NARRATIVEOF ANEXPEDITION TO SURINAM.

[Contents]NARRATIVEOF ANEXPEDITION TO SURINAM.CHAP. XVI.A Reinforcement of fresh Troops arrives from Holland—Encampment on Mount Magdenberg, in Tempatee Creek—Remarkable Instance of Lunacy in a Negro—Mountains—Beautiful Views—The Sick sent to Europe.I now once more return to the principal object of my Journal,viz.Fourgeoud’s military operations. I have before mentioned, that a supply of fresh troops was expected to reinforce our decayed little army; and, on the 30th of January, 1775, the news came to Paramaribo that the transport ship Maastroom, Captain Eeg, was arrived in the river Surinam, and come to an anchor before the fortress Amsterdam, with Colonel Seyburgh and two divisions, consisting together of one hundred and twenty men, under his command, two more divisions being expected.The following day I went down with a row-boat to welcome them; and having dined on board together, the[2]ship weighed anchor, and I sailed up with them till before the fortress Zelandia, where they moored, and were saluted by a few guns. Among the officers, I with pleasure recollected my old ship-mate, poor Ensign Hesseling, whom we had left behind us on the Helder, according to every appearance dying of the small-pox, when we sailed from the Texel, the 24th of December, 1772. This young man, who now joined us with rank of second lieutenant, had been peculiarly unfortunate since his recovery; for, soon after taking a passage on board another ship for Surinam, the vessel encountered a gale in the Bay of Biscay; when off Cape Finisterre, her quarter-gallery and rudder were beat away; besides which she lost her fore-mast and main-top-mast. In this dangerous condition, having the wind against her for Lisbon, the vessel run with difficulty into Plymouth. From this place Mr. Hesseling took a passage for France, on board a small sloop loaded with coals, with which he had no better success; for she ran, through the inadvertence of the master, on the Caskets, which rocks went through her bottom, and she foundered immediately. Before the vessel sunk, however, he had time to break open his chest, and take out some linen and other necessaries, with which he arrived in a crazy yaul at Brest. He now took shipping again for Amsterdam, on board a Dutchman; but the master ran the ship a-ground, and he had nearly been once more wrecked. Nevertheless he arrived safe at the Texel, whence he had twice in vain attempted[3]to set out for South America; and on this last passage it blew so violently hard, that all the boats, the sheep, the pigs, and the poultry, were washed overboard. Till this date I had been the oldest officer in the corps, excepting only Colonel Fourgeoud.On the arrival of the troops, our commander invited them to a dinner, which consisted of salt beef, pork, barley, and hard pease, of which I had the honour to partake, to my no small amusement, when I observed the significant looks which were directed by these newcomers on their commander and his entertainment. In the evening we conducted them to the play-house, where the death of Cæsar, and Crispin Doctor, were performed, the one exactly as laughable as the other. I must however confess, that I was better entertained the next day, when the governor gave to all a superb dinner and supper, where the strangers seemed to be as much surprised with the magnificence of the feast, as they had been the day before amazed with Colonel Fourgeoud’s frugality.Having met at this table with some excellent preserved fruits, among which was theguava, I will embrace an opportunity which is barren of incident to say something of it. The guaba, or guava-tree, grows to about twenty-four feet high, with leaves like those of a plum-tree. It is light-coloured, and the wood of little consequence; but the fruit, which is yellow, oval, and[4]about the size of a gold pippin, incloses a reddish pulp, full of small seeds; the pulp is very sweet, and may be eaten raw, or made into marmalade or jelly, and then it is delicious. There are two species of guava; that which is the sweetest has the smallest quantity of seeds.On the 5th of February, the troops that were so lately landed were sent to the upper parts of the river Comewina to be encamped. I speak of the privates, for most of the officers remained to partake of a feast at the house of a Mr. Mercellus; by whose command (to crown the banquet) half a dozen negroes continued blowing the trumpet and French horn in the room where we dined, till the company were absolutely deafened by discordancy and noise.View of L’Esperance, or the Hope, on the Commewine.View of L’Esperance, or the Hope, on the Commewine.View of Clarenbeek, on the River Commewine.London, Published Decr. 1st. 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.On the 6th, the whole corps, without exception, received orders to leave Paramaribo, and to encamp at Magdenberg, a mountain near the Tempatee Creek, in the upper parts of the river Comewina, to which, as I have just mentioned, the reinforcement was already dispatched. Having, therefore, prepared myself to set out on my fourth campaign, and taken leave of my little family and friends, I repaired to the water side, to set out in the same barge with Colonel Seyburgh, but who, erroneously supposing that the troops which came with him from Holland were a distinct corps from those arrived with Fourgeoud in 1773, made the negroes shove off the boat in my presence, when I was not a stone’s cast from it, and left[5]me on the beach, to my utter surprize and mortification. I knew Fourgeoud had swore that he should “dance just as much to his pipes as the youngest ensign in the regiment;” and in that he was perfectly right: I therefore strenuously supported the chief against his antagonist, and setting off immediately with another boat, soon overtook him, to his astonishment, when we all went ashore at the plantation Vossenburgh, in the river Comewina. The next day we came to the estate Arentrust, having passed the heavy barges that departed from Paramaribo on the 5th; and on the 10th we made the Hope, where having spent so many months, I here present the reader with a view of that estate, and of the estate Clarenbeek, where still our hospital was kept. This day Colonel Fourgeoud also came up the river, and slept at Wajampibo.On the 11th, we arrived at the plantation Crawassibo, where we passed the night. Here the overseer, a Mr. De Bruyn, was so very impertinent, that, as I already had no abundance of affection for the fraternity of overseers, I gave him such a sound beating that, with a bloody face, he suddenly decamped from the estate in a small canoe with one negro, and in this trim, at twelve o’clock at night, like Banquo the ghost, appeared before the amazed Fourgeoud; who thought proper to give him no other consolation than to dismiss him with a hearty curse.On the 12th we arrived safe at Magdenberg,viz.[6]Fourgeoud, the officers, and the barges with the privates. From the Hope, the estates now began to appear thinner; and after passing Goet-Accord, about ten or twelve miles farther upwards, not a cultivated spot was to be seen, the plantations having been all laid in ashes by the rebels in 1757, as I have already mentioned, a small place excepted, just below Magdenberg, which is, I think, called theJacob, and where a few negroes are kept to cut timber. The river above Goet-accord becomes very narrow, being lined on each side with impenetrable brush-wood, like the river Cottica, between Devil’s-Harwar and Patamaca; and the Tempatee Creek, which may be considered as the source of the whole river Comewina, becomes also much narrower. Magdenberg, which is about a hundred miles from Paramaribo, was formerly an estate, but has now not a vestige of cultivation left, a poor old orange-tree excepted, and is at present neither more or less than a barren desolate mountain.Here we found the surface of the earth in some places covered with a kind of strata, that had the appearance of mother-of-pearl, and lay scattered in small scales, about the size of an English shilling. In many places of Surinam are found the marks of fossils and ores, as I have already hinted. Indeed, iron ore is common, and I have no doubt but gold and silver mines might be met with if the Dutch would be at the expence, and persevere in making the discovery. I have already mentioned the Marawina diamond, and white and red agate, which are[7]often seen in the upper parts of the river Surinam. On this mountain we also found the air cooler and more pure, and of course more healthy than in any other part of the colony.On the 17th the news reached us, that the transport ship, the Maria Helena, with the remaining two divisions of one hundred and twenty men, commanded by Captain Hamel, had also arrived in the river Surinam on the 14th instant. Thus the reinforcements together consisted of two hundred and forty men, and, on the 5th day of March, they all arrived in heavy barges at Magdenberg, where I may now say that Colonel Fourgeoud’s whole forces were assembled. The same day one hundred negro slaves also arrived, to carry the loads when we should march. One of the new negroes being missed from on board a military barge, and marks of blood discovered in it, the commanding officer, a Mr. Chatteauview, and a sentinel, were both put under an arrest to be tried for murder. On the same eventful day also, two of our captains fought