt he owed me.—I wished him every good, and finally rowed down the river Surinam.At this time the ships were riding off Bram’s Point, where Mr.Texier, the deputy governor, came on board to wish us a prosperous voyage; and, after dinner, under a salute of seven guns, together with Captains Small and Fredericy, who had accompanied me hither, he returned back to Paramaribo.[381]1See in Chapter XXV. the manner in which I myself discovered a thief.↑2In 1554, the coffee berry first came to Constantinople from Arabia.—About the middle of the 16th century it was introduced in London; and in 1728, by SirNicholas Laws, it was planted in the island of Jamaica.↑3A Mr.Sheffer, already named, who had served with honour from first to last, on the pay of a private soldier, during this painful expedition.↑4I should not here omit to mention that in the colony of Surinam all emancipated slaves are under the following restrictions,viz.They are (if males) bound to help in defending the settlement against all home and foreign enemies.No emancipated slave, male or female, can ever go to law at all against their former master or mistress.[373]And finally, if any emancipated slave, male or female, dies in the colony, and leaves behind any possessions whatever, in that case one quarter of the property also goes to his former owners, either male or female.↑

[Contents]CHAP. XXIX.Some Account of a remarkable Negro.—The Troops prepare for Europe.—Description of a Coffee Plantation.—Plan of Reform for the Increase of Population, and universal Happiness.—One more Instance of horrid Barbarity; and Example of Humanity.—The Regiment embarks.Being now once more arrived in town, and wishing to be no longer troublesome to any body, I hired a very neat small house by the water-side, in which we lived nearly as happy as we had done at the Hope.The first person that visited me here was the American CaptainLewis, of thePeggy, who, to my great concern, told me, that poorMacdonald, the grateful sailor, had died on the homeward passage, after being twelve days at sea; and desired him in his last words to return me, with his good wishes, the mother-of-pearl cork-screw I had formerly given him. He farther acquainted me also, to my sorrow, that three English vessels had been captured by theAmerican Revenueprivateer sloop, which lay at this time, with her prizes, in the road before Paramaribo; one of which, belonging to Ireland, was valued at above £. 50,000 sterling.Having been waited on by a number of planters and[346]others with congratulations on our success against the rebels; amongst the rest appeared the celebratedGramman Quacy, who came to shew me his fine coat, gold medal, &c. which he had received as a present from the Prince of Orange, in Holland. This man, being one of the most extraordinary characters of all the negroes in Surinam, or perhaps in the world, I cannot proceed without giving some account of him; the more so, as he has made his appearance once or twice already in the course of this history.—This African (for he was born on the coast of Guinea) by his insinuating temper and industry, not only obtained his freedom from a state of slavery, but by his wonderful ingenuity and artful conduct found the means of procuring a very competent subsistence.Having got the name of alockoman, or sorcerer, among the lower slaves, no crime of any consequence was committed, especially at the plantations, butGramman Quacy, which signifies Great-man Quacy, was instantly sent for to discover the perpetrators, which he so very seldom missed, owing, in fact, to their faith in his sorceries, added to his penetrating look1and authority among them, that he has often prevented farther mischief to their masters; and, for these services, occasionally received very capital rewards. The corps of rangers, and all fighting free negroes, are under his influence; to whom he sells hisobiasoramulets, in order to make them invulnerable,[347]and, of course, to engage without fear: by which deceit he has most certainly done much good to the colony, and at the same time filled his pockets with no inconsiderable profit to himself; while his person by the blacks is adored and respected like a God. The trash of which his amulets are made costs him in reality nothing; being neither more nor less than a collection of small pebbles, sea-shells, cut hair, fish-bones, feathers, &c. the whole sewed up together in small packets, which are tied with a string of cotton round the neck, or some other part of the bodies of his credulous votaries.But besides these, and many other artful contrivances, he had the good fortune, in 1730, to find out the valuable root known by the name ofQuaciæ bitter, of which he was actually the first discoverer, and from which it took its name: and, notwithstanding this medicine is now less in repute in England than formerly, it is highly esteemed in many other parts of the world for its efficacy in strengthening the stomach and restoring the appetite. It has, besides this valuable property, that of being a powerfulfebrifuge, and may be successfully used when the bark is nauseated, as is frequently the case.In 1761, it was made known toLinnæusby Mr.d’Ahlberg, formerly mentioned; and the Swedish naturalist has since written a treatise upon it. By this drug alone Quacy might have amassed riches, were he not entirely abandoned to indolence and dissipation; the consequence of which is, a complication of loathsome distempers,[348]of which the leprosy is one: and that disorder is, as I have already stated, absolutely incurable. Nevertheless his age, though he could not exactly ascertain it, must have been very great, since he used frequently to repeat that he acted as drummer, and beat the alarm on his master’s estate, when the French commodore,Jacques Cassard, put the colony under contribution, in the year 1712.Having taken a portrait of this extraordinary man, with his grey head of hair, and dressed in his blue and scarlet with gold lace, I, in the annexed plate, beg leave to introduce it to the reader.This very same week we had indeed a fresh proof of the good effects of Gramman Quacy’s animating obias or amulets, a captain of the rangers, namedHannibal, bringing in the barbacued hands of two rebel negroes, which he had himself encountered and shot; and one of these hands proved to be that of the noted rebelCupido, formerly taken, in 1774, and brought to Colonel Fourgeoud in the forest, but from whom he had since that time, though loaded with chains, found means to run away.The celebrated Graman Quacy.Blake Sculpt.The celebrated Graman Quacy.London, Published Decr. 2nd, 1793, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.In returning the visits of my friends, I paid one to Mr.Andrew Reynsdorp, who shewed me the loop and button of his hat, which being diamond, had cost him two hundred guineas—such is the luxury of Surinam. But even this is exceeded by the magnificence of M.d’Ahlbergh, who, when I waited on him, besides a gold snuff-box set[349]with brilliants, value six hundred pounds sterling, made me remark two silver bits (small pieces of money) set in gold, and surrounded with diamonds, with this inscription:“Soli Deo Gloria. Fortuna beaticum, &c.”Having signified my surprize at this peculiar attention and respect to two sixpences, he declared to me that they were all the money he had in the world when he first came to Surinam from his own country,Sweden.—“Did you work?” said I.—“No.”—“Did you beg?”—“No.”—“You did not steal, sir?”—“No: but,entre nous, I whined and acted the enthusiast, which sometimes is very necessary, and I found preferable to the otherthree.”—To which I answered, “Sir, your candid confession brings back to my remembrance your usage of your negro slave,Baron, after having promised him his manumission in Amsterdam, and fully proves what you have just asserted.”—One instance more of the extravagance and folly of the inhabitants of this colony, and I have done: Two of them disputing about a most elegant and expensive carriage that was imported from Holland, a law-suit ensued immediately, to determine who was to possess it, during which time the coach was left uncovered in the street till it fell to pieces, and was totally destroyed.On the 10th of February, most of our officers being now arrived at Paramaribo from the camp, Colonel[350]Fourgeoud entertained the whole with a feast, as he was pleased to call it, at the head-quarters; an old stable lanthorn, with broken panes of glass, hanging over our heads, which I expected every moment to drop into the soup. And here he acquainted us, with evident marks of satisfaction, that he had at last put a final end to the expedition; having, notwithstanding there was so little blood-shed, perfectly accomplished his aim in rooting out the rebels, by destroyingTWENTY-ONE TOWNSorVILLAGES, and demolishingTWO HUNDRED FIELDSwith vegetables of every kind, on which they depended for subsistence: also, that the intelligence was now confirmed, that the negroes were to a man fled over the River Marawina, where they and their friends were settled, and protected by the French colony of Cayenne, who not only gave them shelter, but supplied them with every thing they wanted. On which good news we all heartily congratulated him, and drank further prosperity to the colony of Surinam with three cheers; the future safety of which now depended on the new cordon or path of circumvallation, defended by the troops of the Society, and the corps of black soldiers or rangers.In Dr.Firmyn’s works, Colonel Fourgeoud and his troops are twice mentioned as the saviours of the colony; and by the AbbéReynalthey are noticed as a very brave and valiant corps: compliments to which they are with truth entitled. And what cannot but redound to his honour, is, that at the time he imposed such hardships[351]on his own troops, he never deliberately put a rebel negro captive to death, nor even, if he could avoid it, delivered them into the hands of justice; well knowing, that while it was his duty to expel them, nothing but the most barbarous usage and tyranny had driven these poor people to this last extremity. Indeed I myself, whom during the first three years he persecuted with unremitting severity, must do him the justice to say, that he was indefatigable in doing his duty; and that, though confused, I believe him at bottom to have been an undaunted and veryBRAVE OFFICER.He further acquainted us, that the vessels, with a fresh supply of provisions from Holland, had been cast on the lee-shore in the Texel Roads, one of them having her upper cabin stove away, with the second mate and three of her men washed overboard; he added, however, that part of the stores had been saved, and loaded on board two bilanders, which were this very day arrived in the River Surinam. And now, so much in particular was I become his favourite, that he even made me his confidant; and declared, that he proposed keeping the last arrived troops, however fast they were dying away (and who had lately lost a man by straying in the woods) encamped for many months after our departure. He then began to tell me what officers he meant, if possible, to ruin on their return, and which, by his recommendation, he intended to promote: but here I took the liberty to stop him short, by declaring, upon my honour, that those very gentlemen should be apprised by myself of their impending[352]danger, if he persisted in carrying this cruel plan in execution. This at least had the effect to end the disagreeable conversation: when, in my turn, I added, “Sir, permit me farther to put you in remembrance of these very troops you have just mentioned, in regard to their truly distressed situation at theCasseepore Creek; while their surgeon is gaining gold watches and diamond rings by curing fashionable diseases among the gentry at Paramaribo.” To which he replied, “Vous êtes un brave garçon;” and promised to take my hints into consideration.I was now invited once more by Captain Mackneal to spend a few days on his coffee estate, Sporksgift; but though I was prevented on this occasion from accepting the invitation, I will take this opportunity to describe that useful berry, which, not being a native of Guiana, it is said was first planted in Surinam by the Countde Neale, though others ascribe it to oneHansbach, a silver-smith, in 17202.Sprig of the Coffee Tree.Sprig of the Coffee Tree.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.The coffee-berry is the produce of an elegant tree, which is seldom allowed to grow higher than a man can reach, in order to facilitate the gathering of it. The bark of this tree is light brown, and the leaves like laurel, having a beautiful polish; with these it is thickly covered,[353]the branches diverging from near the surface of the earth to the summit. The berries, which are oval, are first green, and gradually change their colour, till they are ripe, when they acquire a bright crimson hue, like that of a cherry. In each of these berries are two kernels resembling beans, lying flat upon each other. Of these a good tree is said to produce three or four pounds weight at each crop; for this tree, like most other vegetable productions in this luxuriant climate, bears two crops every year.To give the curious a better idea of this useful plant, I present him with a sprig of it, copied from nature in theannexed plate;—in which the figureArefers to the wood, where it was cut off;Bis the upper side of the leaf;Cthe lower side of the same;Dis the berry just beginning to change;Ethe same in full perfection, being of a beautiful crimson; andFthe kernels or beans as they appear when they are divested of their husk, and ready for exportation.The buildings on a coffee estate are, first, the dwelling house, which is usually situated for pleasure near the banks of a river; and for convenience adjoining to it are erected the outhouses for the overseer and book-keeper, with store-houses and small offices: the other necessary buildings are a carpenter’s lodge, a dock and boat-house, and two capital coffee-lodges, the one to bruise and separate the pulp from the berries, the other to dry them; the rest consist of negro-houses, a stable, hospital,[354]and warehouses, which altogether appear like a small village. The coffee-lodge alone sometimes costs five thousand pounds sterling, and sometimes more. But to give a more complete idea of the whole apparatus, I must refer to theplate, where all the buildings, fields, paths, gardens, floodgates, and canals are marked, and explained by the necessary references. The plan, as exhibited in this plate, is intended to unite at once elegance, convenience, and safety. It is elegant, as being perfectly regular; convenient, as having every thing at hand and under the planter’s own inspection; and safe, being surrounded by a broad canal, which by floodgates lets in the water fresh from the river, besides a draw-bridge, which during the night cuts off all communication from without.I shall now proceed to the planting-ground, which is divided into large square pieces, in each of which are generally two thousand beautiful coffee-trees, growing at eight or ten feet distance from each other. These trees, which begin to bear at about the age of three years, are in their prime at six, and continue to produce fruit till they are thirty; the manner of supplying them being from good nurseries, which no coffee estate is ever without, having already mentioned that they afford two crops every year, which is about Midsummer and Christmas.Plan of a regular Coffee Plantation.T. Conder SculpsitPlan of a regular Coffee Plantation.References to the Plan.1.The Dwelling House2.The Overseers Dwelling3.The Book-keepers Office4.The Kitchen5.The Storehouse6.The Poultry-house7.The Hogs-sty8.The Boat-house or small Dock9.The Carpenters & Coopers Lodge10.The Drying Lodge for the Coffee11.The Bruising Lodge for do12.The Negro-houses13.The Horse Stables14.The Fold for Sheep & Bullocks15.The Great Guard house16.The Hospital17.The Pigeon-house18.The Corn-house or Granary19.The Necessary houses20.The Sentry Boxes for Watchmen21.The Floodgates22.The Great Draw-bridge23.The Landing Place24.The Great Canals25.The River or Creek26.The Gravel walks27.The Drying Floor for Coffee28.The Negro Gardens29.The Pasture for the Horses30.The Pasture for the Sheep & Bullocks31.The Poultry-yard32.The Hogs-yard33.The Kitchen Gardens34.The Flower do35.The Plantain Trees36.The Groves of Orange Trees37.The Dams & Gutters for Draining38.The Path to enter the Fields39.The Bridges over the Gutters40.The Gates, Barriers, &c.