a duel, in which one of them received a wound in his forehead.On the 13th, a barge with provisions, coming from Paramaribo (shocking to relate!) found the negro that was missed on the 5th at the water’s edge, lying in the brushwood, with his throat cut from ear to ear, but still alive, the knife having missed the wind-pipe. This miserable apparition of skin and bone they took on board, and[8]brought to Magdenberg, where, by a skilful surgeon, Mr. Knolaert, the wound was sewed up, and the man surprisingly recovered, having lain nine days in that dreadful condition without any subsistence or covering whatever, and weltering in his own blood, even without a bandage. The week after I had nearly lost my own life by an accident. Two negroes of the estate Goet-Accord being employed in hunting and fishing for Fourgeoud, one of them, namedPhilander, proposed to me to accompany them in the wood, where we might chance to meet with somepingoes, orpowesa; but a heavy shower of rain coming on, when we had only walked two miles, we determined to relinquish the project, and repair to the small spot called the Jacob for shelter, to gain which we were obliged to pass through a deep marsh. Having waded till up to our arm-pits, Philander, who was the finest man without exception that I ever saw, began to swim, as did his companion, with one hand, holding their fowling pieces above the water with the other, and desired me to follow them. This I tried, having nothing on but my shirt and trowsers; when, after swimming two or three strokes, I sunk to the bottom like a stone, with the weight of my musquet; but relinquishing it, I immediately rose to the surface, and begged that Philander would dive for it; who having secured his own to a mangrove, brought it up without difficulty. At this moment a thundering voice called out through the thicket,[9]—“Whosomma datty? and anothersooto sooto da Bonny kiry da dago? Who is that? Who is there? Fire! shoot! it is Bonny, kill the dog!”—and looking up, we saw the muzzles of six musquets presented upon us at a very little distance indeed. I instantly dived, but Philander answering that we belonged to Magdenberg, we were permitted to come on shore one by one at the Jacob, and found that these trusty negro slaves, having heard a flouncing in the water, and seeing three armed men in the marsh, took it for granted that the rebels were coming, headed by Bonny himself, for whom they had mistaken me, being almost naked and so much sun-burnt; besides my hair, which was short and curly, I entirely resembled a mulatto. Being refreshed with some rum, and having dried ourselves by a good fire, we now returned back to the Magdenberg, where I congratulated myself on my escape.On the 19th, Colonel Fourgeoud being now supplied with fresh troops, sent a whole ship load of invalids to Holland, who sailed this day; and on February the 26th, my dear friend Heneman also sailed for Holland, in an extremely debilitated state.Among the troops which sailed at the same time with Heneman were several officers, not very sick, but justly disheartened and disgusted at Fourgeoud’s injustice, in having stopped their preferment, as I have intimated in the end of the tenth chapter; while they now saw themselves superseded by raw youths, who were at school[10]at the time they were serving the colony in 1772. With this vessel sailed also the officers whom he had put under an arrest, the 16th December, 1774. Never was an hospital ship so ill provided with refreshments.The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys.Blake Sculpt.The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys.London, Published Decr. 2nd, 1793, by J. Johnson, St. Pauls Church Yard.On the 21st, Fourgeoud reviewed with pleasure his recruited little army, where I was sorry the rangers did not appear. He now dispatched one hundred men as a patrole to reconnoitre the skirts of his new encampment, of which number I had the honour to be one. During this time nothing remarkable happened, except meeting with a large company ofquatas, which being one of the most remarkable species of monkies in the world, from their affinity to the human race, I cannot tacitly pass over. One evening walking with my black boy Quaco without the camp, they came down so low to look at us, and threw small sticks and excrements at us, that we stopped, and I had an opportunity thoroughly to examine them. Thequata, orquato, is very large, with an enormous tail: their arms and legs being covered over with long black hair, they make a very hideous appearance indeed; the more so, as the creature’s face is quite naked and red, with deep sunk eyes, which gives it much the appearance of an old Indian woman. It has short ears, and only four fingers without a thumb on its hands or fore feet, but it has five toes on the hinder feet, all of which have black nails. The extremity of its tail has a spiral turn inwardly; it is naked and callous, by its frequently[11]hanging to the branches of the trees; for when so employed, it serves the animal as a fifth limb. Most wonderful is the agility of these monkies in swinging from one tree to another, but I never saw them leap. Their throwing short sticks and excrements seems to be no more than a mimicking of the human actions without any purpose, as they neither have strength to throw far, nor dexterity to hit their objects, and if they befoul them it is by accident only. But what appears peculiarly remarkable is, that when one is hurt by a musket or arrow, the poor animal instantly claps its hand on the wound, looks at the blood, and with the most piteous lamentations ascends to the very top of the tree, in which he is assisted by his companions; where, hanging by the tail, he continues to bewail his fate, till by the loss of blood he grows totally faint, and drops down dead at the feet of his adversaries.It is not so extraordinary that one of this species, when wounded, should be assisted by his companions in climbing; but that they should have so much knowledge in botany, as to procure vulnerary herbs, and chew and apply them to the wound, is what I cannot credit, though it is so confidently asserted by a late traveller: and as to the assistance they give in passing a river, by holding each other’s tails, and swinging till the lowermost is thrown up to the branch of a high tree, though I have a great opinion of Ulloa, who relates it, and has given a print of[12]it in a vignette; since he does not say he saw it himself, I must take the liberty to doubt this fact1, and even what he says he witnessed.I must here mention another monkey that I saw at Colonel Fourgeoud’s house, which is in Surinam called thewanacoe, and is covered over with long black hair, like the quato; but its limbs are shorter and more hairy, and its face is a kind of dirty white. This monkey is the only one of the species that is not sociable, being constantly found alone; and so despicable is this solitary animal, that he is continually beaten and robbed of his food by all the others, from whom he is too lazy to escape, though too cowardly to fight.Of the long-haired monkies, thesaccawinkeeis the smallest; indeed, I may say of all the monkies in[13]Guiana, if not in the world, being not much larger than a Norway rat.This is a beautiful little animal, with blackish grey frizzled hair, a white face, and very bright shining eyes; its ears are large and naked, yet they are not very perceptible, being covered by the very long and white whiskers that grow round the whole visage of this little creature: its feet are not unlike those of a squirrel, and its tail is bushy and annulated. So very delicate is the saccawinkee, and so sensible of the cold, that scarcely one of them is brought to Europe alive, and if they are they very soon pine and die. The Dutch call them theshagarintee, from their being chagrined at the smallest trifle. In the annexed plate, I have delineated both those monkies, the large quato, and the small saccawinkee, thus endeavouring to correct with my pencil the deficiency of my pen.On my return to the Magdenberg, I narrowly escaped being crushed to death by an enormous tree, which dropped by age just at my feet. These accidents frequently happen in the forest; this, however, only slightly wounded two or three of our marines. During this trip we had much rain, and were obliged to cross over a small creek. We cut down one of the palm-trees on the water’s edge, which falling across the river formed a temporary bridge.I now paid a visit to the miserable negro who had been found with his throat cut, and who was so well as to[14]be able to converse; when he declared to me, that he committed this violent action with his own hand. The suspected officer and sentinel were, therefore, instantly acquitted. I asked him by what reason he had been incited to suicide? and he answered—“None.”