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.At the times of harvest, it is not unpleasing to see the negroes picking the crimson berries among the polished green, where all ages and sexes are employed to fulfil their[355]task with ardour, when the youth who having first filled their baskets, wantonly run naked, and play amongst the luxuriant foliage.I will now conduct them before the overseer’s presence, where, all the baskets being inspected, the flogging commences, which is mostly inflicted with impartial severity on all who have not fulfilled their tasks, whether from idleness or incapacity. This ceremony concluded, the berries are carried home into the bruising-lodge, and the slaves return home to their houses. The berries being bruised in a mill for that purpose, in the above lodge, to separate the kernels from the husks or pulpy substance, they are next steeped in water one night to cleanse them, and then spread on the drying-floor, which is exposed to the open air, and is constructed of flat stones; after which they are spread on garrets made for the purpose, to let them evaporate and dry internally, during which time they must be turned over every day with wooden shovels: this done, they are once more dried in large coolers or drawers, that run easily on rollers in and out of the windows, to prevent them from being overtaken by showers of rain: then they are put into wooden mortars, and beaten by candle-light with heavy wooden pestles, like the rice at Gado-Saby, to divest them of a thin coat or pellicle that unites the two kernels in the pulp. At this exercise the negroes wonderfully keep time, and always sing a chorus. Being next separated from the chaff through a bunt-mill, once more thoroughly dried on the[356]coolers, and the whole beans picked from the bruised, which last are consumed in the colony: they are finally put into casks or barrels, of about three or four hundred, weight each, for exportation.I shall only farther observe, that in Surinam some coffee plantations produce above 150,000 pounds weightper annum; and that, as I have already mentioned, in the year before our arrival no less was exported to Amsterdam alone than 12,267,134 pounds of this valuable article, the prices of which have fluctuated, from three-pence halfpenny to eighteen pence; but which, calculated at the average price of eight-pence halfpenny, produces a yearly income of not less than 400,000 pounds sterling; (which, is no despicable revenue) besides what goes to Rotterdam and Zealand.This is sufficient to prove that the cultivation of coffee is highly worthy the attention of the planters: and as for the virtues of this excellent berry, without entering into particulars, I will only refer the reader to that highly-approved pamphlet, entitled “A Treatise concerning the Properties and Effects of Coffee; byBenjamin Mosely, M. D. Author of Observations on the Dysentery of the West Indies;” from which I cannot resist the temptation of extracting the following passage:—“Baconsays, coffee comforts the head and heart, and helps digestion. DoctorWillissays, being daily drunk, it wonderfully clears and enlivens each part of the soul, and disperses all the clouds of every function. The celebrated[357]DoctorHarveyused it often.Voltairelived almost entirely on it; and the learned and sedentary of every country have recourse to it to refresh the brain, oppressed by study and contemplation.”With the above description I must conclude the observations which I have been able to make on such of the vegetable productions of this colony, as have offered themselves to my examination. But so abundant is the variety, and so extraordinary the properties, of the trees, plants, roots, &c. of this country, that by far the greater number are as yet perfectly unknown to the oldest inhabitants of this settlement, and to all the world besides.A few years ago a CountGentelly, an ingenious nobleman, travelled through the desarts of Guiana with some Indians, and had acquired considerable knowledge in this his favourite study. But alas! his labours, which promised fair to be of material benefit to the Botanic Society, and to mankind in general, were interrupted by a fever, which, owing to his excessive fatigue, he caught at the River Correntine, and cut him off in the midst of his useful and entertaining researches.Having now concluded my account of the different productions of the colony, particularly cotton, sugar, cacao, indigo, and coffee, to which it is indebted for its riches; and having once more repeated that the different trees, shrubs, plants, roots, gums, and perfumes, are equally as innumerable as they are excellent; I cannot have a fairer opportunity of fulfilling my promise of[358]submitting to the reader a few considerations, by an attention to which I cannot help thinking that not only Surinam, but the West India colonies in general, might accumulate wealth to themselves, and promote the permanent happiness of the slaves that are under their subjection, without having recourse to theCoast of Guineato supply the almost hourly consumption of that unfortunate people. But before I proceed, it will be necessary to state the manner in which the negro slavesaredistributed and treated, by the customs of this settlement only, without adverting to the distribution or government of them in other colonies; from which, however, those may equally derive some profit;—and then I shall endeavour to point out how, in my opinion, theyoughtto be distributed and treated, according to the laws, not only of humanity but of common sense.I have before observed that in Surinam there are supposed to be on an average about 75,000 negro slaves of all denominations, which (allowing them, for the sake of a round number, to amount to 80,000) are here distributed in the following extraordinary manner,viz.The plantations, being about 800 in number, though some have but 24 negroes, and others 400, we will suppose them to possess 100 slaves each, which complement is exactly the above number of 80,000 people. These are employed in this settlement as follows; the first column of figures alluding tooneestate, the second ditto toeight hundred.[359]EMPLOYMENTS.On OneEstate.On 800Estates.Four boys or male servants to attend about the house43,200Maids or female servants to wash, sew, iron, &c.43,200A cook for the planter, overseer, &c.1800A fowler, or huntsman, to provide game for the table1800A fishing negro to provide fish for ditto1800A gardener to provide the table and the flower garden1800To attend the bullocks and horses on the estate1800To attend the sheep on the estate1800To attend the hogs on the estate1800To attend the poultry that is on the estate1800Carpenter negroes, to build, houses, boats, &c.64,800Cooper negroes, to make and repair hogsheads21,600A mason, to build and repair the brick foundations1800At Paramaribo, some to trades, others for shew1512,000A negro surgeon, to attend the sick negroes1800Sick and incurable, that are in the hospitals108,000A nurse for the negro children that cannot be with their parents1800Children under age, that can do no work of any kind1612,800Superannuated negroes, worn out by slavery75,600To work in the fields no more than 25 miserable wretches2520,000Total, or compleat number of slaves in the colony10080,000[360]By this it appears, that no more than 20,000, or only one-fourth of the whole number, are condemned to do all the labour of the fields, on whom it may be said chiefly falls the dreadful lot of untimely mortality that I have formerly mentioned. Now it is evident, that if the 50,000 able-bodied slaves that are in the colony of Surinam were put to equal drudgery, the mortality, which is now at the rate of fiveper cent.would then increase to at least the number of twelve out of every hundred, and would compleatly extirpate the whole mass in little more than eight years time.Having thus at an average demonstrated how they are distributed, I must briefly observe, that while full 30,000 live better than the common people of England, and near 30,000 are kept in idleness, and do no work in the fields; the remaining 20,000 may be classed (that is in general) among the most miserable wretches on earth; and are worked, starved, insulted, and flogged to death, without being so much as allowed to complain for redress, without being heard in their own defence, without receiving common justice on any occasion, and thus may be considered as dead-alive, since cut off from all the common privileges of human society.I will now proceed, by candidly asking the world, If the above is not an improper and senseless misapplication, not only of wealth, but of human life and labour; which, only by a proper distribution and management, might accumulate the one and relieve the other?[361]Now would this inconsiderate colony but give up their habits of pride and luxury, nay, in a moderate degree, 20,000 negroes at least might be added to those now labouring in the fields, which (providing the whole were treated with less severity) must at the same time keep the above superfluous number of idlers employed; and by assisting the others in their necessary occupations, could not but tend greatly to prevent that shocking mortality, to which they are at present exposed by unbounded ill-usage and barbarity.But every reform must begin at that which is the source ofmannersas well as ofjustice; and those therefore who are entrusted with the executive government should have no temptation to overlook the breaches of alaw, while it ought to be a sacred and invariable rule never to allow either the governor or the magistrates of such a colony to be the proprietors of more slaves than merely a limited number, to attend on their persons, according to their ranks: since more than once, even tomyobservation, it has occurred that those who made, and those who were appointed to enforce the laws, have been the first thatbroke them, for the paltry benefit of causing their negroes to work on a Sunday, or to follow the bent of their unbounded passions; from which shameful example from the magistrate, the contagion must necessarily spread among the individuals.Let thegovernorand principalmagistrates, therefore, be sent out from Europe; let them be gentlemen of fortune and education; and, above all, men[362]of liberal minds, men that are firm and proof against the allurement of a bribe, or the glittering of gold, and whose passions are restrained by sentiment and manly feelings. Let these men be handsomely rewarded by that nation whom they so materially serve, and the colony which they so conspicuously protect; but let their salaries be ascertained, without depending on the blood and sweat of the miserable Africans. Then let such men enact impartial regulations, by which the negro slaves are to perform no more than their fair task and labour a reasonable number of hours in the twenty-four: let these be followed by protecting laws, and let them be no longer racked, tormented, wantonly murdered, or infamously robbed of all that is dear to the human affections, their wives and daughters. Let regulations be adopted, by which they may be properly fed; and attended to when sick or indisposed; and, above all, let equal justice be administered; suffer them, when outraged or plundered, to obtain a hearing; permit them to complain, and enable them to prove byevidencethe grievances by which they are oppressed. Even give them what we so much value ourselves,AN INDEPENDANT JUDGE, andAN IMPARTIAL JURY, nay, partly composed of their own sable companions. Thus, would you have them work and act likemen, first suffer them to besuch.When regulations conform to these shall be adopted and enforced, then I venture to say, that nations will feel the benefit of their colonies—then planters will become rich, and their overseers become honest; then slavery will be little[363]more than a name; and subjects will, with pleasure, fulfil their limited task: then, and not till then, will population sufficiently encrease for the necessary work, and the execrableGuineatrade betotallyabolished, which is now too frequently carried on with barbarity and unbounded usurpation. Then the master will with pleasure look on his sable subjects as on his children, and the principal source of his happiness, while the negroes will bless the day their ancestors did first set foot onAmericanground.Having thus, according to my opinion, pointed out the way, and the only way (if well considered) to redress the grievances of this and many other colonies, I would also recommend toplantersandoverseersin general, to peruse with attention a small work, entitled “Letters to a young Planter; or Observations on the Management of a Sugar Plantation: to which is added, the Planter’s Calendar. Written on the Island of Grenada, by an old Planter,” and published in London in 1785, 8vo. price One Shilling and Sixpence, and sold byStrachan.Let them next take an example by that incomparable woman Mrs.Godefroy, by Mr.Thomas Palmer, and a few others, who consider their slaves as their fellow-creatures, without paying the smallest regard either to their paganism or complexion; and who increase both their wealth and their happiness by their humanity.—I will now once more proceed with my narrative.On the 16th, being invited to dine with his excellency the governor, I laid before him my collection of drawings,[364]and remarks on the colony of Surinam, which I had the satisfaction to see him honour with the highest approbation. I then returned him my thanks, not only for the material assistance he had afforded me in completing this work, but for the unlimited marks of regard and distinction with which he had treated me from first to last, during the whole time I resided in Guiana.Availing myself of his friendship, I ventured, two days after, to give him the following very uncommonrequest, praying him to lay it before the court; which, with a smile on his countenance, and a hearty shake by the hand, he actually promised me to perform;viz.“I, the under-subscribed, do pledge myword of honour, (being all I possess in the world besides my pay) asbail, that if my late ardent request to the court for the emancipation of my dear boyJohnny Stedmanbe granted, the said boy shall never to the end of his life become a charge to the colony of Surinam.(Signed)John G. Stedman.”“Paramaribo,Feb. 18th, 1777.”Having now done the utmost that lay inmypower, I for several days waited the result with anxiety, but without meeting with the smallest hopes of success; thus, with a broken heart, I was obliged at last to give him (sweet fellow) over for lost, or take him with me to Europe, which must have been plunging a dagger in the bosom of his mother.[365]While I remained in this situation, the transport ships were put in commission on the 26th for our departure, and I myself ordered as one of the commissaries to see them wooded and watered; the officers were also cleared their arrears, and thirteen men discharged at their own desire, to push their fortune at Paramaribo. I ought here not to omit, that the industrious Colonel Fourgeoud once more paid us all in paper, by which, as usual, we lost tenper cent.; which, by letting the Jews have the gold and silver, he prudently lodged in his own pocket; and while the many hundreds of florins allowed us by government to defray excise duties, taxes, &c. were never brought to account, or, rather, we were forbidden to enquire after them at all. These were trifles indeed, when divided among so many gentlemen; but, inonesolid mass, they were no contemptible picking.On the 1st of March a serjeant arrived from the camp at the Casseepore Creek, in Rio Cottica, where the last-arrived troops were hourly dying away; and brought the almost incredible account, that the man I mentioned to have beenlost in the woodson the 10th of February, was actually returned, after having been missingsix-and-twenty days, nine of which he subsisted on a few pounds of rusk biscuit, and seventeen on nothing at all but water. He added, that he had entirely lost his voice, and was reduced to a perfect skeleton: however, by the care taken of him by the officers, there were still hopes of his life. Should[366]any person hesitate to believe this extraordinary fact, let them readMonsieur Godin’s well-authenticated letter to his friendMonsieur de la Condamine, wherein he gives an account of the dreadful sufferings of his lady during her route fromRio HambatoLaguna, through the woods of South America, in October 1769; where a delicate woman, after being deserted by the Indian guides, and after both her brothers had fallen martyrs to their hardships and misery, subsistedten daysalone in a wild forest without food, without knowing where she was, and surrounded with tigers, serpents, and dangers of every description: I say, let them only read the narrative of this lady’s sufferings, and their credulity will no longer be staggered at what I myself have related. I have, indeed, even omitted facts, which, on account of their singularity, must in the eyes of some have appeared to border on the marvellous. But in the forests of South America such extraordinary realities are to be found, that there is assuredly no need to have recourse to fiction or the least exaggeration.Who, for instance, would believe, that almost a whole detachment of eighty marines, one day marching through a thick wood, imagined to a man that they were stepping one after another over a large fallen tree, that obstructed their way; till at length it began to move, and proved to be no other than a full grown serpent of theabomakind, measuring, according to Colonel Fourgeoud’s computation, betweenthirtyandfortyfeet in length? yet this[367]is an indubitable truth. The above animal was neither killed nor hurt; the Colonel ordering the remaining party to form in a half circle and march around it, in order that they themselves at the same time might escape every danger from the monster’s matchless strength.In this place I shall mention another extraordinary circumstance, which is, that one morning Colonel Fourgeoud resting in his hammock, with one hand carelessly leaning over the side, a largerattle-snakethat lay coiled up among the long grass which was under it, was actually severed in two by the sentinel, during the very moment of action that it made a spring to bite him: of which the soldier, whose name wasJohn Kiefhaber, had been apprised first by the sound of its rattle, and next by seeing the snake’s head erected, while it was brandishing its forked tongue.As I am treating of these reptiles, I cannot resist the temptation of inserting a fact, which I learned from Mr.Francis Roweof Philadelphia, a respectable old man; who informed me, that riding out one morning to visit a friend, his horse refused to go forward, being terrified at a large rattle-snake that lay across the road. Mr. Rowe having heard of its power of fascination, in which he was a believer, alighted to lead the animal round it; but during that time the snake, having coiled himself up, sounded its rattle, and stared him so full in the face, and with such fire in its eyes, that the cold sweat broke out upon him; thus, whilst he durst neither retreat or advance,[368]he imagined himself gradually rivetted to the spot. “However,” continued he, “my reason remained; and my resolution getting the better of my alarm, I suddenly approached him, and with one stroke of my cudgel knocked out his brains.”On the 3d of March my friend de Graaf sailed for Holland, but first for St. Eustatia, where his brother was governor; and to my great satisfaction took with him Joanna’s youngest brother,Henry, for whom he has since obtained his freedom. I sailed with them down the river as far as Bram’s Point, and wished them a successful voyage. As I here went ashore in a fishing-boat, I was tempted to leap into the sea, and enjoy the cooling and healthy pleasure of swimming in the Atlantic ocean. The fisher-men having caught a quantity of large fish, I discovered one among them not yet mentioned in my narrative, this was theyellow-back, between two and three feet long, thus called from its colour, which almost resembles that of a lemon, but the belly is white: the head is very large, with two long barbs; but the body is small, and without scales, like the cod; it is, however, not near so good, being coarse and insipid eating. Two other small fishes I also saw in the boat, the one called here theweepee, resembling a whip-lash;theotherwaracoo, which is a delicate eating, but has nothing in its form or habits deserving a particular description.The 8th of March, being the Prince of Orange’s birthday,[369]it was celebrated at the head quarters; where, after dinner, in the court ledge, hearing CaptainBoltsin an undeserved manner censured by the colonel’s adjutant, for recommending one of the young volunteers of an excellent character, but who had no friends to support him3, I broke through the ring that surrounded them in a passion, and not being able to restrain myself, publicly reproved the aggressor, even in Fourgeoud’s presence, when a furious altercation and very high words immediately ensued; the consequence of which was, that next morning at sun-risewewalked to the savannah without seconds, where, near the gallows, we drew our small swords, and after making a few passes at each other, Captain Van Geurick’s point met my shell, which having nearly pierced, his blade snapped in two pieces, and the fortune of war put him entirely in my power. Disdaining, however, to take a mean advantage, I instantly dropped my small sword, and desired him to step home and replace his own, in order to renew the battle: but this proposal he was pleased to call so generous, that taking me by the hand, he requested a renewal of friendship; thus acknowledging we had been too hasty on both sides, we went to visit poor Bolts, who knew nothing of our morning’s walk, and was (though not without difficulty) persuaded also to enter into the amicable treaty: by which a second rencounter was happily prevented, and a general reconciliation took place.[370]On the 10th, having spent most of the day with the governor, I in the evening went on board the ships with Captain Bolts, to inspect the preparations for the voyage; where we found that the mice and rats had made such havock among our provision, with which we werenowvery well stocked, that I was under the necessity of procuring half a dozencatsto destroy them, which useful animals are in Surinam neither so plenty, nor so good, as in Europe, being lazy and indolent, on account of the climate. I observed they were also smaller and ranker, with remarkably long muzzles and sharp ears.The following day I was shocked and surprised beyond the power of expression, at seeing aMiss Jettee de la Mare, daughter to the lately deceased gentleman of that name, a lovely mulatto girl, aged fourteen, who had been christened in 1775, and educated as a young lady, dragged to court in chains, with her mother and a few more of her relations, the whole surrounded by a military guard. I had almost attempted a rescue, when, having enquired the cause, she called out to me herself, weeping most bitterly; and informed me, that “she was going to be tried by Mr.Schouten, her mother’s master, for refusing to perform the work of a common slave, which she was utterly unable to perform, and could never have expected, from the footing upon which she had been educated till that unhappy moment.”By the laws of the country, however, she was not only obliged to submit, but athisdesire was condemned, for disobedience, together with her poor mother, and all her[371]relations, who had presumed to support her claim to liberty, to be privately whipped; and had it not been for the humanity of Mr.Wickers, who was at that time the fiscal or town clerk, and since was governor, this infamous sentence would most certainly have been put in execution. The unfortunate Miss Jettee de la Mare was, from this period, nevertheless forced to submit to the tyranny of her unmanly master, while pitied by all her acquaintance, and lamented by every stranger that was a witness to the inhuman transaction.Such were the fatal consequences of not having been timely emancipated; and such were they indeed, that they made me tremble for my little boy. Happily my uneasiness was not of long duration; for, however improbable and unexpected, I was surprized on the very same day with a polite message from the governor and the court, acquainting me that, “having taken my former services into consideration, together with my humanity and gallantry, in offering myhonouras bail to see my child, before I left him, made a free citizen of the world; they had unanimously decreed, without farther ceremony or expence, to compliment me with a letter, which was at the same time officially presented to me, containingHIS EMANCIPATION FROM THAT DAY, FOR EVER AFTER.”No man could be more suddenly transported from woe to happiness than I was at this moment; while his poor mother shed tears for joy and gratitude; the more so, as we had lost all hopes, and the favour came perfectly unexpected,[372]and while near forty beautiful boys and girls were left to perpetual slavery by their parents of my acquaintance, and many of them without being so much as once enquired after at all.What is most extraordinary indeed is, that while the well-thinking few highly applauded my sensibility, many not only blamed, but publicly derided me for my paternal affection, which was called a weakness, a whim. So extravagant was my joy on this day, however, at having acted the reverse part ofInkletoYarico, that I became like one frantic with pleasure. I not only made my will in his favour (though, God knows, I had little to dispose of) but I appointed my friends Mr.Robert Gordonand Mr.James Gourlayto be my executors and his guardians during my absence, in whose hands I left all my papers sealed, till I should demand them again, or they should be informed of my death: I then ordered all my sheep, poultry, &c. which had prodigiously encreased, to be transported, and put under their care; and making a new suit of cloaths for the occasion, which cost me twenty guineas, I waited on a Mr.Snyderhans, one of the clergymen at Paramaribo, to appoint a day when my boy, myJohnny Stedman, should be made a Christian4.[373]On the 18th Colonel Fourgeoud’s remaining troops at last came down from the encampments at Casseepore Creek, and every preparation was made for our departure. At the same time, the extacy of the few surviving marines at their quitting this country was so great, having now also received part of their clearance, that such intemperance, riot, and disorder ensued as produced the most formidable quarrels between them and the troops of the Society, till, some being wounded and some being flogged, peace was finally, though with difficulty, re-established.This same day a poor sailor, while I was on board, was drowned in my presence, who fell from the gunwale into the river, with the sheet anchor, which had been neglected to be lashed to the ringbolts. I instantly leaped into a boat to try to save him, but could only get his hat; the man went to the bottom, and never more was seen.The day of our departure now approached fast, and I gave up my house; when, at Mrs. Godefroy’s pressing invitation, I spent the few remaining moments in that which she had prepared for the reception of Joanna and her boy, in her beautiful garden, charmingly situated under the shade of tamarind and orange trees; which house she also had neatly furnished with every accommodation that could be desired, besides allowing Joanna a negro woman and a girl to attend on her for life. Thus situated, how blest should I have been in this spot to end my days!—But fate ordained it otherwise.[374]On the 22d, I made it my business with CaptainSmall(who was come down with leave of absence) to wait on the Reverend Mr. Snyderhans, according to appointment, but who, to both our great surprize, peremptorily refused to christen the boy; alledging for his reason, that as I was going to Holland, I could not answer for hischristianeducation. We replied, that he was under two very proper guardians: the blacksmith’s son (for such was this divine) persisted, and we remonstrated, but to no purpose, for he was just as deaf as his father’s anvil, and I believe, upon my soul, quite as empty as his bellows; till at length, wearied out with his fanatical impertinence, I swore that I would sooner see the boy die a heathen, than christened by such a blockhead; while my friend Small could not help bellowing on him a hearty curse, and, slapping the door with a vengeance, we departed.Feasting and conviviality now prevailed once more at Paramaribo, as on our first arrival. Grand dinners, suppers, and balls were heard of in every quarter. But I only visited a few of my select friends, amongst which number had constantly been Governor Nepveu, and where, for the last time, I made one of the company at a truly magnificent entertainment, which ended the scene of liberality and hospitality, for which the inhabitants of Surinam are so justly conspicuous; and on the 25th the baggage was shipped on board the vessels.Numberless, indeed, were the presents for the voyage, with which I in particular was now overstocked from every quarter; and my provisions of live cattle, poultry,[375]wine, rum, &c. &c. were almost sufficient to carry me round the globe: amongst the rest, in a small bottle case, containing liquors, I found a crystal phial filled with essentialoiloforange, and a parcel of what they called heretonquin beans.—The first is extracted from the rind or peel of the oranges: which is done here by the tedious and laborious method of squeezing it between the finger and thumb. A few drops of this on a small piece of sugar, is said to be an excellent remedy to strengthen the stomach, create an appetite, and help digestion; and one single drop smells so strong, that it is sufficient to perfume a whole apartment. The tonquin beans are said to grow in a thick pulp, something like a walnut, and on a large tree. I never saw them otherwise than dried, when they bear some resemblance to a prune or dried plumb, and are made use of to scent snuff and tobacco, to which they impart a most agreeable odour.On the 26th, we took our last leave of his Excellency the Governor,en corps, as assuredly was his due; after which all the officers of the Society troops waited on Colonel Fourgeoud, at the head quarters, to wish us a prosperous voyage to Holland, and the day was spent by a regale,en militaire,viz.a dinner, as usual, of salt provisions; but I must acknowledge, accompanied with as much good liquor of every kind, as Surinam could furnish, and a very hearty welcome.I believe that now a hundred times Fourgeoud shook me by the hand, declaring, “That there was not a young[376]man he loved better in the world; that had he commanded me to march through fire as well as water, he was convinced I should never have left it, without accomplishing his orders;” with many other fine compliments. But I must candidly acknowledge, that though I had a heart toforgive, my mind would never permit me toforgetthe many and unnecessary difficulties and miseries to which I had been too wantonly exposed. At the same time he informed me, thathedid not propose to depart with us, but intended to follow the regiment very soon, with the remains of the last-come relief, when he would render me every service in his power. Whatever were hisrealmotives for such a sudden change in his disposition towards me, suffice it to say, that few people at this time were better friends, than were the old ColonelFourgeoudand CaptainStedman.In the evening I went to take a short farewell of my most valuable acquaintances, such as Mrs.Godefroy, Mr. and Mrs.Demelley, Mr. and Mrs.Lolkens, Mr. and Mrs.Gordon, Mr.Gourlay, CaptainMackneal, DoctorKissam, &c. who had all (besides Mr.Kennedyand Mr.de Graaf, now gone to Holland) treated me with the most constant and distinguished civility since I had been in the colony: but my soul was too full of afriendthat was still dearer, to be impressed with that sensibility on separating from them, that it must have felt on another occasion.—And here I cannot in justice omit remarking, that while I gave the most impetuous vent to my feelings, not the smallest expression of poignant sorrow, or even of dejection,[377]escaped from Joanna’s lips; while her good sense and fortitude even restrained the tear from starting in my afflicted presence. I now once more earnestly pressed her toaccompanyme, in which I was seconded by the inestimable Mrs. Godefroy and all her friends; but she remained equally inflexible, and her steady answer was as before—“That, dreadful as appeared the fatal separation, perhaps never more to meet, yet she could not but prefer remaining in Surinam: first, from a consciousness that, with propriety, she had not the disposal of herself; and, secondly, from pride, wishing in her present condition rather to be one of the first among her own class in America, than a reflection or burthen on me in Europe, as she was convinced must be the case, unless our circumstances became one day more independent.” Here Joanna shewed great emotion, but immediately retired to weep in private.—What could I say or do?—Not knowing how to answer, or sufficiently to admire her firmness and resignation, which so greatly exceeded my own, I determined, if possible, to imitate her conduct, and calmly to resign myself to my fate, preparing for the fatal moment, when my heart forebode me we were to pronounce theLAST ADIEU, and separate for ever.“Zaïre, il est trop vrai que l’honneur me l’ordonne,Que je vous adorai! que je vous abandonne!Que je renonce a vous! que vous le désirer!Que fous un autre loix——Zaïre vous pleurer.”[378]The whole corps being ordered, at seven o’clock on the morning of the 27th, to wait on Colonel Fourgeoud at the head quarters, I tore myself away from all that was dear to me in this world without disturbing them, in order to prevent the tender scene of parting. He then conducted us to the water-side, where the boats lay in waiting; and we were immediately embarked, under a general salute, and colours flying, from the fortress and the vessels in the roads. The whole corps now having dined on board the staff-ship with Lieutenant Colonel de Borgnes, Colonel Fourgeoud politely invited me to accompany him back to town till next morning; but which, with a broken heart, I thought best to decline. He then took his final leave, and wishing us all a safe and prosperous voyage to Europe, he returned, under a salute of nine guns and three cheers, with Captain Van Geurike, his adjutant, back to Paramaribo.On the 29th of March, at midnight, the signal-gun being fired, the two ships got under way, and dropped down till before the fortress New Amsterdam, where they once more came to an anchor.Here my friends Gordon and Gourlay, the guardians of my boy, after the convivial Colonel Seyburg (for such he certainly was) had entertained them on board his vessel, theHollandia, affectionately coming to visit me, they did no less than actually prevail on me to accompany them back to Paramaribo. My soul could not resist this second invitation of once more beholding what was so dear to me.—I went, and, must I say it?—found Joanna, who had displayed[379]so much fortitude in my presence, now bathing in tears, and scarcely alive, so much was she become the victim of melancholy and despair. Nor had she partaken of food, or sleep, since my departure, nor spoken to any living creature, indeed not stirred from the spot where I had left her on the morning of the 27th.The ships not being quite ready to go to sea till two days after, I was prevailed upon to stay on shore a little longer, with poor Joanna and her boy, which seemed to chear her: But, alas! too dear we paid for this too short reprieve! since, but few hours had elapsed, when a sailor abruptly came in, with the message that the ship’s boat lay in waiting that minute to carry me on board.—At that instant—Heavens! what were my feelings!—Joanna’s mother took the infant from her arms, the all-worthy Mrs. Godefroy supporting herself——her brothers and sisters hung around me, crying, and invoking Heaven aloud for my safety—while the unfortunate Joanna (now but nineteen) gazing on me, and holding me by the hand, with a look ten thousand times more dejected thanSterne’s Maria,—was unable to utter one word!!!——I perceived she was distracted—the hour was come—I exchanged a ringlet of their hair, and fondly pressed them both to my bosom:—the power of speech also forsook me, and my heart tacitly invoked the protection of Providence to befriend them.—Joanna now shut her beauteous eyes—her lips turned the pale colour of death—she bowed her head, and motionless sunk in the arms ofHER ADOPTED MOTHER:—Here I roused all my remaining[380]fortitude, and leaving them surrounded by every care and attention departed, and bidGod bless them!!!The boat still delaying a few moments, I now stepped up to poor Fourgeoud, surrounded by my friends, and grasping his veteran hand, I could not, for my soul, but forgive him all the hardships he had ever occasioned me.—He wasaffected.—This was a debt he owed me.—I wished him every good, and finally rowed down the river Surinam.At this time the ships were riding off Bram’s Point, where Mr.Texier, the deputy governor, came on board to wish us a prosperous voyage; and, after dinner, under a salute of seven guns, together with Captains Small and Fredericy, who had accompanied me hither, he returned back to Paramaribo.[381]1See in Chapter XXV. the manner in which I myself discovered a thief.↑2In 1554, the coffee berry first came to Constantinople from Arabia.—About the middle of the 16th century it was introduced in London; and in 1728, by SirNicholas Laws, it was planted in the island of Jamaica.↑3A Mr.Sheffer, already named, who had served with honour from first to last, on the pay of a private soldier, during this painful expedition.↑4I should not here omit to mention that in the colony of Surinam all emancipated slaves are under the following restrictions,viz.They are (if males) bound to help in defending the settlement against all home and foreign enemies.No emancipated slave, male or female, can ever go to law at all against their former master or mistress.[373]And finally, if any emancipated slave, male or female, dies in the colony, and leaves behind any possessions whatever, in that case one quarter of the property also goes to his former owners, either male or female.↑