“I have,” said he, “as good a master and mistress as I could wish, and a family of my own that I much love: I had slept sound during the whole night till about four o’clock in the morning, when awaking I took my knife to pick my teeth with it, and instantaneously cut my throat without knowing why; but the moment after repented of what I had done. I then rose from my hammock and got into the canoe to wash myself, and try to bind up the wound, but stooping over the side and bleeding very fast, I turned faint and fell into the river. I was now no more able to get on board, or to cry for assistance. However, by struggling, I made shift to get on shore, where I fell down and lay helpless, till I was picked up by a boat going to Magdenberg; during all which time of nine days I had my perfect senses, and saw a tamanoir or ant-bear come to smell the putrid blood about my neck, who, on seeing me move, retired into the forest.”I gave the poor man some Boston biscuits which I had got from Paramaribo, a large calibash with barley to make him some soup, and also some wine. This negro appeared to be about sixty years of age.I now to my sorrow received a letter from Mr. Kennedy,[15]who was preparing to visit Holland, requesting that my boy Quaco might be returned to his estate. I accordingly sent him down with a letter, offering to buy him of his master as soon as it should be in my power to pay him.On the 2d of April, Colonel Fourgeoud ordered all the sick remaining in the colony to Magdenberg, where he had erected an hospital and a large victualling magazine. Thus all the invalids from Clarenbeck arrived here, with surgeons, apothecaries, attendants, &c.: and here, in fact, as I said, the air was more healthy. At this period the old gentleman was particularly ill-natured, and abused both friend and foe without distinction; swearing, that not a soul should be exempt from duty, provided they could but stand on their legs. About this time a strong detachment was sent to the estate Bruyinsburgh in Comewina, where an insurrection was expected, the slaves refusing to work upon a Sunday; to which, however, they were driven by the lash of the whip.It was now in the midst of the rainy season, that Fourgeoud declared his intention of scouring the woods; and, in consequence, gave orders for two strong columns to march the next day. The reason for chusing this season was, that if he could now dislodge the rebels they must starve for want, which would not be the case in the dry months, for then the forest abounds with fruits and roots of many kinds. This was, however, in my opinion, a false piece of generalship; if it be considered on the[16]other hand, the dreadful havock which the wet weather must produce among his troops, of which he killed, I suppose, at the rate of twenty to one rebel negro.Fourgeoud was himself of a very strong constitution, having been used to hunting and shooting the whole of his life-time: to which he added temperance, and the daily use of his belovedptisan.His dress consisted of nothing but a waistcoat, through one of the button-holes of which he wore his sword: on his head he wore a cotton night-cap, with a white beaver hat above it, and in his hand a cane; but he seldom carried his musket or his pistols. I have seen him all in rags and bare-footed, like the meanest soldier.On the morning of the 3d of April, at six o’clock, the two columns set out upon their march, the one commanded by Colonel Seyburg, the other by Fourgeoud; to which last I had the honour to belong. Our poor men were now loaded like asses. They were ordered to put their fire-locks in their knapsacks, of course the muzzles excepted: this was to keep them from the rain, which absolutely poured in torrents. Our course was south by east, up among the banks of the Tempatee Creek, where we soon came to swamps, and were marching in the water above our knees.During the first day’s march we met some very pretty squirrels, which are of several kinds in this country. Those that we saw were brown, with the belly white, the tail not so bushy; nor were they, upon the whole, so large[17]as those of Europe. There are also white squirrels in this country with red eyes, and flying squirrels. These, it is well known, have no wings, but a membrane between the fore and hinder leg, being a part of their skin, which, when they leap, expands like the wing of a bat, and by this, like a parachute, they rest upon the air, and in their flights are carried to a considerable distance.On the 4th of April we marched again, our course south by east, till two o’clock, when we changed our course to south-south-west.This day we passed by piles of fine timber, that were left there to rot since 1757, when the estates were demolished by the negro slaves who were in rebellion. Among these were thepurple-heart-tree, theiron-wood-tree, and thebourracourra, known in England by the name of Brazil.The purple-heart-tree grows sometimes to the height of fourscore feet, and thick in proportion, with a smooth dark brown bark; the wood is of a beautiful purple colour and an agreeable smell, and is much esteemed on account of its weight and durability.The iron-wood-tree, so called from the gravity and permanent quality of its timber, grows to about sixty feet in height, with a light-coloured bark. It is much valued by the natives as well as the Europeans, on account of its hardness in particular (resisting even the hatchet), and for taking a most beautiful bright polish. This wood sinks in water.[18]The bourracourra, or brazil, grows to between thirty and forty feet high, but not very thick, with a reddish bark. The heart only of this tree is valuable, after the white pithy part is cut away, though then it is much diminished. This wood is as truly beautiful as it is useful, the colour being a fine crimson, variegated with irregular and fantastical black spots, from which, by the French, it is calledbois de lettres. It is heavy, hard, and durable, though rather brittle, and is capable of taking the brightest polish; this last is scarce in Guiana, but the others are more plentiful, growing on the highest grounds; where also is found ebony. The heavy trees, being shaped into timbers for sugar-mills, are chiefly sent to the English West India islands, and often sold for the price of fifty guineas each piece.The word of command being again given on the 5th, we unslung our hammocks, then marched south-south-east, and south by east, through deep and dangerous marshes up to our breasts in water, and in very heavy rains; in which helpless situation we were suddenly alarmed, not by a party of rebels, but by a company of large monkies, which we discovered in the tops of the trees, knocking a kind of nuts against the branches to break them for their contents, with the greatest regularity, as it were keeping time alternately at every stroke, while some of them threw down their burthens; and a nut falling from a considerable height, broke the head of one of our marines. The sound of breaking these nuts, we had mistaken for the rebel negroes cutting wood with an axe.[19]In the evening we encamped near the Tempatee Creek; where we made large fires, and built comfortable huts; thus this night we slept protected from the wet. Here we found the best water I ever tasted: and in the camp I saw two remarkable lizards, the one called thedevil of the woods, and the otheragama, in this country. The first is an ugly small lizard of a deep brown or blackish colour, which runs with amazing swiftness up and down the trees; it has no scales, a large head, and it is said to bite, which is supposed to be an uncommon property in a lizard. The other is called theMexican cameleon, which is remarkably splendid; and, like others of the kind, is endued with the property of changing its colour; but of its nature and qualities I can say little more, having never had the opportunity of a close examination. In Surinam there is also a species of lizard, known by the name ofsalamander, which also I never saw.On the 6th we marched again, keeping due west till twelve o’clock, through very heavy rain and deep water; when we changed our course to the north, and passed over very high mountains, by many supposed to be pregnant with treasure.“Rocks rich with gems, and mountains bright with mines,That on the high equator ridgy rise;Where many a bursting stream auriferous plays:Majestic woods of every vigorous green,Stage above stage high waving o’er the hills.”Thomson.[20]The two highest mountains in South America, are that peak of the Andes calledChimborazo, which measures 20,460 geometrical feet above the surface of the South Sea; having, though under the line, 4000 feet of its summit continually covered with snow. The other is that, on the slope of which is built the city of Quito, at theheightof 9,370 feet, and is thought to be the highest inhabited land in South America, if not in the world.Sprig of the Arnotta, or Roucou Tree.Sprig of the Arnotta, or Roucou Tree.London, Published Decr.th. 1701, by Johnson St. Paul’s Church Yard.We still continued marching north, on the 7th, over mountains, from which, at intervals, we had undoubtedly the most enchanting prospects, as well from the wildness of the country, as the beautiful variegated verdure displayed in so many different shades through this amazing forest. Here I saw a bird which is called awoodcock, which appears to have much of the colour of those in Europe, but which flew very heavily; I was however informed, that it can run with incredible swiftness. But the objects which most attracted my attention were thearnotta-trees, a few of which we met with: of these I have copied one of the twigs with great exactness. This tree, which is also called therowcow, or theorlean-tree, and by the Indianscossowee, may rather be stiled a shrub, as it does not grow above twelve feet in height. The leaves are greener on one side than the other, and are divided by fibres of a reddish brown colour, as is also the stem; the pods, which are as large as a small hen’s egg, are bristled like the outer husk of a chesnut. At first they are a beautiful rose colour, which, as they[21]ripen, changes to a dark brown, when they burst open and display a rich crimson pulp, in which are contained seeds that are black, like those of a grape. The use of this pulp I have already described, when speaking of the Aborigines or Indians; and now I present the reader with a view of it, though from necessity on a small scale:—Ais the leaf above;Bthe same below;Cthe pod before it is yet ripe;Dthe same ripe, and exposing the crimson pulp;Ethe black seed covered over with part of the pulp. Here again I must take the liberty to observe, that therowcowplant, exhibited by the celebrated Madam Merian, is very unlike the original that I saw; and to my great surprize she says it grows on a large tree.Having crossed an arm of the Mapanee Creek in the evening, we once more returned to our camp at Magdenberg; Mr. Noot, one of our officers, and several others, were so ill, that they were carried in their hammocks upon poles by the negro slaves, and a great number were so very weak that they could scarcely support the weight of their emaciated bodies; but to complain of sickness was to mutiny, till they dropped down almost ready to expire. During this expedition, in which we still perceived nothing of the enemy, I was remarkably fortunate, having neither suffered by fatigue, nor been persecuted by extraordinary bad usage. The succeeding day Colonel Seyburg’s column arrived, having, like us, seen no appearance of the rebels.On the 9th, my boy Quaco returned from Paramaribo;[22]his master, Mr. Walter Kennedy, having, to my great joy, sold him to me for the sum of five hundred Dutch florins, amounting with the expences to near fifty pounds, for which Colonel Fourgeoud very civilly gave me a bill on his agent. The payment of this faithful servant’s ransom, of course revived my impatience for the long-wished moment of emancipation of my poor Joanna and her boy; from whose new master I had not yet received any answer.While we continued here, a negro brought me a beautiful butterfly, which I copied with all the correctness I was master of; and which I saw since in Madam Merian’s collection, where it is coloured very ill. This fly was a dark blue tinged with green, and variegated with spots like a peacock’s feather, and on each wing it had a spot of pale yellow; the under part of the wings were a charming crimson and purple; the body a pale red.—The caterpillar is green and yellow; it is crowned with eight horns on the head, and has two on the tail. About the same time Captain Fredericy returned also from traversing the woods. He had a corporal drowned by slipping off a tree in crossing over a creek; which accident frequently happened, but the men were generally picked up, except this poor fellow, who sunk to the bottom instantly with all his accoutrements.The Blue & Crimson Butterfly of South America.The Blue & Crimson Butterfly of South America.The Groe-groe, or Palm Tree Worms.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.Another negro also brought me a regale ofgroe-groe, or cabbage-tree worms, as they are called in Surinam.[23]This reptile is produced in a tree called themountain-cabbage-tree, which is one of the palm species. The worm grows to the size and thickness of a man’s thumb, is produced from the spawn of a black beetle, and is extremely fat. However disgusting to appearance, these worms are a delicious treat to many people, and they are regularly sold at Paramaribo. The manner of dressing them, is by frying them in a pan with a very little butter and salt, or spitting them on a wooden skewer. In taste they partake of all the spices of India, as mace, cinnamon, cloves, nutmegs, &c. Several species of these worms are produced in all the palm-trees when beginning to rot, but some are larger than others. They are all of a pale yellow colour, with black heads. In the plate annexed are represented the above-mentioned fine butterfly, and the cabbage-tree-worm, both of the natural size, taken from the life. By the Indians and negroes they are calledtoecoema.On the 13th, a detachment departed for La Rochelle in Patamaca, and the following day a captain was sent with a few men back to the Hope, in Comewina, to protect the estates in that river.On the same day, the miserable old negro who had cut his throat on the 5th day of March, but had since recovered, was seen by some slaves to enter the wood with a knife, from which he no more returned, being soon after found stabbed to death. We were afterwards informed by his master, that for some time before[24]he had attempted to do the same almost regularly from month to month.On the 17th, the detachment returned from La Rochelle, where the troops of the Society were all sick.Colonel Fourgeoud now treated me with the greatest politeness. And at his earnest request I presented him, on the 20th, with various drawings, representing himself and his troops struggling with the hardships annexed to the service they were sent on; and which drawings he told me were intended to shew thePrince of Orangeand theStatesa specimen of what he and his marines did undergo in the forests of Guiana.He now gave me leave, for fourteen days, to go to town to wish Mr. Kennedy a prosperous voyage to Europe. Availing myself therefore of his good humour, I left Magdenberg within one hour, and made such dispatch that I came to Paramaribo on the 22d, where I found my friends and little family all well, at the house of Mr.de la Mare, to which they were immediately sent from that of Mr. Lolkens, who had, during my last absence, entertained them, and treated them with the greatest attention and hospitality.[25]1It is most probable, that Ulloa took the account from Acosta’s History of the West Indies. This is his account, taken from a translation printed in 1604.“They leap where theylist, winding their tails about a branch to shake it, when they will leap farther than they can at once; they use a pretty device, tying themselves by the tails one of another, and by this means make as it were a chain of many, then do they launch themselves forth.”Acosta does not say he saw this himself; but to the following he professes he was an eye-witness. These are his words—“Isawone in Carthagene, in the governor’s house, so taught, as the things he did seemed incredible. They sent him to the tavern for wine, putting the pot in one hand and the money in the other; they could not possibly get the money out of his hand before he had his pot full of wine. If any children met him in the street, and threw stones at him, he would set his pot down and cast stones against the children, till he had assured his way; then would he return to carry home his pot. And, which is more, although he were a good bibber of wine, yet he would never touch it till leave was given him.”↑

[Contents]NARRATIVEOF ANEXPEDITION TO SURINAM.CHAP. XVI.A Reinforcement of fresh Troops arrives from Holland—Encampment on Mount Magdenberg, in Tempatee Creek—Remarkable Instance of Lunacy in a Negro—Mountains—Beautiful Views—The Sick sent to Europe.I now once more return to the principal object of my Journal,viz.Fourgeoud’s military operations. I have before mentioned, that a supply of fresh troops was expected to reinforce our decayed little army; and, on the 30th of January, 1775, the news came to Paramaribo that the transport ship Maastroom, Captain Eeg, was arrived in the river Surinam, and come to an anchor before the fortress Amsterdam, with Colonel Seyburgh and two divisions, consisting together of one hundred and twenty men, under his command, two more divisions being expected.The following day I went down with a row-boat to welcome them; and having dined on board together, the[2]ship weighed anchor, and I sailed up with them till before the fortress Zelandia, where they moored, and were saluted by a few guns. Among the officers, I with pleasure recollected my old ship-mate, poor Ensign Hesseling, whom we had left behind us on the Helder, according to every appearance dying of the small-pox, when we sailed from the Texel, the 24th of December, 1772. This young man, who now joined us with rank of second lieutenant, had been peculiarly unfortunate since his recovery; for, soon after taking a passage on board another ship for Surinam, the vessel encountered a gale in the Bay of Biscay; when off Cape Finisterre, her quarter-gallery and rudder were beat away; besides which she lost her fore-mast and main-top-mast. In this dangerous condition, having the wind against her for Lisbon, the vessel run with difficulty into Plymouth. From this place Mr. Hesseling took a passage for France, on board a small sloop loaded with coals, with which he had no better success; for she ran, through the inadvertence of the master, on the Caskets, which rocks went through her bottom, and she foundered immediately. Before the vessel sunk, however, he had time to break open his chest, and take out some linen and other necessaries, with which he arrived in a crazy yaul at Brest. He now took shipping again for Amsterdam, on board a Dutchman; but the master ran the ship a-ground, and he had nearly been once more wrecked. Nevertheless he arrived safe at the Texel, whence he had twice in vain attempted[3]to set out for South America; and on this last passage it blew so violently hard, that all the boats, the