CHAP. XXIX.Some Account of a remarkable Negro.—The Troops prepare for Europe.—Description of a Coffee Plantation.—Plan of Reform for the Increase of Population, and universal Happiness.—One more Instance of horrid Barbarity; and Example of Humanity.—The Regiment embarks.

Some Account of a remarkable Negro.—The Troops prepare for Europe.—Description of a Coffee Plantation.—Plan of Reform for the Increase of Population, and universal Happiness.—One more Instance of horrid Barbarity; and Example of Humanity.—The Regiment embarks.

Some Account of a remarkable Negro.—The Troops prepare for Europe.—Description of a Coffee Plantation.—Plan of Reform for the Increase of Population, and universal Happiness.—One more Instance of horrid Barbarity; and Example of Humanity.—The Regiment embarks.

Being now once more arrived in town, and wishing to be no longer troublesome to any body, I hired a very neat small house by the water-side, in which we lived nearly as happy as we had done at the Hope.The first person that visited me here was the American CaptainLewis, of thePeggy, who, to my great concern, told me, that poorMacdonald, the grateful sailor, had died on the homeward passage, after being twelve days at sea; and desired him in his last words to return me, with his good wishes, the mother-of-pearl cork-screw I had formerly given him. He farther acquainted me also, to my sorrow, that three English vessels had been captured by theAmerican Revenueprivateer sloop, which lay at this time, with her prizes, in the road before Paramaribo; one of which, belonging to Ireland, was valued at above £. 50,000 sterling.Having been waited on by a number of planters and[346]others with congratulations on our success against the rebels; amongst the rest appeared the celebratedGramman Quacy, who came to shew me his fine coat, gold medal, &c. which he had received as a present from the Prince of Orange, in Holland. This man, being one of the most extraordinary characters of all the negroes in Surinam, or perhaps in the world, I cannot proceed without giving some account of him; the more so, as he has made his appearance once or twice already in the course of this history.—This African (for he was born on the coast of Guinea) by his insinuating temper and industry, not only obtained his freedom from a state of slavery, but by his wonderful ingenuity and artful conduct found the means of procuring a very competent subsistence.Having got the name of alockoman, or sorcerer, among the lower slaves, no crime of any consequence was committed, especially at the plantations, butGramman Quacy, which signifies Great-man Quacy, was instantly sent for to discover the perpetrators, which he so very seldom missed, owing, in fact, to their faith in his sorceries, added to his penetrating look1and authority among them, that he has often prevented farther mischief to their masters; and, for these services, occasionally received very capital rewards. The corps of rangers, and all fighting free negroes, are under his influence; to whom he sells hisobiasoramulets, in order to make them invulnerable,[347]and, of course, to engage without fear: by which deceit he has most certainly done much good to the colony, and at the same time filled his pockets with no inconsiderable profit to himself; while his person by the blacks is adored and respected like a God. The trash of which his amulets are made costs him in reality nothing; being neither more nor less than a collection of small pebbles, sea-shells, cut hair, fish-bones, feathers, &c. the whole sewed up together in small packets, which are tied with a string of cotton round the neck, or some other part of the bodies of his credulous votaries.But besides these, and many other artful contrivances, he had the good fortune, in 1730, to find out the valuable root known by the name ofQuaciæ bitter, of which he was actually the first discoverer, and from which it took its name: and, notwithstanding this medicine is now less in repute in England than formerly, it is highly esteemed in many other parts of the world for its efficacy in strengthening the stomach and restoring the appetite. It has, besides this valuable property, that of being a powerfulfebrifuge, and may be successfully used when the bark is nauseated, as is frequently the case.In 1761, it was made known toLinnæusby Mr.d’Ahlberg, formerly mentioned; and the Swedish naturalist has since written a treatise upon it. By this drug alone Quacy might have amassed riches, were he not entirely abandoned to indolence and dissipation; the consequence of which is, a complication of loathsome distempers,[348]of which the leprosy is one: and that disorder is, as I have already stated, absolutely incurable. Nevertheless his age, though he could not exactly ascertain it, must have been very great, since he used frequently to repeat that he acted as drummer, and beat the alarm on his master’s estate, when the French commodore,Jacques Cassard, put the colony under contribution, in the year 1712.Having taken a portrait of this extraordinary man, with his grey head of hair, and dressed in his blue and scarlet with gold lace, I, in the annexed plate, beg leave to introduce it to the reader.This very same week we had indeed a fresh proof of the good effects of Gramman Quacy’s animating obias or amulets, a captain of the rangers, namedHannibal, bringing in the barbacued hands of two rebel negroes, which he had himself encountered and shot; and one of these hands proved to be that of the noted rebelCupido, formerly taken, in 1774, and brought to Colonel Fourgeoud in the forest, but from whom he had since that time, though loaded with chains, found means to run away.The celebrated Graman Quacy.Blake Sculpt.The celebrated Graman Quacy.London, Published Decr. 2nd, 1793, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.In returning the visits of my friends, I paid one to Mr.Andrew Reynsdorp, who shewed me the loop and button of his hat, which being diamond, had cost him two hundred guineas—such is the luxury of Surinam. But even this is exceeded by the magnificence of M.d’Ahlbergh, who, when I waited on him, besides a gold snuff-box set[349]with brilliants, value six hundred pounds sterling, made me remark two silver bits (small pieces of money) set in gold, and surrounded with diamonds, with this inscription:“Soli Deo Gloria. Fortuna beaticum, &c.”Having signified my surprize at this peculiar attention and respect to two sixpences, he declared to me that they were all the money he had in the world when he first came to Surinam from his own country,Sweden.—“Did you work?” said I.—“No.”—“Did you beg?”—“No.”—“You did not steal, sir?”—“No: but,entre nous, I whined and acted the enthusiast, which sometimes is very necessary, and I found preferable to the otherthree.”—To which I answered, “Sir, your candid confession brings back to my remembrance your usage of your negro slave,Baron, after having promised him his manumission in Amsterdam, and fully proves what you have just asserted.”—One instance more of the extravagance and folly of the inhabitants of this colony, and I have done: Two of them disputing about a most elegant and expensive carriage that was imported from Holland, a law-suit ensued immediately, to determine who was to possess it, during which time the coach was left uncovered in the street till it fell to pieces, and was totally destroyed.On the 10th of February, most of our officers being now arrived at Paramaribo from the camp, Colonel[350]Fourgeoud entertained the whole with a feast, as he was pleased to call it, at the head-quarters; an old stable lanthorn, with broken panes of glass, hanging over our heads, which I expected every moment to drop into the soup. And here he acquainted us, with evident marks of satisfaction, that he had at last put a final end to the expedition; having, notwithstanding there was so little blood-shed, perfectly accomplished his aim in rooting out the rebels, by destroyingTWENTY-ONE TOWNSorVILLAGES, and demolishingTWO HUNDRED FIELDSwith vegetables of every kind, on which they depended for subsistence: also, that the intelligence was now confirmed, that the negroes were to a man fled over the River Marawina, where they and their friends were settled, and protected by the French colony of Cayenne, who not only gave them shelter, but supplied them with every thing they wanted. On which good news we all heartily congratulated him, and drank further prosperity to the colony of Surinam with three cheers; the future safety of which now depended on the new cordon or path of circumvallation, defended by the troops of the Society, and the corps of black soldiers or rangers.In Dr.Firmyn’s works, Colonel Fourgeoud and his troops are twice mentioned as the saviours of the colony; and by the AbbéReynalthey are noticed as a very brave and valiant corps: compliments to which they are with truth entitled. And what cannot but redound to his honour, is, that at the time he imposed such hardships[351]on his own troops, he never deliberately put a rebel negro captive to death, nor even, if he could avoid it, delivered them into the hands of justice; well knowing, that while it was his duty to expel them, nothing but the most barbarous usage and tyranny had driven these poor people to this last extremity. Indeed I myself, whom during the first three years he persecuted with unremitting severity, must do him the justice to say, that he was indefatigable in doing his duty; and that, though confused, I believe him at bottom to have been an undaunted and veryBRAVE OFFICER.He further acquainted us, that the vessels, with a fresh supply of provisions from Holland, had been cast on the lee-shore in the Texel Roads, one of them having her upper cabin stove away, with the second mate and three of her men washed overboard; he added, however, that part of the stores had been saved, and loaded on board two bilanders, which were this very day arrived in the River Surinam. And now, so much in particular was I become his favourite, that he even made me his confidant; and declared, that he proposed keeping the last arrived troops, however fast they were dying away (and who had lately lost a man by straying in the woods) encamped for many months after our departure. He then began to tell me what officers he meant, if possible, to ruin on their return, and which, by his recommendation, he intended to promote: but here I took the liberty to stop him short, by declaring, upon my honour, that those very gentlemen should be apprised by myself of their impending[352]danger, if he persisted in carrying this cruel plan in execution. This at least had the effect to end the disagreeable conversation: when, in my turn, I added, “Sir, permit me farther to put you in remembrance of these very troops you have just mentioned, in regard to their truly distressed situation at theCasseepore Creek; while their surgeon is gaining gold watches and diamond rings by curing fashionable diseases among the gentry at Paramaribo.” To which he replied, “Vous êtes un brave garçon;” and promised to take my hints into consideration.I was now invited once more by Captain Mackneal to spend a few days on his coffee estate, Sporksgift; but though I was prevented on this occasion from accepting the invitation, I will take this opportunity to describe that useful berry, which, not being a native of Guiana, it is said was first planted in Surinam by the Countde Neale, though others ascribe it to oneHansbach, a silver-smith, in 17202.Sprig of the Coffee Tree.Sprig of the Coffee Tree.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.The coffee-berry is the produce of an elegant tree, which is seldom allowed to grow higher than a man can reach, in order to facilitate the gathering of it. The bark of this tree is light brown, and the leaves like laurel, having a beautiful polish; with these it is thickly covered,[353]the branches diverging from near the surface of the earth to the summit. The berries, which are oval, are first green, and gradually change their colour, till they are ripe, when they acquire a bright crimson hue, like that of a cherry. In each of these berries are two kernels resembling beans, lying flat upon each other. Of these a good tree is said to produce three or four pounds weight at each crop; for this tree, like most other vegetable productions in this luxuriant climate, bears two crops every year.To give the curious a better idea of this useful plant, I present him with a sprig of it, copied from nature in theannexed plate;—in which the figureArefers to the wood, where it was cut off;Bis the upper side of the leaf;Cthe lower side of the same;Dis the berry just beginning to change;Ethe same in full perfection, being of a beautiful crimson; andFthe kernels or beans as they appear when they are divested of their husk, and ready for exportation.The buildings on a coffee estate are, first, the dwelling house, which is usually situated for pleasure near the banks of a river; and for convenience adjoining to it are erected the outhouses for the overseer and book-keeper, with store-houses and small offices: the other necessary buildings are a carpenter’s lodge, a dock and boat-house, and two capital coffee-lodges, the one to bruise and separate the pulp from the berries, the other to dry them; the rest consist of negro-houses, a stable, hospital,[354]and warehouses, which altogether appear like a small village. The coffee-lodge alone sometimes costs five thousand pounds sterling, and sometimes more. But to give a more complete idea of the whole apparatus, I must refer to theplate, where all the buildings, fields, paths, gardens, floodgates, and canals are marked, and explained by the necessary references. The plan, as exhibited in this plate, is intended to unite at once elegance, convenience, and safety. It is elegant, as being perfectly regular; convenient, as having every thing at hand and under the planter’s own inspection; and safe, being surrounded by a broad canal, which by floodgates lets in the water fresh from the river, besides a draw-bridge, which during the night cuts off all communication from without.I shall now proceed to the planting-ground, which is divided into large square pieces, in each of which are generally two thousand beautiful coffee-trees, growing at eight or ten feet distance from each other. These trees, which begin to bear at about the age of three years, are in their prime at six, and continue to produce fruit till they are thirty; the manner of supplying them being from good nurseries, which no coffee estate is ever without, having already mentioned that they afford two crops every year, which is about Midsummer and Christmas.Plan of a regular Coffee Plantation.T. Conder SculpsitPlan of a regular Coffee Plantation.References to the Plan.1.The Dwelling House2.The Overseers Dwelling3.The Book-keepers Office4.The Kitchen5.The Storehouse6.The Poultry-house7.The Hogs-sty8.The Boat-house or small Dock9.The Carpenters & Coopers Lodge10.The Drying Lodge for the Coffee11.The Bruising Lodge for do12.The Negro-houses13.The Horse Stables14.The Fold for Sheep & Bullocks15.The Great Guard house16.The Hospital17.The Pigeon-house18.The Corn-house or Granary19.The Necessary houses20.The Sentry Boxes for Watchmen21.The Floodgates22.The Great Draw-bridge23.The Landing Place24.The Great Canals25.The River or Creek26.The Gravel walks27.The Drying Floor for Coffee28.The Negro Gardens29.The Pasture for the Horses30.The Pasture for the Sheep & Bullocks31.The Poultry-yard32.The Hogs-yard33.The Kitchen Gardens34.The Flower do35.The Plantain Trees36.The Groves of Orange Trees37.The Dams & Gutters for Draining38.The Path to enter the Fields39.The Bridges over the Gutters40.The Gates, Barriers, &c.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.At the times of harvest, it is not unpleasing to see the negroes picking the crimson berries among the polished green, where all ages and sexes are employed to fulfil their[355]task with ardour, when the youth who having first filled their baskets, wantonly run naked, and play amongst the luxuriant foliage.I will now conduct them before the overseer’s presence, where, all the baskets being inspected, the flogging commences, which is mostly inflicted with impartial severity on all who have not fulfilled their tasks, whether from idleness or incapacity. This ceremony concluded, the berries are carried home into the bruising-lodge, and the slaves return home to their houses. The berries being bruised in a mill for that purpose, in the above lodge, to separate the kernels from the husks or pulpy substance, they are next steeped in water one night to cleanse them, and then spread on the drying-floor, which is exposed to the open air, and is constructed of flat stones; after which they are spread on garrets made for the purpose, to let them evaporate and dry internally, during which time they must be turned over every day with wooden shovels: this done, they are once more dried in large coolers or drawers, that run easily on rollers in and out of the windows, to prevent them from being overtaken by showers of rain: then they are put into wooden mortars, and beaten by candle-light with heavy wooden pestles, like the rice at Gado-Saby, to divest them of a thin coat or pellicle that unites the two kernels in the pulp. At this exercise the negroes wonderfully keep time, and always sing a chorus. Being next separated from the chaff through a bunt-mill, once more thoroughly dried on the[356]coolers, and the whole beans picked from the bruised, which last are consumed in the colony: they are finally put into casks or barrels, of about three or four hundred, weight each, for exportation.I shall only farther observe, that in Surinam some coffee plantations produce above 150,000 pounds weightper annum; and that, as I have already mentioned, in the year before our arrival no less was exported to Amsterdam alone than 12,267,134 pounds of this valuable article, the prices of which have fluctuated, from three-pence halfpenny to eighteen pence; but which, calculated at the average price of eight-pence halfpenny, produces a yearly income of not less than 400,000 pounds sterling; (which, is no despicable revenue) besides what goes to Rotterdam and Zealand.This is sufficient to prove that the cultivation of coffee is highly worthy the attention of the planters: and as for the virtues of this excellent berry, without entering into particulars, I will only refer the reader to that highly-approved pamphlet, entitled “A Treatise concerning the Properties and Effects of Coffee; byBenjamin Mosely, M. D. Author of Observations on the Dysentery of the West Indies;” from which I cannot resist the temptation of extracting the following passage:—“Baconsays, coffee comforts the head and heart, and helps digestion. DoctorWillissays, being daily drunk, it wonderfully clears and enlivens each part of the soul, and disperses all the clouds of every function. The celebrated[357]DoctorHarveyused it often.Voltairelived almost entirely on it; and the learned and sedentary of every country have recourse to it to refresh the brain, oppressed by study and contemplation.”With the above description I must conclude the observations which I have been able to make on such of the vegetable productions of this colony, as have offered themselves to my examination. But so abundant is the variety, and so extraordinary the properties, of the trees, plants, roots, &c. of this country, that by far the greater number are as yet perfectly unknown to the oldest inhabitants of this settlement, and to all the world besides.A few years ago a CountGentelly, an ingenious nobleman, travelled through the desarts of Guiana with some Indians, and had acquired considerable knowledge in this his favourite study. But alas! his labours, which promised fair to be of material benefit to the Botanic Society, and to mankind in general, were interrupted by a fever, which, owing to his excessive fatigue, he caught at the River Correntine, and cut him off in the midst of his useful and entertaining researches.Having now concluded my account of the different productions of the colony, particularly cotton, sugar, cacao, indigo, and coffee, to which it is indebted for its riches; and having once more repeated that the different trees, shrubs, plants, roots, gums, and perfumes, are equally as innumerable as they are excellent; I cannot have a fairer opportunity of fulfilling my promise of[358]submitting to the reader a few considerations, by an attention to which I cannot help thinking that not only Surinam, but the West India colonies in general, might accumulate wealth to themselves, and promote the permanent happiness of the slaves that are under their subjection, without having recourse to theCoast of Guineato supply the almost hourly consumption of that unfortunate people. But before I proceed, it will be necessary to state the manner in which the negro slavesaredistributed and treated, by the customs of this settlement only, without adverting to the distribution or government of them in other colonies; from which, however, those may equally derive some profit;—and then I shall endeavour to point out how, in my opinion, theyoughtto be distributed and treated, according to the laws, not only of humanity but of common sense.I have before observed that in Surinam there are supposed to be on an average about 75,000 negro slaves of all denominations, which (allowing them, for the sake of a round number, to amount to 80,000) are here distributed in the following extraordinary manner,viz.The plantations, being about 800 in number, though some have but 24 negroes, and others 400, we will suppose them to possess 100 slaves each, which complement is exactly the above number of 80,000 people. These are employed in this settlement as follows; the first column of figures alluding tooneestate, the second ditto toeight hundred.[359]EMPLOYMENTS.On OneEstate.On 800Estates.Four boys or male servants to attend about the house43,200Maids or female servants to wash, sew, iron, &c.43,200A cook for the planter, overseer, &c.1800A fowler, or huntsman, to provide game for the table1800A fishing negro to provide fish for ditto1800A gardener to provide the table and the flower garden1800To attend the bullocks and horses on the estate1800To attend the sheep on the estate1800To attend the hogs on the estate1800To attend the poultry that is on the estate1800Carpenter negroes, to build, houses, boats, &c.64,800Cooper negroes, to make and repair hogsheads21,600A mason, to build and repair the brick foundations1800At Paramaribo, some to trades, others for shew1512,000A negro surgeon, to attend the sick negroes1800Sick and incurable, that are in the hospitals108,000A nurse for the negro children that cannot be with their parents1800Children under age, that can do no work of any kind1612,800Superannuated negroes, worn out by slavery75,600To work in the fields no more than 25 miserable wretches2520,000Total, or compleat number of slaves in the colony10080,000[360]By this it appears, that no more than 20,000, or only one-fourth of the whole number, are condemned to do all the labour of the fields, on whom it may be said chiefly falls the dreadful lot of untimely mortality that I have formerly mentioned. Now it is evident, that if the 50,000 able-bodied slaves that are in the colony of Surinam were put to equal drudgery, the mortality, which is now at the rate of fiveper cent.would then increase to at least the number of twelve out of every hundred, and would compleatly extirpate the whole mass in little more than eight years time.Having thus at an average demonstrated how they are distributed, I must briefly observe, that while full 30,000 live better than the common people of England, and near 30,000 are kept in idleness, and do no work in the fields; the remaining 20,000 may be classed (that is in general) among the most miserable wretches on earth; and are worked, starved, insulted, and flogged to death, without being so much as allowed to complain for redress, without being heard in their own defence, without receiving common justice on any occasion, and thus may be considered as dead-alive, since cut off from all the common privileges of human society.I will now proceed, by candidly asking the world, If the above is not an improper and senseless misapplication, not only of wealth, but of human life and labour; which, only by a proper distribution and management, might accumulate the one and relieve the other?[361]Now would this inconsiderate colony but give up their habits of pride and luxury, nay, in a moderate degree, 20,000 negroes at least might be added to those now labouring in the fields, which (providing the whole were treated with less severity) must at the same time keep the above superfluous number of idlers employed; and by assisting the others in their necessary occupations, could not but tend greatly to prevent that shocking mortality, to which they are at present exposed by unbounded ill-usage and barbarity.But every reform must begin at that which is the source ofmannersas well as ofjustice; and those therefore who are entrusted with the executive government should have no temptation to overlook the breaches of alaw, while it ought to be a sacred and invariable rule never to allow either the governor or the magistrates of such a colony to be the proprietors of more slaves than merely a limited number, to attend on their persons, according to their ranks: since more than once, even tomyobservation, it has occurred that those who made, and those who were appointed to enforce the laws, have been the first thatbroke them, for the paltry benefit of causing their negroes to work on a Sunday, or to follow the bent of their unbounded passions; from which shameful example from the magistrate, the contagion must necessarily spread among the individuals.Let thegovernorand principalmagistrates, therefore, be sent out from Europe; let them be gentlemen of fortune and education; and, above all, men[362]of liberal minds, men that are firm and proof against the allurement of a bribe, or the glittering of gold, and whose passions are restrained by sentiment and manly feelings. Let these men be handsomely rewarded by that nation whom they so materially serve, and the colony which they so conspicuously protect; but let their salaries be ascertained, without depending on the blood and sweat of the miserable Africans. Then let such men enact impartial regulations, by which the negro slaves are to perform no more than their fair task and labour a reasonable number of hours in the twenty-four: let these be followed by protecting laws, and let them be no longer racked, tormented, wantonly murdered, or infamously robbed of all that is dear to the human affections, their wives and daughters. Let regulations be adopted, by which they may be properly fed; and attended to when sick or indisposed; and, above all, let equal justice be administered; suffer them, when outraged or plundered, to obtain a hearing; permit them to complain, and enable them to prove byevidencethe grievances by which they are oppressed. Even give them what we so much value ourselves,AN INDEPENDANT JUDGE, andAN IMPARTIAL JURY, nay, partly composed of their own sable companions. Thus, would you have them work and act likemen, first suffer them to besuch.When regulations conform to these shall be adopted and enforced, then I venture to say, that nations will feel the benefit of their colonies—then planters will become rich, and their overseers become honest; then slavery will be little[363]more than a name; and subjects will, with pleasure, fulfil their limited task: then, and not till then, will population sufficiently encrease for the necessary work, and the execrableGuineatrade betotallyabolished, which is now too frequently carried on with barbarity and unbounded usurpation. Then the master will with pleasure look on his sable subjects as on his children, and the principal source of his happiness, while the negroes will bless the day their ancestors did first set foot onAmericanground.Having thus, according to my opinion, pointed out the way, and the only way (if well considered) to redress the grievances of this and many other colonies, I would also recommend toplantersandoverseersin general, to peruse with attention a small work, entitled “Letters to a young Planter; or Observations on the Management of a Sugar Plantation: to which is added, the Planter’s Calendar. Written on the Island of Grenada, by an old Planter,” and published in London in 1785, 8vo. price One Shilling and Sixpence, and sold byStrachan.Let them next take an example by that incomparable woman Mrs.Godefroy, by Mr.Thomas Palmer, and a few others, who consider their slaves as their fellow-creatures, without paying the smallest regard either to their paganism or complexion; and who increase both their wealth and their happiness by their humanity.—I will now once more proceed with my narrative.On the 16th, being invited to dine with his excellency the governor, I laid before him my collection of drawings,[364]and remarks on the colony of Surinam, which I had the satisfaction to see him honour with the highest approbation. I then returned him my thanks, not only for the material assistance he had afforded me in completing this work, but for the unlimited marks of regard and distinction with which he had treated me from first to last, during the whole time I resided in Guiana.Availing myself of his friendship, I ventured, two days after, to give him the following very uncommonrequest, praying him to lay it before the court; which, with a smile on his countenance, and a hearty shake by the hand, he actually promised me to perform;viz.“I, the under-subscribed, do pledge myword of honour, (being all I possess in the world besides my pay) asbail, that if my late ardent request to the court for the emancipation of my dear boyJohnny Stedmanbe granted, the said boy shall never to the end of his life become a charge to the colony of Surinam.(Signed)John G. Stedman.”“Paramaribo,Feb. 18th, 1777.”Having now done the utmost that lay inmypower, I for several days waited the result with anxiety, but without meeting with the smallest hopes of success; thus, with a broken heart, I was obliged at last to give him (sweet fellow) over for lost, or take him with me to Europe, which must have been plunging a dagger in the bosom of his mother.[365]While I remained in this situation, the transport ships were put in commission on the 26th for our departure, and I myself ordered as one of the commissaries to see them wooded and watered; the officers were also cleared their arrears, and thirteen men discharged at their own desire, to push their fortune at Paramaribo. I ought here not to omit, that the industrious Colonel Fourgeoud once more paid us all in paper, by which, as usual, we lost tenper cent.; which, by letting the Jews have the gold and silver, he prudently lodged in his own pocket; and while the many hundreds of florins allowed us by government to defray excise duties, taxes, &c. were never brought to account, or, rather, we were forbidden to enquire after them at all. These were trifles indeed, when divided among so many gentlemen; but, inonesolid mass, they were no contemptible picking.On the 1st of March a serjeant arrived from the camp at the Casseepore Creek, in Rio Cottica, where the last-arrived troops were hourly dying away; and brought the almost incredible account, that the man I mentioned to have beenlost in the woodson the 10th of February, was actually returned, after having been missingsix-and-twenty days, nine of which he subsisted on a few pounds of rusk biscuit, and seventeen on nothing at all but water. He added, that he had entirely lost his voice, and was reduced to a perfect skeleton: however, by the care taken of him by the officers, there were still hopes of his life. Should[366]any person hesitate to believe this extraordinary fact, let them readMonsieur Godin’s well-authenticated letter to his friendMonsieur de la Condamine, wherein he gives an account of the dreadful sufferings of his lady during her route fromRio HambatoLaguna, through the woods of South America, in October 1769; where a delicate woman, after being deserted by the Indian guides, and after both her brothers had fallen martyrs to their hardships and misery, subsistedten daysalone in a wild forest without food, without knowing where she was, and surrounded with tigers, serpents, and dangers of every description: I say, let them only read the narrative of this lady’s sufferings, and their credulity will no longer be staggered at what I myself have related. I have, indeed, even omitted facts, which, on account of their singularity, must in the eyes of some have appeared to border on the marvellous. But in the forests of South America such extraordinary realities are to be found, that there is assuredly no need to have recourse to fiction or the least exaggeration.Who, for instance, would believe, that almost a whole detachment of eighty marines, one day marching through a thick wood, imagined to a man that they were stepping one after another over a large fallen tree, that obstructed their way; till at length it began to move, and proved to be no other than a full grown serpent of theabomakind, measuring, according to Colonel Fourgeoud’s computation, betweenthirtyandfortyfeet in length? yet this[367]is an indubitable truth. The above animal was neither killed nor hurt; the Colonel ordering the remaining party to form in a half circle and march around it, in order that they themselves at the same time might escape every danger from the monster’s matchless strength.In this place I shall mention another extraordinary circumstance, which is, that one morning Colonel Fourgeoud resting in his hammock, with one hand carelessly leaning over the side, a largerattle-snakethat lay coiled up among the long grass which was under it, was actually severed in two by the sentinel, during the very moment of action that it made a spring to bite him: of which the soldier, whose name wasJohn Kiefhaber, had been apprised first by the sound of its rattle, and next by seeing the snake’s head erected, while it was brandishing its forked tongue.As I am treating of these reptiles, I cannot resist the temptation of inserting a fact, which I learned from Mr.Francis Roweof Philadelphia, a respectable old man; who informed me, that riding out one morning to visit a friend, his horse refused to go forward, being terrified at a large rattle-snake that lay across the road. Mr. Rowe having heard of its power of fascination, in which he was a believer, alighted to lead the animal round it; but during that time the snake, having coiled himself up, sounded its rattle, and stared him so full in the face, and with such fire in its eyes, that the cold sweat broke out upon him; thus, whilst he durst neither retreat or advance,[368]he imagined himself gradually rivetted to the spot. “However,” continued he, “my reason remained; and my resolution getting the better of my alarm, I suddenly approached him, and with one stroke of my cudgel knocked out his brains.”On the 3d of March my friend de Graaf sailed for Holland, but first for St. Eustatia, where his brother was governor; and to my great satisfaction took with him Joanna’s youngest brother,Henry, for whom he has since obtained his freedom. I sailed with them down the river as far as Bram’s Point, and wished them a successful voyage. As I here went ashore in a fishing-boat, I was tempted to leap into the sea, and enjoy the cooling and healthy pleasure of swimming in the Atlantic ocean. The fisher-men having caught a quantity of large fish, I discovered one among them not yet mentioned in my narrative, this was theyellow-back, between two and three feet long, thus called from its colour, which almost resembles that of a lemon, but the belly is white: the head is very large, with two long barbs; but the body is small, and without scales, like the cod; it is, however, not near so good, being coarse and insipid eating. Two other small fishes I also saw in the boat, the one called here theweepee, resembling a whip-lash;theotherwaracoo, which is a delicate eating, but has nothing in its form or habits deserving a particular description.The 8th of March, being the Prince of Orange’s birthday,[369]it was celebrated at the head quarters; where, after dinner, in the court ledge, hearing CaptainBoltsin an undeserved manner censured by the colonel’s adjutant, for recommending one of the young volunteers of an excellent character, but who had no friends to support him3, I broke through the ring that surrounded them in a passion, and not being able to restrain myself, publicly reproved the aggressor, even in Fourgeoud’s presence, when a furious altercation and very high words immediately ensued; the consequence of which was, that next morning at sun-risewewalked to the savannah without seconds, where, near the gallows, we drew our small swords, and after making a few passes at each other, Captain Van Geurick’s point met my shell, which having nearly pierced, his blade snapped in two pieces, and the fortune of war put him entirely in my power. Disdaining, however, to take a mean advantage, I instantly dropped my small sword, and desired him to step home and replace his own, in order to renew the battle: but this proposal he was pleased to call so generous, that taking me by the hand, he requested a renewal of friendship; thus acknowledging we had been too hasty on both sides, we went to visit poor Bolts, who knew nothing of our morning’s walk, and was (though not without difficulty) persuaded also to enter into the amicable treaty: by which a second rencounter was happily prevented, and a general reconciliation took place.[370]On the 10th, having spent most of the day with the governor, I in the evening went on board the ships with Captain Bolts, to inspect the preparations for the voyage; where we found that the mice and rats had made such havock among our provision, with which we werenowvery well stocked, that I was under the necessity of procuring half a dozencatsto destroy them, which useful animals are in Surinam neither so plenty, nor so good, as in Europe, being lazy and indolent, on account of the climate. I observed they were also smaller and ranker, with remarkably long muzzles and sharp ears.The following day I was shocked and surprised beyond the power of expression, at seeing aMiss Jettee de la Mare, daughter to the lately deceased gentleman of that name, a lovely mulatto girl, aged fourteen, who had been christened in 1775, and educated as a young lady, dragged to court in chains, with her mother and a few more of her relations, the whole surrounded by a military guard. I had almost attempted a rescue, when, having enquired the cause, she called out to me herself, weeping most bitterly; and informed me, that “she was going to be tried by Mr.Schouten, her mother’s master, for refusing to perform the work of a common slave, which she was utterly unable to perform, and could never have expected, from the footing upon which she had been educated till that unhappy moment.”By the laws of the country, however, she was not only obliged to submit, but athisdesire was condemned, for disobedience, together with her poor mother, and all her[371]relations, who had presumed to support her claim to liberty, to be privately whipped; and had it not been for the humanity of Mr.Wickers, who was at that time the fiscal or town clerk, and since was governor, this infamous sentence would most certainly have been put in execution. The unfortunate Miss Jettee de la Mare was, from this period, nevertheless forced to submit to the tyranny of her unmanly master, while pitied by all her acquaintance, and lamented by every stranger that was a witness to the inhuman transaction.Such were the fatal consequences of not having been timely emancipated; and such were they indeed, that they made me tremble for my little boy. Happily my uneasiness was not of long duration; for, however improbable and unexpected, I was surprized on the very same day with a polite message from the governor and the court, acquainting me that, “having taken my former services into consideration, together with my humanity and gallantry, in offering myhonouras bail to see my child, before I left him, made a free citizen of the world; they had unanimously decreed, without farther ceremony or expence, to compliment me with a letter, which was at the same time officially presented to me, containingHIS EMANCIPATION FROM THAT DAY, FOR EVER AFTER.”No man could be more suddenly transported from woe to happiness than I was at this moment; while his poor mother shed tears for joy and gratitude; the more so, as we had lost all hopes, and the favour came perfectly unexpected,[372]and while near forty beautiful boys and girls were left to perpetual slavery by their parents of my acquaintance, and many of them without being so much as once enquired after at all.What is most extraordinary indeed is, that while the well-thinking few highly applauded my sensibility, many not only blamed, but publicly derided me for my paternal affection, which was called a weakness, a whim. So extravagant was my joy on this day, however, at having acted the reverse part ofInkletoYarico, that I became like one frantic with pleasure. I not only made my will in his favour (though, God knows, I had little to dispose of) but I appointed my friends Mr.Robert Gordonand Mr.James Gourlayto be my executors and his guardians during my absence, in whose hands I left all my papers sealed, till I should demand them again, or they should be informed of my death: I then ordered all my sheep, poultry, &c. which had prodigiously encreased, to be transported, and put under their care; and making a new suit of cloaths for the occasion, which cost me twenty guineas, I waited on a Mr.Snyderhans, one of the clergymen at Paramaribo, to appoint a day when my boy, myJohnny Stedman, should be made a Christian4.[373]On the 18th Colonel Fourgeoud’s remaining troops at last came down from the encampments at Casseepore Creek, and every preparation was made for our departure. At the same time, the extacy of the few surviving marines at their quitting this country was so great, having now also received part of their clearance, that such intemperance, riot, and disorder ensued as produced the most formidable quarrels between them and the troops of the Society, till, some being wounded and some being flogged, peace was finally, though with difficulty, re-established.This same day a poor sailor, while I was on board, was drowned in my presence, who fell from the gunwale into the river, with the sheet anchor, which had been neglected to be lashed to the ringbolts. I instantly leaped into a boat to try to save him, but could only get his hat; the man went to the bottom, and never more was seen.The day of our departure now approached fast, and I gave up my house; when, at Mrs. Godefroy’s pressing invitation, I spent the few remaining moments in that which she had prepared for the reception of Joanna and her boy, in her beautiful garden, charmingly situated under the shade of tamarind and orange trees; which house she also had neatly furnished with every accommodation that could be desired, besides allowing Joanna a negro woman and a girl to attend on her for life. Thus situated, how blest should I have been in this spot to end my days!—But fate ordained it otherwise.[374]On the 22d, I made it my business with CaptainSmall(who was come down with leave of absence) to wait on the Reverend Mr. Snyderhans, according to appointment, but who, to both our great surprize, peremptorily refused to christen the boy; alledging for his reason, that as I was going to Holland, I could not answer for hischristianeducation. We replied, that he was under two very proper guardians: the blacksmith’s son (for such was this divine) persisted, and we remonstrated, but to no purpose, for he was just as deaf as his father’s anvil, and I believe, upon my soul, quite as empty as his bellows; till at length, wearied out with his fanatical impertinence, I swore that I would sooner see the boy die a heathen, than christened by such a blockhead; while my friend Small could not help bellowing on him a hearty curse, and, slapping the door with a vengeance, we departed.Feasting and conviviality now prevailed once more at Paramaribo, as on our first arrival. Grand dinners, suppers, and balls were heard of in every quarter. But I only visited a few of my select friends, amongst which number had constantly been Governor Nepveu, and where, for the last time, I made one of the company at a truly magnificent entertainment, which ended the scene of liberality and hospitality, for which the inhabitants of Surinam are so justly conspicuous; and on the 25th the baggage was shipped on board the vessels.Numberless, indeed, were the presents for the voyage, with which I in particular was now overstocked from every quarter; and my provisions of live cattle, poultry,[375]wine, rum, &c. &c. were almost sufficient to carry me round the globe: amongst the rest, in a small bottle case, containing liquors, I found a crystal phial filled with essentialoiloforange, and a parcel of what they called heretonquin beans.—The first is extracted from the rind or peel of the oranges: which is done here by the tedious and laborious method of squeezing it between the finger and thumb. A few drops of this on a small piece of sugar, is said to be an excellent remedy to strengthen the stomach, create an appetite, and help digestion; and one single drop smells so strong, that it is sufficient to perfume a whole apartment. The tonquin beans are said to grow in a thick pulp, something like a walnut, and on a large tree. I never saw them otherwise than dried, when they bear some resemblance to a prune or dried plumb, and are made use of to scent snuff and tobacco, to which they impart a most agreeable odour.On the 26th, we took our last leave of his Excellency the Governor,en corps, as assuredly was his due; after which all the officers of the Society troops waited on Colonel Fourgeoud, at the head quarters, to wish us a prosperous voyage to Holland, and the day was spent by a regale,en militaire,viz.a dinner, as usual, of salt provisions; but I must acknowledge, accompanied with as much good liquor of every kind, as Surinam could furnish, and a very hearty welcome.I believe that now a hundred times Fourgeoud shook me by the hand, declaring, “That there was not a young[376]man he loved better in the world; that had he commanded me to march through fire as well as water, he was convinced I should never have left it, without accomplishing his orders;” with many other fine compliments. But I must candidly acknowledge, that though I had a heart toforgive, my mind would never permit me toforgetthe many and unnecessary difficulties and miseries to which I had been too wantonly exposed. At the same time he informed me, thathedid not propose to depart with us, but intended to follow the regiment very soon, with the remains of the last-come relief, when he would render me every service in his power. Whatever were hisrealmotives for such a sudden change in his disposition towards me, suffice it to say, that few people at this time were better friends, than were the old ColonelFourgeoudand CaptainStedman.In the evening I went to take a short farewell of my most valuable acquaintances, such as Mrs.Godefroy, Mr. and Mrs.Demelley, Mr. and Mrs.Lolkens, Mr. and Mrs.Gordon, Mr.Gourlay, CaptainMackneal, DoctorKissam, &c. who had all (besides Mr.Kennedyand Mr.de Graaf, now gone to Holland) treated me with the most constant and distinguished civility since I had been in the colony: but my soul was too full of afriendthat was still dearer, to be impressed with that sensibility on separating from them, that it must have felt on another occasion.—And here I cannot in justice omit remarking, that while I gave the most impetuous vent to my feelings, not the smallest expression of poignant sorrow, or even of dejection,[377]escaped from Joanna’s lips; while her good sense and fortitude even restrained the tear from starting in my afflicted presence. I now once more earnestly pressed her toaccompanyme, in which I was seconded by the inestimable Mrs. Godefroy and all her friends; but she remained equally inflexible, and her steady answer was as before—“That, dreadful as appeared the fatal separation, perhaps never more to meet, yet she could not but prefer remaining in Surinam: first, from a consciousness that, with propriety, she had not the disposal of herself; and, secondly, from pride, wishing in her present condition rather to be one of the first among her own class in America, than a reflection or burthen on me in Europe, as she was convinced must be the case, unless our circumstances became one day more independent.” Here Joanna shewed great emotion, but immediately retired to weep in private.—What could I say or do?—Not knowing how to answer, or sufficiently to admire her firmness and resignation, which so greatly exceeded my own, I determined, if possible, to imitate her conduct, and calmly to resign myself to my fate, preparing for the fatal moment, when my heart forebode me we were to pronounce theLAST ADIEU, and separate for ever.“Zaïre, il est trop vrai que l’honneur me l’ordonne,Que je vous adorai! que je vous abandonne!Que je renonce a vous! que vous le désirer!Que fous un autre loix——Zaïre vous pleurer.”[378]The whole corps being ordered, at seven o’clock on the morning of the 27th, to wait on Colonel Fourgeoud at the head quarters, I tore myself away from all that was dear to me in this world without disturbing them, in order to prevent the tender scene of parting. He then conducted us to the water-side, where the boats lay in waiting; and we were immediately embarked, under a general salute, and colours flying, from the fortress and the vessels in the roads. The whole corps now having dined on board the staff-ship with Lieutenant Colonel de Borgnes, Colonel Fourgeoud politely invited me to accompany him back to town till next morning; but which, with a broken heart, I thought best to decline. He then took his final leave, and wishing us all a safe and prosperous voyage to Europe, he returned, under a salute of nine guns and three cheers, with Captain Van Geurike, his adjutant, back to Paramaribo.On the 29th of March, at midnight, the signal-gun being fired, the two ships got under way, and dropped down till before the fortress New Amsterdam, where they once more came to an anchor.Here my friends Gordon and Gourlay, the guardians of my boy, after the convivial Colonel Seyburg (for such he certainly was) had entertained them on board his vessel, theHollandia, affectionately coming to visit me, they did no less than actually prevail on me to accompany them back to Paramaribo. My soul could not resist this second invitation of once more beholding what was so dear to me.—I went, and, must I say it?—found Joanna, who had displayed[379]so much fortitude in my presence, now bathing in tears, and scarcely alive, so much was she become the victim of melancholy and despair. Nor had she partaken of food, or sleep, since my departure, nor spoken to any living creature, indeed not stirred from the spot where I had left her on the morning of the 27th.The ships not being quite ready to go to sea till two days after, I was prevailed upon to stay on shore a little longer, with poor Joanna and her boy, which seemed to chear her: But, alas! too dear we paid for this too short reprieve! since, but few hours had elapsed, when a sailor abruptly came in, with the message that the ship’s boat lay in waiting that minute to carry me on board.—At that instant—Heavens! what were my feelings!—Joanna’s mother took the infant from her arms, the all-worthy Mrs. Godefroy supporting herself——her brothers and sisters hung around me, crying, and invoking Heaven aloud for my safety—while the unfortunate Joanna (now but nineteen) gazing on me, and holding me by the hand, with a look ten thousand times more dejected thanSterne’s Maria,—was unable to utter one word!!!——I perceived she was distracted—the hour was come—I exchanged a ringlet of their hair, and fondly pressed them both to my bosom:—the power of speech also forsook me, and my heart tacitly invoked the protection of Providence to befriend them.—Joanna now shut her beauteous eyes—her lips turned the pale colour of death—she bowed her head, and motionless sunk in the arms ofHER ADOPTED MOTHER:—Here I roused all my remaining[380]fortitude, and leaving them surrounded by every care and attention departed, and bidGod bless them!!!The boat still delaying a few moments, I now stepped up to poor Fourgeoud, surrounded by my friends, and grasping his veteran hand, I could not, for my soul, but forgive him all the hardships he had ever occasioned me.—He wasaffected.—This was a debt he owed me.—I wished him every good, and finally rowed down the river Surinam.At this time the ships were riding off Bram’s Point, where Mr.Texier, the deputy governor, came on board to wish us a prosperous voyage; and, after dinner, under a salute of seven guns, together with Captains Small and Fredericy, who had accompanied me hither, he returned back to Paramaribo.[381]