sheep, the pigs, and the poultry, were washed overboard. Till this date I had been the oldest officer in the corps, excepting only Colonel Fourgeoud.On the arrival of the troops, our commander invited them to a dinner, which consisted of salt beef, pork, barley, and hard pease, of which I had the honour to partake, to my no small amusement, when I observed the significant looks which were directed by these newcomers on their commander and his entertainment. In the evening we conducted them to the play-house, where the death of Cæsar, and Crispin Doctor, were performed, the one exactly as laughable as the other. I must however confess, that I was better entertained the next day, when the governor gave to all a superb dinner and supper, where the strangers seemed to be as much surprised with the magnificence of the feast, as they had been the day before amazed with Colonel Fourgeoud’s frugality.Having met at this table with some excellent preserved fruits, among which was theguava, I will embrace an opportunity which is barren of incident to say something of it. The guaba, or guava-tree, grows to about twenty-four feet high, with leaves like those of a plum-tree. It is light-coloured, and the wood of little consequence; but the fruit, which is yellow, oval, and[4]about the size of a gold pippin, incloses a reddish pulp, full of small seeds; the pulp is very sweet, and may be eaten raw, or made into marmalade or jelly, and then it is delicious. There are two species of guava; that which is the sweetest has the smallest quantity of seeds.On the 5th of February, the troops that were so lately landed were sent to the upper parts of the river Comewina to be encamped. I speak of the privates, for most of the officers remained to partake of a feast at the house of a Mr. Mercellus; by whose command (to crown the banquet) half a dozen negroes continued blowing the trumpet and French horn in the room where we dined, till the company were absolutely deafened by discordancy and noise.View of L’Esperance, or the Hope, on the Commewine.View of L’Esperance, or the Hope, on the Commewine.View of Clarenbeek, on the River Commewine.London, Published Decr. 1st. 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.On the 6th, the whole corps, without exception, received orders to leave Paramaribo, and to encamp at Magdenberg, a mountain near the Tempatee Creek, in the upper parts of the river Comewina, to which, as I have just mentioned, the reinforcement was already dispatched. Having, therefore, prepared myself to set out on my fourth campaign, and taken leave of my little family and friends, I repaired to the water side, to set out in the same barge with Colonel Seyburgh, but who, erroneously supposing that the troops which came with him from Holland were a distinct corps from those arrived with Fourgeoud in 1773, made the negroes shove off the boat in my presence, when I was not a stone’s cast from it, and left[5]me on the beach, to my utter surprize and mortification. I knew Fourgeoud had swore that he should “dance just as much to his pipes as the youngest ensign in the regiment;” and in that he was perfectly right: I therefore strenuously supported the chief against his antagonist, and setting off immediately with another boat, soon overtook him, to his astonishment, when we all went ashore at the plantation Vossenburgh, in the river Comewina. The next day we came to the estate Arentrust, having passed the heavy barges that departed from Paramaribo on the 5th; and on the 10th we made the Hope, where having spent so many months, I here present the reader with a view of that estate, and of the estate Clarenbeek, where still our hospital was kept. This day Colonel Fourgeoud also came up the river, and slept at Wajampibo.On the 11th, we arrived at the plantation Crawassibo, where we passed the night. Here the overseer, a Mr. De Bruyn, was so very impertinent, that, as I already had no abundance of affection for the fraternity of overseers, I gave him such a sound beating that, with a bloody face, he suddenly decamped from the estate in a small canoe with one negro, and in this trim, at twelve o’clock at night, like Banquo the ghost, appeared before the amazed Fourgeoud; who thought proper to give him no other consolation than to dismiss him with a hearty curse.On the 12th we arrived safe at Magdenberg,viz.[6]Fourgeoud, the officers, and the barges with the privates. From the Hope, the estates now began to appear thinner; and after passing Goet-Accord, about ten or twelve miles farther upwards, not a cultivated spot was to be seen, the plantations having been all laid in ashes by the rebels in 1757, as I have already mentioned, a small place excepted, just below Magdenberg, which is, I think, called theJacob, and where a few negroes are kept to cut timber. The river above Goet-accord becomes very narrow, being lined on each side with impenetrable brush-wood, like the river Cottica, between Devil’s-Harwar and Patamaca; and the Tempatee Creek, which may be considered as the source of the whole river Comewina, becomes also much narrower. Magdenberg, which is about a hundred miles from Paramaribo, was formerly an estate, but has now not a vestige of cultivation left, a poor old orange-tree excepted, and is at present neither more or less than a barren desolate mountain.Here we found the surface of the earth in some places covered with a kind of strata, that had the appearance of mother-of-pearl, and lay scattered in small scales, about the size of an English shilling. In many places of Surinam are found the marks of fossils and ores, as I have already hinted. Indeed, iron ore is common, and I have no doubt but gold and silver mines might be met with if the Dutch would be at the expence, and persevere in making the discovery. I have already mentioned the Marawina diamond, and white and red agate, which are[7]often seen in the upper parts of the river Surinam. On this mountain we also found the air cooler and more pure, and of course more healthy than in any other part of the colony.On the 17th the news reached us, that the transport ship, the Maria Helena, with the remaining two divisions of one hundred and twenty men, commanded by Captain Hamel, had also arrived in the river Surinam on the 14th instant. Thus the reinforcements together consisted of two hundred and forty men, and, on the 5th day of March, they all arrived in heavy barges at Magdenberg, where I may now say that Colonel Fourgeoud’s whole forces were assembled. The same day one hundred negro slaves also arrived, to carry the loads when we should march. One of the new negroes being missed from on board a military barge, and marks of blood discovered in it, the commanding officer, a Mr. Chatteauview, and a sentinel, were both put under an arrest to be tried for murder. On the same eventful day also, two of our captains fought a duel, in which one of them received a wound in his forehead.On the 13th, a barge with provisions, coming from Paramaribo (shocking to relate!) found the negro that was missed on the 5th at the water’s edge, lying in the brushwood, with his throat cut from ear to ear, but still alive, the knife having missed the wind-pipe. This miserable apparition of skin and bone they took on board, and[8]brought to Magdenberg, where, by a skilful surgeon, Mr. Knolaert, the wound was sewed up, and the man surprisingly recovered, having lain nine days in that dreadful condition without any subsistence or covering whatever, and weltering in his own blood, even without a bandage. The week after I had nearly lost my own life by an accident. Two negroes of the estate Goet-Accord being employed in hunting and fishing for Fourgeoud, one of them, namedPhilander, proposed to me to accompany them in the wood, where we might chance to meet with somepingoes, orpowesa; but a heavy shower of rain coming on, when we had only walked two miles, we determined to relinquish the project, and repair to the small spot called the Jacob for shelter, to gain which we were obliged to pass through a deep marsh. Having waded till up to our arm-pits, Philander, who was the finest man without exception that I ever saw, began to swim, as did his companion, with one hand, holding their fowling pieces above the water with the other, and desired me to follow them. This I tried, having nothing on but my shirt and trowsers; when, after swimming two or three strokes, I sunk to the bottom like a stone, with the weight of my musquet; but relinquishing it, I immediately rose to the surface, and begged that Philander would dive for it; who having secured his own to a mangrove, brought it up without difficulty. At this moment a thundering voice called out through the thicket,[9]—“Whosomma datty? and anothersooto sooto da Bonny kiry da dago? Who is that? Who is there? Fire! shoot! it is Bonny, kill the dog!”—and looking up, we saw the muzzles of six musquets presented upon us at a very little distance indeed. I instantly dived, but Philander answering that we belonged to Magdenberg, we were permitted to come on shore one by one at the Jacob, and found that these trusty negro slaves, having heard a flouncing in the water, and seeing three armed men in the marsh, took it for granted that the rebels were coming, headed by Bonny himself, for whom they had mistaken me, being almost naked and so much sun-burnt; besides my hair, which was short and curly, I entirely resembled a mulatto. Being refreshed with some rum, and having dried ourselves by a good fire, we now returned back to the Magdenberg, where I congratulated myself on my escape.On the 19th, Colonel Fourgeoud being now supplied with fresh troops, sent a whole ship load of invalids to Holland, who sailed this day; and on February the 26th, my dear friend Heneman also sailed for Holland, in an extremely debilitated state.Among the troops which sailed at the same time with Heneman were several officers, not very sick, but justly disheartened and disgusted at Fourgeoud’s injustice, in having stopped their preferment, as I have intimated in the end of the tenth chapter; while they now saw themselves superseded by raw youths, who were at school[10]at the time they were serving the colony in 1772. With this vessel sailed also the officers whom he had put under an arrest, the 16th December, 1774. Never was an hospital ship so ill provided with refreshments.The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys.Blake Sculpt.The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys.London, Published Decr. 2nd, 1793, by J. Johnson, St. Pauls Church Yard.On the 21st, Fourgeoud reviewed with pleasure his recruited little army, where I was sorry the rangers did not appear. He now dispatched one hundred men as a patrole to reconnoitre the skirts of his new encampment, of which number I had the honour to be one. During this time nothing remarkable happened, except meeting with a large company ofquatas, which being one of the most remarkable species of monkies in the world, from their affinity to the human race, I cannot tacitly pass over. One evening walking with my black boy Quaco without the camp, they came down so low to look at us, and threw small sticks and excrements at us, that we stopped, and I had an opportunity thoroughly to examine them. Thequata, orquato, is very large, with an enormous tail: their arms and legs being covered over with long black hair, they make a very hideous appearance indeed; the more so, as the creature’s face is quite naked and red, with deep sunk eyes, which gives it much the appearance of an old Indian woman. It has short ears, and only four fingers without a thumb on its hands or fore feet, but it has five toes on the hinder feet, all of which have black nails. The extremity of its tail has a spiral turn inwardly; it is naked and callous, by its frequently[11]hanging to the branches of the trees; for when so employed, it serves the animal as a fifth limb. Most wonderful is the agility of these monkies in swinging from one tree to another, but I never saw them leap. Their throwing short sticks and excrements seems to be no more than a mimicking of the human actions without any purpose, as they neither have strength to throw far, nor dexterity to hit their objects, and if they befoul them it is by accident only. But what appears peculiarly remarkable is, that when one is hurt by a musket or arrow, the poor animal instantly claps its hand on the wound, looks at the blood, and with the most piteous lamentations ascends to the very top of the tree, in which he is assisted by his companions; where, hanging by the tail, he continues to bewail his fate, till by the loss of blood he grows totally faint, and drops down dead at the feet of his adversaries.It is not so extraordinary that one of this species, when wounded, should be assisted by his companions in climbing; but that they should have so much knowledge in botany, as to procure vulnerary herbs, and chew and apply them to the wound, is what I cannot credit, though it is so confidently asserted by a late traveller: and as to the assistance they give in passing a river, by holding each other’s tails, and swinging till the lowermost is thrown up to the branch of a high tree, though I have a great opinion of Ulloa, who relates it, and has given a print of[12]it in a vignette; since he does not say he saw it himself, I must take the liberty to doubt this fact1, and even what he says he witnessed.I must here mention another monkey that I saw at Colonel Fourgeoud’s house, which is in Surinam called thewanacoe, and is covered over with long black hair, like the quato; but its limbs are shorter and more hairy, and its face is a kind of dirty white. This monkey is the only one of the species that is not sociable, being constantly found alone; and so despicable is this solitary animal, that he is continually beaten and robbed of his food by all the others, from whom he is too lazy to escape, though too cowardly to fight.Of the long-haired monkies, thesaccawinkeeis the smallest; indeed, I may say of all the monkies in[13]Guiana, if not in the world, being not much larger than a Norway rat.This is a beautiful little animal, with blackish grey frizzled hair, a white face, and very bright shining eyes; its ears are large and naked, yet they are not very perceptible, being covered by the very long and white whiskers that grow round the whole visage of this little creature: its feet are not unlike those of a squirrel, and its tail is bushy and annulated. So very delicate is the saccawinkee, and so sensible of the cold, that scarcely one of them is brought to Europe alive, and if they are they very soon pine and die. The Dutch call them theshagarintee, from their being chagrined at the smallest trifle. In the annexed plate, I have delineated both those monkies, the large quato, and the small saccawinkee, thus endeavouring to correct with my pencil the deficiency of my pen.On my return to the Magdenberg, I narrowly escaped being crushed to death by an enormous tree, which dropped by age just at my feet. These accidents frequently happen in the forest; this, however, only slightly wounded two or three of our marines. During this trip we had much rain, and were obliged to cross over a small creek. We cut down one of the palm-trees on the water’s edge, which falling across the river formed a temporary bridge.I now paid a visit to the miserable negro who had been found with his throat cut, and who was so well as to[14]be able to converse; when he declared to me, that he committed this violent action with his own hand. The suspected officer and sentinel were, therefore, instantly acquitted. I asked him by what reason he had been incited to suicide? and he answered—“None.”“I have,” said he, “as good a master and mistress as I could wish, and a family of my own that I much love: I had slept sound during the whole night till about four o’clock in the morning, when awaking I took my knife to pick my teeth with it, and instantaneously cut my throat without knowing why; but the moment after repented of what I had done. I then rose from my hammock and got into the canoe to wash myself, and try to bind up the wound, but stooping over the side and bleeding very fast, I turned faint and fell into the river. I was now no more able to get on board, or to cry for assistance. However, by struggling, I made shift to get on shore, where I fell down and lay helpless, till I was picked up by a boat going to Magdenberg; during all which time of nine days I had my perfect senses, and saw a tamanoir or ant-bear come to smell the putrid blood about my neck, who, on seeing me move, retired into the forest.”I gave the poor man some Boston biscuits which I had got from Paramaribo, a large calibash with barley to make him some soup, and also some wine. This negro appeared to be about sixty years of age.I now to my sorrow received a letter from Mr. Kennedy,[15]who was preparing to visit Holland, requesting that my boy Quaco might be returned to his estate. I accordingly sent him down with a letter, offering to buy him of his master as soon as it should be in my power to pay him.On the 2d of April, Colonel Fourgeoud ordered all the sick remaining in the colony to Magdenberg, where he had erected an hospital and a large victualling magazine. Thus all the invalids from Clarenbeck arrived here, with surgeons, apothecaries, attendants, &c.: and here, in fact, as I said, the air was more healthy. At this period the old gentleman was particularly ill-natured, and abused both friend and foe without distinction; swearing, that not a soul should be exempt from duty, provided they could but stand on their legs. About this time a strong detachment was sent to the estate Bruyinsburgh in Comewina, where an insurrection was expected, the slaves refusing to work upon a Sunday; to which, however, they were driven by the lash of the whip.It was now in the midst of the rainy season, that Fourgeoud declared his intention of scouring the woods; and, in consequence, gave orders for two strong columns to march the next day. The reason for chusing this season was, that if he could now dislodge the rebels they must starve for want, which would not be the case in the dry months, for then the forest abounds with fruits and roots of many kinds. This was, however, in my opinion, a false piece of generalship; if it be considered on the[16]other hand, the dreadful havock which the wet weather must produce among his troops, of which he killed, I suppose, at the rate of twenty to one rebel negro.Fourgeoud was himself of a very strong constitution, having been used to hunting and shooting the whole of his life-time: to which he added temperance, and the daily use of his belovedptisan.His dress consisted of nothing but a waistcoat, through one of the button-holes of which he wore his sword: on his head he