Being now once more arrived in town, and wishing to be no longer troublesome to any body, I hired a very neat small house by the water-side, in which we lived nearly as happy as we had done at the Hope.

The first person that visited me here was the American CaptainLewis, of thePeggy, who, to my great concern, told me, that poorMacdonald, the grateful sailor, had died on the homeward passage, after being twelve days at sea; and desired him in his last words to return me, with his good wishes, the mother-of-pearl cork-screw I had formerly given him. He farther acquainted me also, to my sorrow, that three English vessels had been captured by theAmerican Revenueprivateer sloop, which lay at this time, with her prizes, in the road before Paramaribo; one of which, belonging to Ireland, was valued at above £. 50,000 sterling.

Having been waited on by a number of planters and[346]others with congratulations on our success against the rebels; amongst the rest appeared the celebratedGramman Quacy, who came to shew me his fine coat, gold medal, &c. which he had received as a present from the Prince of Orange, in Holland. This man, being one of the most extraordinary characters of all the negroes in Surinam, or perhaps in the world, I cannot proceed without giving some account of him; the more so, as he has made his appearance once or twice already in the course of this history.—This African (for he was born on the coast of Guinea) by his insinuating temper and industry, not only obtained his freedom from a state of slavery, but by his wonderful ingenuity and artful conduct found the means of procuring a very competent subsistence.

Having got the name of alockoman, or sorcerer, among the lower slaves, no crime of any consequence was committed, especially at the plantations, butGramman Quacy, which signifies Great-man Quacy, was instantly sent for to discover the perpetrators, which he so very seldom missed, owing, in fact, to their faith in his sorceries, added to his penetrating look1and authority among them, that he has often prevented farther mischief to their masters; and, for these services, occasionally received very capital rewards. The corps of rangers, and all fighting free negroes, are under his influence; to whom he sells hisobiasoramulets, in order to make them invulnerable,[347]and, of course, to engage without fear: by which deceit he has most certainly done much good to the colony, and at the same time filled his pockets with no inconsiderable profit to himself; while his person by the blacks is adored and respected like a God. The trash of which his amulets are made costs him in reality nothing; being neither more nor less than a collection of small pebbles, sea-shells, cut hair, fish-bones, feathers, &c. the whole sewed up together in small packets, which are tied with a string of cotton round the neck, or some other part of the bodies of his credulous votaries.

But besides these, and many other artful contrivances, he had the good fortune, in 1730, to find out the valuable root known by the name ofQuaciæ bitter, of which he was actually the first discoverer, and from which it took its name: and, notwithstanding this medicine is now less in repute in England than formerly, it is highly esteemed in many other parts of the world for its efficacy in strengthening the stomach and restoring the appetite. It has, besides this valuable property, that of being a powerfulfebrifuge, and may be successfully used when the bark is nauseated, as is frequently the case.

In 1761, it was made known toLinnæusby Mr.d’Ahlberg, formerly mentioned; and the Swedish naturalist has since written a treatise upon it. By this drug alone Quacy might have amassed riches, were he not entirely abandoned to indolence and dissipation; the consequence of which is, a complication of loathsome distempers,[348]of which the leprosy is one: and that disorder is, as I have already stated, absolutely incurable. Nevertheless his age, though he could not exactly ascertain it, must have been very great, since he used frequently to repeat that he acted as drummer, and beat the alarm on his master’s estate, when the French commodore,Jacques Cassard, put the colony under contribution, in the year 1712.

Having taken a portrait of this extraordinary man, with his grey head of hair, and dressed in his blue and scarlet with gold lace, I, in the annexed plate, beg leave to introduce it to the reader.

This very same week we had indeed a fresh proof of the good effects of Gramman Quacy’s animating obias or amulets, a captain of the rangers, namedHannibal, bringing in the barbacued hands of two rebel negroes, which he had himself encountered and shot; and one of these hands proved to be that of the noted rebelCupido, formerly taken, in 1774, and brought to Colonel Fourgeoud in the forest, but from whom he had since that time, though loaded with chains, found means to run away.

The celebrated Graman Quacy.Blake Sculpt.The celebrated Graman Quacy.London, Published Decr. 2nd, 1793, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.

Blake Sculpt.

The celebrated Graman Quacy.

London, Published Decr. 2nd, 1793, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.

In returning the visits of my friends, I paid one to Mr.Andrew Reynsdorp, who shewed me the loop and button of his hat, which being diamond, had cost him two hundred guineas—such is the luxury of Surinam. But even this is exceeded by the magnificence of M.d’Ahlbergh, who, when I waited on him, besides a gold snuff-box set[349]with brilliants, value six hundred pounds sterling, made me remark two silver bits (small pieces of money) set in gold, and surrounded with diamonds, with this inscription:

“Soli Deo Gloria. Fortuna beaticum, &c.”

“Soli Deo Gloria. Fortuna beaticum, &c.”

Having signified my surprize at this peculiar attention and respect to two sixpences, he declared to me that they were all the money he had in the world when he first came to Surinam from his own country,Sweden.—“Did you work?” said I.—“No.”—“Did you beg?”—“No.”—“You did not steal, sir?”—“No: but,entre nous, I whined and acted the enthusiast, which sometimes is very necessary, and I found preferable to the otherthree.”—To which I answered, “Sir, your candid confession brings back to my remembrance your usage of your negro slave,Baron, after having promised him his manumission in Amsterdam, and fully proves what you have just asserted.”—One instance more of the extravagance and folly of the inhabitants of this colony, and I have done: Two of them disputing about a most elegant and expensive carriage that was imported from Holland, a law-suit ensued immediately, to determine who was to possess it, during which time the coach was left uncovered in the street till it fell to pieces, and was totally destroyed.

On the 10th of February, most of our officers being now arrived at Paramaribo from the camp, Colonel[350]Fourgeoud entertained the whole with a feast, as he was pleased to call it, at the head-quarters; an old stable lanthorn, with broken panes of glass, hanging over our heads, which I expected every moment to drop into the soup. And here he acquainted us, with evident marks of satisfaction, that he had at last put a final end to the expedition; having, notwithstanding there was so little blood-shed, perfectly accomplished his aim in rooting out the rebels, by destroyingTWENTY-ONE TOWNSorVILLAGES, and demolishingTWO HUNDRED FIELDSwith vegetables of every kind, on which they depended for subsistence: also, that the intelligence was now confirmed, that the negroes were to a man fled over the River Marawina, where they and their friends were settled, and protected by the French colony of Cayenne, who not only gave them shelter, but supplied them with every thing they wanted. On which good news we all heartily congratulated him, and drank further prosperity to the colony of Surinam with three cheers; the future safety of which now depended on the new cordon or path of circumvallation, defended by the troops of the Society, and the corps of black soldiers or rangers.

In Dr.Firmyn’s works, Colonel Fourgeoud and his troops are twice mentioned as the saviours of the colony; and by the AbbéReynalthey are noticed as a very brave and valiant corps: compliments to which they are with truth entitled. And what cannot but redound to his honour, is, that at the time he imposed such hardships[351]on his own troops, he never deliberately put a rebel negro captive to death, nor even, if he could avoid it, delivered them into the hands of justice; well knowing, that while it was his duty to expel them, nothing but the most barbarous usage and tyranny had driven these poor people to this last extremity. Indeed I myself, whom during the first three years he persecuted with unremitting severity, must do him the justice to say, that he was indefatigable in doing his duty; and that, though confused, I believe him at bottom to have been an undaunted and veryBRAVE OFFICER.

He further acquainted us, that the vessels, with a fresh supply of provisions from Holland, had been cast on the lee-shore in the Texel Roads, one of them having her upper cabin stove away, with the second mate and three of her men washed overboard; he added, however, that part of the stores had been saved, and loaded on board two bilanders, which were this very day arrived in the River Surinam. And now, so much in particular was I become his favourite, that he even made me his confidant; and declared, that he proposed keeping the last arrived troops, however fast they were dying away (and who had lately lost a man by straying in the woods) encamped for many months after our departure. He then began to tell me what officers he meant, if possible, to ruin on their return, and which, by his recommendation, he intended to promote: but here I took the liberty to stop him short, by declaring, upon my honour, that those very gentlemen should be apprised by myself of their impending[352]danger, if he persisted in carrying this cruel plan in execution. This at least had the effect to end the disagreeable conversation: when, in my turn, I added, “Sir, permit me farther to put you in remembrance of these very troops you have just mentioned, in regard to their truly distressed situation at theCasseepore Creek; while their surgeon is gaining gold watches and diamond rings by curing fashionable diseases among the gentry at Paramaribo.” To which he replied, “Vous êtes un brave garçon;” and promised to take my hints into consideration.

I was now invited once more by Captain Mackneal to spend a few days on his coffee estate, Sporksgift; but though I was prevented on this occasion from accepting the invitation, I will take this opportunity to describe that useful berry, which, not being a native of Guiana, it is said was first planted in Surinam by the Countde Neale, though others ascribe it to oneHansbach, a silver-smith, in 17202.

Sprig of the Coffee Tree.Sprig of the Coffee Tree.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.

Sprig of the Coffee Tree.

London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.

The coffee-berry is the produce of an elegant tree, which is seldom allowed to grow higher than a man can reach, in order to facilitate the gathering of it. The bark of this tree is light brown, and the leaves like laurel, having a beautiful polish; with these it is thickly covered,[353]the branches diverging from near the surface of the earth to the summit. The berries, which are oval, are first green, and gradually change their colour, till they are ripe, when they acquire a bright crimson hue, like that of a cherry. In each of these berries are two kernels resembling beans, lying flat upon each other. Of these a good tree is said to produce three or four pounds weight at each crop; for this tree, like most other vegetable productions in this luxuriant climate, bears two crops every year.

To give the curious a better idea of this useful plant, I present him with a sprig of it, copied from nature in theannexed plate;—in which the figureArefers to the wood, where it was cut off;Bis the upper side of the leaf;Cthe lower side of the same;Dis the berry just beginning to change;Ethe same in full perfection, being of a beautiful crimson; andFthe kernels or beans as they appear when they are divested of their husk, and ready for exportation.

The buildings on a coffee estate are, first, the dwelling house, which is usually situated for pleasure near the banks of a river; and for convenience adjoining to it are erected the outhouses for the overseer and book-keeper, with store-houses and small offices: the other necessary buildings are a carpenter’s lodge, a dock and boat-house, and two capital coffee-lodges, the one to bruise and separate the pulp from the berries, the other to dry them; the rest consist of negro-houses, a stable, hospital,[354]and warehouses, which altogether appear like a small village. The coffee-lodge alone sometimes costs five thousand pounds sterling, and sometimes more. But to give a more complete idea of the whole apparatus, I must refer to theplate, where all the buildings, fields, paths, gardens, floodgates, and canals are marked, and explained by the necessary references. The plan, as exhibited in this plate, is intended to unite at once elegance, convenience, and safety. It is elegant, as being perfectly regular; convenient, as having every thing at hand and under the planter’s own inspection; and safe, being surrounded by a broad canal, which by floodgates lets in the water fresh from the river, besides a draw-bridge, which during the night cuts off all communication from without.

I shall now proceed to the planting-ground, which is divided into large square pieces, in each of which are generally two thousand beautiful coffee-trees, growing at eight or ten feet distance from each other. These trees, which begin to bear at about the age of three years, are in their prime at six, and continue to produce fruit till they are thirty; the manner of supplying them being from good nurseries, which no coffee estate is ever without, having already mentioned that they afford two crops every year, which is about Midsummer and Christmas.

Plan of a regular Coffee Plantation.T. Conder SculpsitPlan of a regular Coffee Plantation.References to the Plan.1.The Dwelling House2.The Overseers Dwelling3.The Book-keepers Office4.The Kitchen5.The Storehouse6.The Poultry-house7.The Hogs-sty8.The Boat-house or small Dock9.The Carpenters & Coopers Lodge10.The Drying Lodge for the Coffee11.The Bruising Lodge for do12.The Negro-houses13.The Horse Stables14.The Fold for Sheep & Bullocks15.The Great Guard house16.The Hospital17.The Pigeon-house18.The Corn-house or Granary19.The Necessary houses20.The Sentry Boxes for Watchmen21.The Floodgates22.The Great Draw-bridge23.The Landing Place24.The Great Canals25.The River or Creek26.The Gravel walks27.The Drying Floor for Coffee28.The Negro Gardens29.The Pasture for the Horses30.The Pasture for the Sheep & Bullocks31.The Poultry-yard32.The Hogs-yard33.The Kitchen Gardens34.The Flower do35.The Plantain Trees36.The Groves of Orange Trees37.The Dams & Gutters for Draining38.The Path to enter the Fields39.The Bridges over the Gutters40.The Gates, Barriers, &c.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.

T. Conder Sculpsit

Plan of a regular Coffee Plantation.

References to the Plan.

London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.

At the times of harvest, it is not unpleasing to see the negroes picking the crimson berries among the polished green, where all ages and sexes are employed to fulfil their[355]task with ardour, when the youth who having first filled their baskets, wantonly run naked, and play amongst the luxuriant foliage.