wore a cotton night-cap, with a white beaver hat above it, and in his hand a cane; but he seldom carried his musket or his pistols. I have seen him all in rags and bare-footed, like the meanest soldier.On the morning of the 3d of April, at six o’clock, the two columns set out upon their march, the one commanded by Colonel Seyburg, the other by Fourgeoud; to which last I had the honour to belong. Our poor men were now loaded like asses. They were ordered to put their fire-locks in their knapsacks, of course the muzzles excepted: this was to keep them from the rain, which absolutely poured in torrents. Our course was south by east, up among the banks of the Tempatee Creek, where we soon came to swamps, and were marching in the water above our knees.During the first day’s march we met some very pretty squirrels, which are of several kinds in this country. Those that we saw were brown, with the belly white, the tail not so bushy; nor were they, upon the whole, so large[17]as those of Europe. There are also white squirrels in this country with red eyes, and flying squirrels. These, it is well known, have no wings, but a membrane between the fore and hinder leg, being a part of their skin, which, when they leap, expands like the wing of a bat, and by this, like a parachute, they rest upon the air, and in their flights are carried to a considerable distance.On the 4th of April we marched again, our course south by east, till two o’clock, when we changed our course to south-south-west.This day we passed by piles of fine timber, that were left there to rot since 1757, when the estates were demolished by the negro slaves who were in rebellion. Among these were thepurple-heart-tree, theiron-wood-tree, and thebourracourra, known in England by the name of Brazil.The purple-heart-tree grows sometimes to the height of fourscore feet, and thick in proportion, with a smooth dark brown bark; the wood is of a beautiful purple colour and an agreeable smell, and is much esteemed on account of its weight and durability.The iron-wood-tree, so called from the gravity and permanent quality of its timber, grows to about sixty feet in height, with a light-coloured bark. It is much valued by the natives as well as the Europeans, on account of its hardness in particular (resisting even the hatchet), and for taking a most beautiful bright polish. This wood sinks in water.[18]The bourracourra, or brazil, grows to between thirty and forty feet high, but not very thick, with a reddish bark. The heart only of this tree is valuable, after the white pithy part is cut away, though then it is much diminished. This wood is as truly beautiful as it is useful, the colour being a fine crimson, variegated with irregular and fantastical black spots, from which, by the French, it is calledbois de lettres. It is heavy, hard, and durable, though rather brittle, and is capable of taking the brightest polish; this last is scarce in Guiana, but the others are more plentiful, growing on the highest grounds; where also is found ebony. The heavy trees, being shaped into timbers for sugar-mills, are chiefly sent to the English West India islands, and often sold for the price of fifty guineas each piece.The word of command being again given on the 5th, we unslung our hammocks, then marched south-south-east, and south by east, through deep and dangerous marshes up to our breasts in water, and in very heavy rains; in which helpless situation we were suddenly alarmed, not by a party of rebels, but by a company of large monkies, which we discovered in the tops of the trees, knocking a kind of nuts against the branches to break them for their contents, with the greatest regularity, as it were keeping time alternately at every stroke, while some of them threw down their burthens; and a nut falling from a considerable height, broke the head of one of our marines. The sound of breaking these nuts, we had mistaken for the rebel negroes cutting wood with an axe.[19]In the evening we encamped near the Tempatee Creek; where we made large fires, and built comfortable huts; thus this night we slept protected from the wet. Here we found the best water I ever tasted: and in the camp I saw two remarkable lizards, the one called thedevil of the woods, and the otheragama, in this country. The first is an ugly small lizard of a deep brown or blackish colour, which runs with amazing swiftness up and down the trees; it has no scales, a large head, and it is said to bite, which is supposed to be an uncommon property in a lizard. The other is called theMexican cameleon, which is remarkably splendid; and, like others of the kind, is endued with the property of changing its colour; but of its nature and qualities I can say little more, having never had the opportunity of a close examination. In Surinam there is also a species of lizard, known by the name ofsalamander, which also I never saw.On the 6th we marched again, keeping due west till twelve o’clock, through very heavy rain and deep water; when we changed our course to the north, and passed over very high mountains, by many supposed to be pregnant with treasure.“Rocks rich with gems, and mountains bright with mines,That on the high equator ridgy rise;Where many a bursting stream auriferous plays:Majestic woods of every vigorous green,Stage above stage high waving o’er the hills.”Thomson.[20]The two highest mountains in South America, are that peak of the Andes calledChimborazo, which measures 20,460 geometrical feet above the surface of the South Sea; having, though under the line, 4000 feet of its summit continually covered with snow. The other is that, on the slope of which is built the city of Quito, at theheightof 9,370 feet, and is thought to be the highest inhabited land in South America, if not in the world.Sprig of the Arnotta, or Roucou Tree.Sprig of the Arnotta, or Roucou Tree.London, Published Decr.th. 1701, by Johnson St. Paul’s Church Yard.We still continued marching north, on the 7th, over mountains, from which, at intervals, we had undoubtedly the most enchanting prospects, as well from the wildness of the country, as the beautiful variegated verdure displayed in so many different shades through this amazing forest. Here I saw a bird which is called awoodcock, which appears to have much of the colour of those in Europe, but which flew very heavily; I was however informed, that it can run with incredible swiftness. But the objects which most attracted my attention were thearnotta-trees, a few of which we met with: of these I have copied one of the twigs with great exactness. This tree, which is also called therowcow, or theorlean-tree, and by the Indianscossowee, may rather be stiled a shrub, as it does not grow above twelve feet in height. The leaves are greener on one side than the other, and are divided by fibres of a reddish brown colour, as is also the stem; the pods, which are as large as a small hen’s egg, are bristled like the outer husk of a chesnut. At first they are a beautiful rose colour, which, as they[21]ripen, changes to a dark brown, when they burst open and display a rich crimson pulp, in which are contained seeds that are black, like those of a grape. The use of this pulp I have already described, when speaking of the Aborigines or Indians; and now I present the reader with a view of it, though from necessity on a small scale:—Ais the leaf above;Bthe same below;Cthe pod before it is yet ripe;Dthe same ripe, and exposing the crimson pulp;Ethe black seed covered over with part of the pulp. Here again I must take the liberty to observe, that therowcowplant, exhibited by the celebrated Madam Merian, is very unlike the original that I saw; and to my great surprize she says it grows on a large tree.Having crossed an arm of the Mapanee Creek in the evening, we once more returned to our camp at Magdenberg; Mr. Noot, one of our officers, and several others, were so ill, that they were carried in their hammocks upon poles by the negro slaves, and a great number were so very weak that they could scarcely support the weight of their emaciated bodies; but to complain of sickness was to mutiny, till they dropped down almost ready to expire. During this expedition, in which we still perceived nothing of the enemy, I was remarkably fortunate, having neither suffered by fatigue, nor been persecuted by extraordinary bad usage. The succeeding day Colonel Seyburg’s column arrived, having, like us, seen no appearance of the rebels.On the 9th, my boy Quaco returned from Paramaribo;[22]his master, Mr. Walter Kennedy, having, to my great joy, sold him to me for the sum of five hundred Dutch florins, amounting with the expences to near fifty pounds, for which Colonel Fourgeoud very civilly gave me a bill on his agent. The payment of this faithful servant’s ransom, of course revived my impatience for the long-wished moment of emancipation of my poor Joanna and her boy; from whose new master I had not yet received any answer.While we continued here, a negro brought me a beautiful butterfly, which I copied with all the correctness I was master of; and which I saw since in Madam Merian’s collection, where it is coloured very ill. This fly was a dark blue tinged with green, and variegated with spots like a peacock’s feather, and on each wing it had a spot of pale yellow; the under part of the wings were a charming crimson and purple; the body a pale red.