I will now conduct them before the overseer’s presence, where, all the baskets being inspected, the flogging commences, which is mostly inflicted with impartial severity on all who have not fulfilled their tasks, whether from idleness or incapacity. This ceremony concluded, the berries are carried home into the bruising-lodge, and the slaves return home to their houses. The berries being bruised in a mill for that purpose, in the above lodge, to separate the kernels from the husks or pulpy substance, they are next steeped in water one night to cleanse them, and then spread on the drying-floor, which is exposed to the open air, and is constructed of flat stones; after which they are spread on garrets made for the purpose, to let them evaporate and dry internally, during which time they must be turned over every day with wooden shovels: this done, they are once more dried in large coolers or drawers, that run easily on rollers in and out of the windows, to prevent them from being overtaken by showers of rain: then they are put into wooden mortars, and beaten by candle-light with heavy wooden pestles, like the rice at Gado-Saby, to divest them of a thin coat or pellicle that unites the two kernels in the pulp. At this exercise the negroes wonderfully keep time, and always sing a chorus. Being next separated from the chaff through a bunt-mill, once more thoroughly dried on the[356]coolers, and the whole beans picked from the bruised, which last are consumed in the colony: they are finally put into casks or barrels, of about three or four hundred, weight each, for exportation.

I shall only farther observe, that in Surinam some coffee plantations produce above 150,000 pounds weightper annum; and that, as I have already mentioned, in the year before our arrival no less was exported to Amsterdam alone than 12,267,134 pounds of this valuable article, the prices of which have fluctuated, from three-pence halfpenny to eighteen pence; but which, calculated at the average price of eight-pence halfpenny, produces a yearly income of not less than 400,000 pounds sterling; (which, is no despicable revenue) besides what goes to Rotterdam and Zealand.

This is sufficient to prove that the cultivation of coffee is highly worthy the attention of the planters: and as for the virtues of this excellent berry, without entering into particulars, I will only refer the reader to that highly-approved pamphlet, entitled “A Treatise concerning the Properties and Effects of Coffee; byBenjamin Mosely, M. D. Author of Observations on the Dysentery of the West Indies;” from which I cannot resist the temptation of extracting the following passage:—“Baconsays, coffee comforts the head and heart, and helps digestion. DoctorWillissays, being daily drunk, it wonderfully clears and enlivens each part of the soul, and disperses all the clouds of every function. The celebrated[357]DoctorHarveyused it often.Voltairelived almost entirely on it; and the learned and sedentary of every country have recourse to it to refresh the brain, oppressed by study and contemplation.”

With the above description I must conclude the observations which I have been able to make on such of the vegetable productions of this colony, as have offered themselves to my examination. But so abundant is the variety, and so extraordinary the properties, of the trees, plants, roots, &c. of this country, that by far the greater number are as yet perfectly unknown to the oldest inhabitants of this settlement, and to all the world besides.

A few years ago a CountGentelly, an ingenious nobleman, travelled through the desarts of Guiana with some Indians, and had acquired considerable knowledge in this his favourite study. But alas! his labours, which promised fair to be of material benefit to the Botanic Society, and to mankind in general, were interrupted by a fever, which, owing to his excessive fatigue, he caught at the River Correntine, and cut him off in the midst of his useful and entertaining researches.

Having now concluded my account of the different productions of the colony, particularly cotton, sugar, cacao, indigo, and coffee, to which it is indebted for its riches; and having once more repeated that the different trees, shrubs, plants, roots, gums, and perfumes, are equally as innumerable as they are excellent; I cannot have a fairer opportunity of fulfilling my promise of[358]submitting to the reader a few considerations, by an attention to which I cannot help thinking that not only Surinam, but the West India colonies in general, might accumulate wealth to themselves, and promote the permanent happiness of the slaves that are under their subjection, without having recourse to theCoast of Guineato supply the almost hourly consumption of that unfortunate people. But before I proceed, it will be necessary to state the manner in which the negro slavesaredistributed and treated, by the customs of this settlement only, without adverting to the distribution or government of them in other colonies; from which, however, those may equally derive some profit;—and then I shall endeavour to point out how, in my opinion, theyoughtto be distributed and treated, according to the laws, not only of humanity but of common sense.

I have before observed that in Surinam there are supposed to be on an average about 75,000 negro slaves of all denominations, which (allowing them, for the sake of a round number, to amount to 80,000) are here distributed in the following extraordinary manner,viz.The plantations, being about 800 in number, though some have but 24 negroes, and others 400, we will suppose them to possess 100 slaves each, which complement is exactly the above number of 80,000 people. These are employed in this settlement as follows; the first column of figures alluding tooneestate, the second ditto toeight hundred.[359]

EMPLOYMENTS.On OneEstate.On 800Estates.Four boys or male servants to attend about the house43,200Maids or female servants to wash, sew, iron, &c.43,200A cook for the planter, overseer, &c.1800A fowler, or huntsman, to provide game for the table1800A fishing negro to provide fish for ditto1800A gardener to provide the table and the flower garden1800To attend the bullocks and horses on the estate1800To attend the sheep on the estate1800To attend the hogs on the estate1800To attend the poultry that is on the estate1800Carpenter negroes, to build, houses, boats, &c.64,800Cooper negroes, to make and repair hogsheads21,600A mason, to build and repair the brick foundations1800At Paramaribo, some to trades, others for shew1512,000A negro surgeon, to attend the sick negroes1800Sick and incurable, that are in the hospitals108,000A nurse for the negro children that cannot be with their parents1800Children under age, that can do no work of any kind1612,800Superannuated negroes, worn out by slavery75,600To work in the fields no more than 25 miserable wretches2520,000Total, or compleat number of slaves in the colony10080,000

[360]

By this it appears, that no more than 20,000, or only one-fourth of the whole number, are condemned to do all the labour of the fields, on whom it may be said chiefly falls the dreadful lot of untimely mortality that I have formerly mentioned. Now it is evident, that if the 50,000 able-bodied slaves that are in the colony of Surinam were put to equal drudgery, the mortality, which is now at the rate of fiveper cent.would then increase to at least the number of twelve out of every hundred, and would compleatly extirpate the whole mass in little more than eight years time.

Having thus at an average demonstrated how they are distributed, I must briefly observe, that while full 30,000 live better than the common people of England, and near 30,000 are kept in idleness, and do no work in the fields; the remaining 20,000 may be classed (that is in general) among the most miserable wretches on earth; and are worked, starved, insulted, and flogged to death, without being so much as allowed to complain for redress, without being heard in their own defence, without receiving common justice on any occasion, and thus may be considered as dead-alive, since cut off from all the common privileges of human society.

I will now proceed, by candidly asking the world, If the above is not an improper and senseless misapplication, not only of wealth, but of human life and labour; which, only by a proper distribution and management, might accumulate the one and relieve the other?[361]

Now would this inconsiderate colony but give up their habits of pride and luxury, nay, in a moderate degree, 20,000 negroes at least might be added to those now labouring in the fields, which (providing the whole were treated with less severity) must at the same time keep the above superfluous number of idlers employed; and by assisting the others in their necessary occupations, could not but tend greatly to prevent that shocking mortality, to which they are at present exposed by unbounded ill-usage and barbarity.

But every reform must begin at that which is the source ofmannersas well as ofjustice; and those therefore who are entrusted with the executive government should have no temptation to overlook the breaches of alaw, while it ought to be a sacred and invariable rule never to allow either the governor or the magistrates of such a colony to be the proprietors of more slaves than merely a limited number, to attend on their persons, according to their ranks: since more than once, even tomyobservation, it has occurred that those who made, and those who were appointed to enforce the laws, have been the first thatbroke them, for the paltry benefit of causing their negroes to work on a Sunday, or to follow the bent of their unbounded passions; from which shameful example from the magistrate, the contagion must necessarily spread among the individuals.

Let thegovernorand principalmagistrates, therefore, be sent out from Europe; let them be gentlemen of fortune and education; and, above all, men[362]of liberal minds, men that are firm and proof against the allurement of a bribe, or the glittering of gold, and whose passions are restrained by sentiment and manly feelings. Let these men be handsomely rewarded by that nation whom they so materially serve, and the colony which they so conspicuously protect; but let their salaries be ascertained, without depending on the blood and sweat of the miserable Africans. Then let such men enact impartial regulations, by which the negro slaves are to perform no more than their fair task and labour a reasonable number of hours in the twenty-four: let these be followed by protecting laws, and let them be no longer racked, tormented, wantonly murdered, or infamously robbed of all that is dear to the human affections, their wives and daughters. Let regulations be adopted, by which they may be properly fed; and attended to when sick or indisposed; and, above all, let equal justice be administered; suffer them, when outraged or plundered, to obtain a hearing; permit them to complain, and enable them to prove byevidencethe grievances by which they are oppressed. Even give them what we so much value ourselves,AN INDEPENDANT JUDGE, andAN IMPARTIAL JURY, nay, partly composed of their own sable companions. Thus, would you have them work and act likemen, first suffer them to besuch.

When regulations conform to these shall be adopted and enforced, then I venture to say, that nations will feel the benefit of their colonies—then planters will become rich, and their overseers become honest; then slavery will be little[363]more than a name; and subjects will, with pleasure, fulfil their limited task: then, and not till then, will population sufficiently encrease for the necessary work, and the execrableGuineatrade betotallyabolished, which is now too frequently carried on with barbarity and unbounded usurpation. Then the master will with pleasure look on his sable subjects as on his children, and the principal source of his happiness, while the negroes will bless the day their ancestors did first set foot onAmericanground.

Having thus, according to my opinion, pointed out the way, and the only way (if well considered) to redress the grievances of this and many other colonies, I would also recommend toplantersandoverseersin general, to peruse with attention a small work, entitled “Letters to a young Planter; or Observations on the Management of a Sugar Plantation: to which is added, the Planter’s Calendar. Written on the Island of Grenada, by an old Planter,” and published in London in 1785, 8vo. price One Shilling and Sixpence, and sold byStrachan.

Let them next take an example by that incomparable woman Mrs.Godefroy, by Mr.Thomas Palmer, and a few others, who consider their slaves as their fellow-creatures, without paying the smallest regard either to their paganism or complexion; and who increase both their wealth and their happiness by their humanity.—I will now once more proceed with my narrative.

On the 16th, being invited to dine with his excellency the governor, I laid before him my collection of drawings,[364]and remarks on the colony of Surinam, which I had the satisfaction to see him honour with the highest approbation. I then returned him my thanks, not only for the material assistance he had afforded me in completing this work, but for the unlimited marks of regard and distinction with which he had treated me from first to last, during the whole time I resided in Guiana.

Availing myself of his friendship, I ventured, two days after, to give him the following very uncommonrequest, praying him to lay it before the court; which, with a smile on his countenance, and a hearty shake by the hand, he actually promised me to perform;viz.

“I, the under-subscribed, do pledge myword of honour, (being all I possess in the world besides my pay) asbail, that if my late ardent request to the court for the emancipation of my dear boyJohnny Stedmanbe granted, the said boy shall never to the end of his life become a charge to the colony of Surinam.(Signed)John G. Stedman.”“Paramaribo,Feb. 18th, 1777.”

“I, the under-subscribed, do pledge myword of honour, (being all I possess in the world besides my pay) asbail, that if my late ardent request to the court for the emancipation of my dear boyJohnny Stedmanbe granted, the said boy shall never to the end of his life become a charge to the colony of Surinam.

(Signed)John G. Stedman.”

“Paramaribo,Feb. 18th, 1777.”

Having now done the utmost that lay inmypower, I for several days waited the result with anxiety, but without meeting with the smallest hopes of success; thus, with a broken heart, I was obliged at last to give him (sweet fellow) over for lost, or take him with me to Europe, which must have been plunging a dagger in the bosom of his mother.[365]

While I remained in this situation, the transport ships were put in commission on the 26th for our departure, and I myself ordered as one of the commissaries to see them wooded and watered; the officers were also cleared their arrears, and thirteen men discharged at their own desire, to push their fortune at Paramaribo. I ought here not to omit, that the industrious Colonel Fourgeoud once more paid us all in paper, by which, as usual, we lost tenper cent.; which, by letting the Jews have the gold and silver, he prudently lodged in his own pocket; and while the many hundreds of florins allowed us by government to defray excise duties, taxes, &c. were never brought to account, or, rather, we were forbidden to enquire after them at all. These were trifles indeed, when divided among so many gentlemen; but, inonesolid mass, they were no contemptible picking.

On the 1st of March a serjeant arrived from the camp at the Casseepore Creek, in Rio Cottica, where the last-arrived troops were hourly dying away; and brought the almost incredible account, that the man I mentioned to have beenlost in the woodson the 10th of February, was actually returned, after having been missingsix-and-twenty days, nine of which he subsisted on a few pounds of rusk biscuit, and seventeen on nothing at all but water. He added, that he had entirely lost his voice, and was reduced to a perfect skeleton: however, by the care taken of him by the officers, there were still hopes of his life. Should[366]any person hesitate to believe this extraordinary fact, let them readMonsieur Godin’s well-authenticated letter to his friendMonsieur de la Condamine, wherein he gives an account of the dreadful sufferings of his lady during her route fromRio HambatoLaguna, through the woods of South America, in October 1769; where a delicate woman, after being deserted by the Indian guides, and after both her brothers had fallen martyrs to their hardships and misery, subsistedten daysalone in a wild forest without food, without knowing where she was, and surrounded with tigers, serpents, and dangers of every description: I say, let them only read the narrative of this lady’s sufferings, and their credulity will no longer be staggered at what I myself have related. I have, indeed, even omitted facts, which, on account of their singularity, must in the eyes of some have appeared to border on the marvellous. But in the forests of South America such extraordinary realities are to be found, that there is assuredly no need to have recourse to fiction or the least exaggeration.

Who, for instance, would believe, that almost a whole detachment of eighty marines, one day marching through a thick wood, imagined to a man that they were stepping one after another over a large fallen tree, that obstructed their way; till at length it began to move, and proved to be no other than a full grown serpent of theabomakind, measuring, according to Colonel Fourgeoud’s computation, betweenthirtyandfortyfeet in length? yet this[367]is an indubitable truth. The above animal was neither killed nor hurt; the Colonel ordering the remaining party to form in a half circle and march around it, in order that they themselves at the same time might escape every danger from the monster’s matchless strength.

In this place I shall mention another extraordinary circumstance, which is, that one morning Colonel Fourgeoud resting in his hammock, with one hand carelessly leaning over the side, a largerattle-snakethat lay coiled up among the long grass which was under it, was actually severed in two by the sentinel, during the very moment of action that it made a spring to bite him: of which the soldier, whose name wasJohn Kiefhaber, had been apprised first by the sound of its rattle, and next by seeing the snake’s head erected, while it was brandishing its forked tongue.

As I am treating of these reptiles, I cannot resist the temptation of inserting a fact, which I learned from Mr.Francis Roweof Philadelphia, a respectable old man; who informed me, that riding out one morning to visit a friend, his horse refused to go forward, being terrified at a large rattle-snake that lay across the road. Mr. Rowe having heard of its power of fascination, in which he was a believer, alighted to lead the animal round it; but during that time the snake, having coiled himself up, sounded its rattle, and stared him so full in the face, and with such fire in its eyes, that the cold sweat broke out upon him; thus, whilst he durst neither retreat or advance,[368]he imagined himself gradually rivetted to the spot. “However,” continued he, “my reason remained; and my resolution getting the better of my alarm, I suddenly approached him, and with one stroke of my cudgel knocked out his brains.”

On the 3d of March my friend de Graaf sailed for Holland, but first for St. Eustatia, where his brother was governor; and to my great satisfaction took with him Joanna’s youngest brother,Henry, for whom he has since obtained his freedom. I sailed with them down the river as far as Bram’s Point, and wished them a successful voyage. As I here went ashore in a fishing-boat, I was tempted to leap into the sea, and enjoy the cooling and healthy pleasure of swimming in the Atlantic ocean. The fisher-men having caught a quantity of large fish, I discovered one among them not yet mentioned in my narrative, this was theyellow-back, between two and three feet long, thus called from its colour, which almost resembles that of a lemon, but the belly is white: the head is very large, with two long barbs; but the body is small, and without scales, like the cod; it is, however, not near so good, being coarse and insipid eating. Two other small fishes I also saw in the boat, the one called here theweepee, resembling a whip-lash;theotherwaracoo, which is a delicate eating, but has nothing in its form or habits deserving a particular description.

The 8th of March, being the Prince of Orange’s birthday,[369]it was celebrated at the head quarters; where, after dinner, in the court ledge, hearing CaptainBoltsin an undeserved manner censured by the colonel’s adjutant, for recommending one of the young volunteers of an excellent character, but who had no friends to support him3, I broke through the ring that surrounded them in a passion, and not being able to restrain myself, publicly reproved the aggressor, even in Fourgeoud’s presence, when a furious altercation and very high words immediately ensued; the consequence of which was, that next morning at sun-risewewalked to the savannah without seconds, where, near the gallows, we drew our small swords, and after making a few passes at each other, Captain Van Geurick’s point met my shell, which having nearly pierced, his blade snapped in two pieces, and the fortune of war put him entirely in my power. Disdaining, however, to take a mean advantage, I instantly dropped my small sword, and desired him to step home and replace his own, in order to renew the battle: but this proposal he was pleased to call so generous, that taking me by the hand, he requested a renewal of friendship; thus acknowledging we had been too hasty on both sides, we went to visit poor Bolts, who knew nothing of our morning’s walk, and was (though not without difficulty) persuaded also to enter into the amicable treaty: by which a second rencounter was happily prevented, and a general reconciliation took place.[370]

On the 10th, having spent most of the day with the governor, I in the evening went on board the ships with Captain Bolts, to inspect the preparations for the voyage; where we found that the mice and rats had made such havock among our provision, with which we werenowvery well stocked, that I was under the necessity of procuring half a dozencatsto destroy them, which useful animals are in Surinam neither so plenty, nor so good, as in Europe, being lazy and indolent, on account of the climate. I observed they were also smaller and ranker, with remarkably long muzzles and sharp ears.

The following day I was shocked and surprised beyond the power of expression, at seeing aMiss Jettee de la Mare, daughter to the lately deceased gentleman of that name, a lovely mulatto girl, aged fourteen, who had been christened in 1775, and educated as a young lady, dragged to court in chains, with her mother and a few more of her relations, the whole surrounded by a military guard. I had almost attempted a rescue, when, having enquired the cause, she called out to me herself, weeping most bitterly; and informed me, that “she was going to be tried by Mr.Schouten, her mother’s master, for refusing to perform the work of a common slave, which she was utterly unable to perform, and could never have expected, from the footing upon which she had been educated till that unhappy moment.”

By the laws of the country, however, she was not only obliged to submit, but athisdesire was condemned, for disobedience, together with her poor mother, and all her[371]relations, who had presumed to support her claim to liberty, to be privately whipped; and had it not been for the humanity of Mr.Wickers, who was at that time the fiscal or town clerk, and since was governor, this infamous sentence would most certainly have been put in execution. The unfortunate Miss Jettee de la Mare was, from this period, nevertheless forced to submit to the tyranny of her unmanly master, while pitied by all her acquaintance, and lamented by every stranger that was a witness to the inhuman transaction.

Such were the fatal consequences of not having been timely emancipated; and such were they indeed, that they made me tremble for my little boy. Happily my uneasiness was not of long duration; for, however improbable and unexpected, I was surprized on the very same day with a polite message from the governor and the court, acquainting me that, “having taken my former services into consideration, together with my humanity and gallantry, in offering myhonouras bail to see my child, before I left him, made a free citizen of the world; they had unanimously decreed, without farther ceremony or expence, to compliment me with a letter, which was at the same time officially presented to me, containingHIS EMANCIPATION FROM THAT DAY, FOR EVER AFTER.”

No man could be more suddenly transported from woe to happiness than I was at this moment; while his poor mother shed tears for joy and gratitude; the more so, as we had lost all hopes, and the favour came perfectly unexpected,[372]and while near forty beautiful boys and girls were left to perpetual slavery by their parents of my acquaintance, and many of them without being so much as once enquired after at all.

What is most extraordinary indeed is, that while the well-thinking few highly applauded my sensibility, many not only blamed, but publicly derided me for my paternal affection, which was called a weakness, a whim. So extravagant was my joy on this day, however, at having acted the reverse part ofInkletoYarico, that I became like one frantic with pleasure. I not only made my will in his favour (though, God knows, I had little to dispose of) but I appointed my friends Mr.Robert Gordonand Mr.James Gourlayto be my executors and his guardians during my absence, in whose hands I left all my papers sealed, till I should demand them again, or they should be informed of my death: I then ordered all my sheep, poultry, &c. which had prodigiously encreased, to be transported, and put under their care; and making a new suit of cloaths for the occasion, which cost me twenty guineas, I waited on a Mr.Snyderhans, one of the clergymen at Paramaribo, to appoint a day when my boy, myJohnny Stedman, should be made a Christian4.[373]

On the 18th Colonel Fourgeoud’s remaining troops at last came down from the encampments at Casseepore Creek, and every preparation was made for our departure. At the same time, the extacy of the few surviving marines at their quitting this country was so great, having now also received part of their clearance, that such intemperance, riot, and disorder ensued as produced the most formidable quarrels between them and the troops of the Society, till, some being wounded and some being flogged, peace was finally, though with difficulty, re-established.

This same day a poor sailor, while I was on board, was drowned in my presence, who fell from the gunwale into the river, with the sheet anchor, which had been neglected to be lashed to the ringbolts. I instantly leaped into a boat to try to save him, but could only get his hat; the man went to the bottom, and never more was seen.

The day of our departure now approached fast, and I gave up my house; when, at Mrs. Godefroy’s pressing invitation, I spent the few remaining moments in that which she had prepared for the reception of Joanna and her boy, in her beautiful garden, charmingly situated under the shade of tamarind and orange trees; which house she also had neatly furnished with every accommodation that could be desired, besides allowing Joanna a negro woman and a girl to attend on her for life. Thus situated, how blest should I have been in this spot to end my days!—But fate ordained it otherwise.[374]

On the 22d, I made it my business with CaptainSmall(who was come down with leave of absence) to wait on the Reverend Mr. Snyderhans, according to appointment, but who, to both our great surprize, peremptorily refused to christen the boy; alledging for his reason, that as I was going to Holland, I could not answer for hischristianeducation. We replied, that he was under two very proper guardians: the blacksmith’s son (for such was this divine) persisted, and we remonstrated, but to no purpose, for he was just as deaf as his father’s anvil, and I believe, upon my soul, quite as empty as his bellows; till at length, wearied out with his fanatical impertinence, I swore that I would sooner see the boy die a heathen, than christened by such a blockhead; while my friend Small could not help bellowing on him a hearty curse, and, slapping the door with a vengeance, we departed.

Feasting and conviviality now prevailed once more at Paramaribo, as on our first arrival. Grand dinners, suppers, and balls were heard of in every quarter. But I only visited a few of my select friends, amongst which number had constantly been Governor Nepveu, and where, for the last time, I made one of the company at a truly magnificent entertainment, which ended the scene of liberality and hospitality, for which the inhabitants of Surinam are so justly conspicuous; and on the 25th the baggage was shipped on board the vessels.

Numberless, indeed, were the presents for the voyage, with which I in particular was now overstocked from every quarter; and my provisions of live cattle, poultry,[375]wine, rum, &c. &c. were almost sufficient to carry me round the globe: amongst the rest, in a small bottle case, containing liquors, I found a crystal phial filled with essentialoiloforange, and a parcel of what they called heretonquin beans.—The first is extracted from the rind or peel of the oranges: which is done here by the tedious and laborious method of squeezing it between the finger and thumb. A few drops of this on a small piece of sugar, is said to be an excellent remedy to strengthen the stomach, create an appetite, and help digestion; and one single drop smells so strong, that it is sufficient to perfume a whole apartment. The tonquin beans are said to grow in a thick pulp, something like a walnut, and on a large tree. I never saw them otherwise than dried, when they bear some resemblance to a prune or dried plumb, and are made use of to scent snuff and tobacco, to which they impart a most agreeable odour.

On the 26th, we took our last leave of his Excellency the Governor,en corps, as assuredly was his due; after which all the officers of the Society troops waited on Colonel Fourgeoud, at the head quarters, to wish us a prosperous voyage to Holland, and the day was spent by a regale,en militaire,viz.a dinner, as usual, of salt provisions; but I must acknowledge, accompanied with as much good liquor of every kind, as Surinam could furnish, and a very hearty welcome.

I believe that now a hundred times Fourgeoud shook me by the hand, declaring, “That there was not a young[376]man he loved better in the world; that had he commanded me to march through fire as well as water, he was convinced I should never have left it, without accomplishing his orders;” with many other fine compliments. But I must candidly acknowledge, that though I had a heart toforgive, my mind would never permit me toforgetthe many and unnecessary difficulties and miseries to which I had been too wantonly exposed. At the same time he informed me, thathedid not propose to depart with us, but intended to follow the regiment very soon, with the remains of the last-come relief, when he would render me every service in his power. Whatever were hisrealmotives for such a sudden change in his disposition towards me, suffice it to say, that few people at this time were better friends, than were the old ColonelFourgeoudand CaptainStedman.

In the evening I went to take a short farewell of my most valuable acquaintances, such as Mrs.Godefroy, Mr. and Mrs.Demelley, Mr. and Mrs.Lolkens, Mr. and Mrs.Gordon, Mr.Gourlay, CaptainMackneal, DoctorKissam, &c. who had all (besides Mr.Kennedyand Mr.de Graaf, now gone to Holland) treated me with the most constant and distinguished civility since I had been in the colony: but my soul was too full of afriendthat was still dearer, to be impressed with that sensibility on separating from them, that it must have felt on another occasion.—And here I cannot in justice omit remarking, that while I gave the most impetuous vent to my feelings, not the smallest expression of poignant sorrow, or even of dejection,[377]escaped from Joanna’s lips; while her good sense and fortitude even restrained the tear from starting in my afflicted presence. I now once more earnestly pressed her toaccompanyme, in which I was seconded by the inestimable Mrs. Godefroy and all her friends; but she remained equally inflexible, and her steady answer was as before—“That, dreadful as appeared the fatal separation, perhaps never more to meet, yet she could not but prefer remaining in Surinam: first, from a consciousness that, with propriety, she had not the disposal of herself; and, secondly, from pride, wishing in her present condition rather to be one of the first among her own class in America, than a reflection or burthen on me in Europe, as she was convinced must be the case, unless our circumstances became one day more independent.” Here Joanna shewed great emotion, but immediately retired to weep in private.—What could I say or do?—Not knowing how to answer, or sufficiently to admire her firmness and resignation, which so greatly exceeded my own, I determined, if possible, to imitate her conduct, and calmly to resign myself to my fate, preparing for the fatal moment, when my heart forebode me we were to pronounce theLAST ADIEU, and separate for ever.

“Zaïre, il est trop vrai que l’honneur me l’ordonne,Que je vous adorai! que je vous abandonne!Que je renonce a vous! que vous le désirer!Que fous un autre loix——Zaïre vous pleurer.”

“Zaïre, il est trop vrai que l’honneur me l’ordonne,

Que je vous adorai! que je vous abandonne!

Que je renonce a vous! que vous le désirer!

Que fous un autre loix——Zaïre vous pleurer.”

[378]

The whole corps being ordered, at seven o’clock on the morning of the 27th, to wait on Colonel Fourgeoud at the head quarters, I tore myself away from all that was dear to me in this world without disturbing them, in order to prevent the tender scene of parting. He then conducted us to the water-side, where the boats lay in waiting; and we were immediately embarked, under a general salute, and colours flying, from the fortress and the vessels in the roads. The whole corps now having dined on board the staff-ship with Lieutenant Colonel de Borgnes, Colonel Fourgeoud politely invited me to accompany him back to town till next morning; but which, with a broken heart, I thought best to decline. He then took his final leave, and wishing us all a safe and prosperous voyage to Europe, he returned, under a salute of nine guns and three cheers, with Captain Van Geurike, his adjutant, back to Paramaribo.

On the 29th of March, at midnight, the signal-gun being fired, the two ships got under way, and dropped down till before the fortress New Amsterdam, where they once more came to an anchor.

Here my friends Gordon and Gourlay, the guardians of my boy, after the convivial Colonel Seyburg (for such he certainly was) had entertained them on board his vessel, theHollandia, affectionately coming to visit me, they did no less than actually prevail on me to accompany them back to Paramaribo. My soul could not resist this second invitation of once more beholding what was so dear to me.—I went, and, must I say it?—found Joanna, who had displayed[379]so much fortitude in my presence, now bathing in tears, and scarcely alive, so much was she become the victim of melancholy and despair. Nor had she partaken of food, or sleep, since my departure, nor spoken to any living creature, indeed not stirred from the spot where I had left her on the morning of the 27th.

The ships not being quite ready to go to sea till two days after, I was prevailed upon to stay on shore a little longer, with poor Joanna and her boy, which seemed to chear her: But, alas! too dear we paid for this too short reprieve! since, but few hours had elapsed, when a sailor abruptly came in, with the message that the ship’s boat lay in waiting that minute to carry me on board.—At that instant—Heavens! what were my feelings!—Joanna’s mother took the infant from her arms, the all-worthy Mrs. Godefroy supporting herself——her brothers and sisters hung around me, crying, and invoking Heaven aloud for my safety—while the unfortunate Joanna (now but nineteen) gazing on me, and holding me by the hand, with a look ten thousand times more dejected thanSterne’s Maria,—was unable to utter one word!!!——I perceived she was distracted—the hour was come—I exchanged a ringlet of their hair, and fondly pressed them both to my bosom:—the power of speech also forsook me, and my heart tacitly invoked the protection of Providence to befriend them.—Joanna now shut her beauteous eyes—her lips turned the pale colour of death—she bowed her head, and motionless sunk in the arms ofHER ADOPTED MOTHER:—Here I roused all my remaining[380]fortitude, and leaving them surrounded by every care and attention departed, and bidGod bless them!!!

The boat still delaying a few moments, I now stepped up to poor Fourgeoud, surrounded by my friends, and grasping his veteran hand, I could not, for my soul, but forgive him all the hardships he had ever occasioned me.—He wasaffected.—This was a debt he owed me.—I wished him every good, and finally rowed down the river Surinam.

At this time the ships were riding off Bram’s Point, where Mr.Texier, the deputy governor, came on board to wish us a prosperous voyage; and, after dinner, under a salute of seven guns, together with Captains Small and Fredericy, who had accompanied me hither, he returned back to Paramaribo.[381]

1See in Chapter XXV. the manner in which I myself discovered a thief.↑2In 1554, the coffee berry first came to Constantinople from Arabia.—About the middle of the 16th century it was introduced in London; and in 1728, by SirNicholas Laws, it was planted in the island of Jamaica.↑3A Mr.Sheffer, already named, who had served with honour from first to last, on the pay of a private soldier, during this painful expedition.↑4I should not here omit to mention that in the colony of Surinam all emancipated slaves are under the following restrictions,viz.They are (if males) bound to help in defending the settlement against all home and foreign enemies.No emancipated slave, male or female, can ever go to law at all against their former master or mistress.[373]And finally, if any emancipated slave, male or female, dies in the colony, and leaves behind any possessions whatever, in that case one quarter of the property also goes to his former owners, either male or female.↑

1See in Chapter XXV. the manner in which I myself discovered a thief.↑2In 1554, the coffee berry first came to Constantinople from Arabia.—About the middle of the 16th century it was introduced in London; and in 1728, by SirNicholas Laws, it was planted in the island of Jamaica.↑3A Mr.Sheffer, already named, who had served with honour from first to last, on the pay of a private soldier, during this painful expedition.↑4I should not here omit to mention that in the colony of Surinam all emancipated slaves are under the following restrictions,viz.They are (if males) bound to help in defending the settlement against all home and foreign enemies.No emancipated slave, male or female, can ever go to law at all against their former master or mistress.[373]And finally, if any emancipated slave, male or female, dies in the colony, and leaves behind any possessions whatever, in that case one quarter of the property also goes to his former owners, either male or female.↑

1See in Chapter XXV. the manner in which I myself discovered a thief.↑

1See in Chapter XXV. the manner in which I myself discovered a thief.↑

2In 1554, the coffee berry first came to Constantinople from Arabia.—About the middle of the 16th century it was introduced in London; and in 1728, by SirNicholas Laws, it was planted in the island of Jamaica.↑

2In 1554, the coffee berry first came to Constantinople from Arabia.—About the middle of the 16th century it was introduced in London; and in 1728, by SirNicholas Laws, it was planted in the island of Jamaica.↑

3A Mr.Sheffer, already named, who had served with honour from first to last, on the pay of a private soldier, during this painful expedition.↑

3A Mr.Sheffer, already named, who had served with honour from first to last, on the pay of a private soldier, during this painful expedition.↑

4I should not here omit to mention that in the colony of Surinam all emancipated slaves are under the following restrictions,viz.They are (if males) bound to help in defending the settlement against all home and foreign enemies.No emancipated slave, male or female, can ever go to law at all against their former master or mistress.[373]And finally, if any emancipated slave, male or female, dies in the colony, and leaves behind any possessions whatever, in that case one quarter of the property also goes to his former owners, either male or female.↑

4I should not here omit to mention that in the colony of Surinam all emancipated slaves are under the following restrictions,viz.

They are (if males) bound to help in defending the settlement against all home and foreign enemies.

No emancipated slave, male or female, can ever go to law at all against their former master or mistress.[373]

And finally, if any emancipated slave, male or female, dies in the colony, and leaves behind any possessions whatever, in that case one quarter of the property also goes to his former owners, either male or female.↑

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