—The caterpillar is green and yellow; it is crowned with eight horns on the head, and has two on the tail. About the same time Captain Fredericy returned also from traversing the woods. He had a corporal drowned by slipping off a tree in crossing over a creek; which accident frequently happened, but the men were generally picked up, except this poor fellow, who sunk to the bottom instantly with all his accoutrements.The Blue & Crimson Butterfly of South America.The Blue & Crimson Butterfly of South America.The Groe-groe, or Palm Tree Worms.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.Another negro also brought me a regale ofgroe-groe, or cabbage-tree worms, as they are called in Surinam.[23]This reptile is produced in a tree called themountain-cabbage-tree, which is one of the palm species. The worm grows to the size and thickness of a man’s thumb, is produced from the spawn of a black beetle, and is extremely fat. However disgusting to appearance, these worms are a delicious treat to many people, and they are regularly sold at Paramaribo. The manner of dressing them, is by frying them in a pan with a very little butter and salt, or spitting them on a wooden skewer. In taste they partake of all the spices of India, as mace, cinnamon, cloves, nutmegs, &c. Several species of these worms are produced in all the palm-trees when beginning to rot, but some are larger than others. They are all of a pale yellow colour, with black heads. In the plate annexed are represented the above-mentioned fine butterfly, and the cabbage-tree-worm, both of the natural size, taken from the life. By the Indians and negroes they are calledtoecoema.On the 13th, a detachment departed for La Rochelle in Patamaca, and the following day a captain was sent with a few men back to the Hope, in Comewina, to protect the estates in that river.On the same day, the miserable old negro who had cut his throat on the 5th day of March, but had since recovered, was seen by some slaves to enter the wood with a knife, from which he no more returned, being soon after found stabbed to death. We were afterwards informed by his master, that for some time before[24]he had attempted to do the same almost regularly from month to month.On the 17th, the detachment returned from La Rochelle, where the troops of the Society were all sick.Colonel Fourgeoud now treated me with the greatest politeness. And at his earnest request I presented him, on the 20th, with various drawings, representing himself and his troops struggling with the hardships annexed to the service they were sent on; and which drawings he told me were intended to shew thePrince of Orangeand theStatesa specimen of what he and his marines did undergo in the forests of Guiana.He now gave me leave, for fourteen days, to go to town to wish Mr. Kennedy a prosperous voyage to Europe. Availing myself therefore of his good humour, I left Magdenberg within one hour, and made such dispatch that I came to Paramaribo on the 22d, where I found my friends and little family all well, at the house of Mr.de la Mare, to which they were immediately sent from that of Mr. Lolkens, who had, during my last absence, entertained them, and treated them with the greatest attention and hospitality.[25]1It is most probable, that Ulloa took the account from Acosta’s History of the West Indies. This is his account, taken from a translation printed in 1604.“They leap where theylist, winding their tails about a branch to shake it, when they will leap farther than they can at once; they use a pretty device, tying themselves by the tails one of another, and by this means make as it were a chain of many, then do they launch themselves forth.”Acosta does not say he saw this himself; but to the following he professes he was an eye-witness. These are his words—“Isawone in Carthagene, in the governor’s house, so taught, as the things he did seemed incredible. They sent him to the tavern for wine, putting the pot in one hand and the money in the other; they could not possibly get the money out of his hand before he had his pot full of wine. If any children met him in the street, and threw stones at him, he would set his pot down and cast stones against the children, till he had assured his way; then would he return to carry home his pot. And, which is more, although he were a good bibber of wine, yet he would never touch it till leave was given him.”↑

NARRATIVEOF ANEXPEDITION TO SURINAM.CHAP. XVI.A Reinforcement of fresh Troops arrives from Holland—Encampment on Mount Magdenberg, in Tempatee Creek—Remarkable Instance of Lunacy in a Negro—Mountains—Beautiful Views—The Sick sent to Europe.

A Reinforcement of fresh Troops arrives from Holland—Encampment on Mount Magdenberg, in Tempatee Creek—Remarkable Instance of Lunacy in a Negro—Mountains—Beautiful Views—The Sick sent to Europe.

A Reinforcement of fresh Troops arrives from Holland—Encampment on Mount Magdenberg, in Tempatee Creek—Remarkable Instance of Lunacy in a Negro—Mountains—Beautiful Views—The Sick sent to Europe.

I now once more return to the principal object of my Journal,viz.Fourgeoud’s military operations. I have before mentioned, that a supply of fresh troops was expected to reinforce our decayed little army; and, on the 30th of January, 1775, the news came to Paramaribo that the transport ship Maastroom, Captain Eeg, was arrived in the river Surinam, and come to an anchor before the fortress Amsterdam, with Colonel Seyburgh and two divisions, consisting together of one hundred and twenty men, under his command, two more divisions being expected.The following day I went down with a row-boat to welcome them; and having dined on board together, the[2]ship weighed anchor, and I sailed up with them till before the fortress Zelandia, where they moored, and were saluted by a few guns. Among the officers, I with pleasure recollected my old ship-mate, poor Ensign Hesseling, whom we had left behind us on the Helder, according to every appearance dying of the small-pox, when we sailed from the Texel, the 24th of December, 1772. This young man, who now joined us with rank of second lieutenant, had been peculiarly unfortunate since his recovery; for, soon after taking a passage on board another ship for Surinam, the vessel encountered a gale in the Bay of Biscay; when off Cape Finisterre, her quarter-gallery and rudder were beat away; besides which she lost her fore-mast and main-top-mast. In this dangerous condition, having the wind against her for Lisbon, the vessel run with difficulty into Plymouth. From this place Mr. Hesseling took a passage for France, on board a small sloop loaded with coals, with which he had no better success; for she ran, through the inadvertence of the master, on the Caskets, which rocks went through her bottom, and she foundered immediately. Before the vessel sunk, however, he had time to break open his chest, and take out some linen and other necessaries, with which he arrived in a crazy yaul at Brest. He now took shipping again for Amsterdam, on board a Dutchman; but the master ran the ship a-ground, and he had nearly been once more wrecked. Nevertheless he arrived safe at the Texel, whence he had twice in vain attempted[3]to set out for South America; and on this last passage it blew so violently hard, that all the boats, the sheep, the pigs, and the poultry, were washed overboard. Till this date I had been the oldest officer in the corps, excepting only Colonel Fourgeoud.On the arrival of the troops, our commander invited them to a dinner, which consisted of salt beef, pork, barley, and hard pease, of which I had the honour to partake, to my no small amusement, when I observed the significant looks which were directed by these newcomers on their commander and his entertainment. In the evening we conducted them to the play-house, where the death of Cæsar, and Crispin Doctor, were performed, the one exactly as laughable as the other. I must however confess, that I was better entertained the next day, when the governor gave to all a superb dinner and supper, where the strangers seemed to be as much surprised with the magnificence of the feast, as they had been the day before amazed with Colonel Fourgeoud’s frugality.Having met at this table with some excellent preserved fruits, among which was theguava, I will embrace an opportunity which is barren of incident to say something of it. The guaba, or guava-tree, grows to about twenty-four feet high, with leaves like those of a plum-tree. It is light-coloured, and the wood of little consequence; but the fruit, which is yellow, oval, and[4]about the size of a gold pippin, incloses a reddish pulp, full of small seeds; the pulp is very sweet, and may be eaten raw, or made into marmalade or jelly, and then it is delicious. There are two species of guava; that which is the sweetest has the smallest quantity of seeds.On the 5th of February, the troops that were so lately landed were sent to the upper parts of the river Comewina to be encamped. I speak of the privates, for most of the officers remained to partake of a feast at the house of a Mr. Mercellus; by whose command (to crown the banquet) half a dozen negroes continued blowing the trumpet and French horn in the room where we dined, till the company were absolutely deafened by discordancy and noise.View of L’Esperance, or the Hope, on the Commewine.View of L’Esperance, or the Hope, on the Commewine.View of Clarenbeek, on the River Commewine.London, Published Decr. 1st. 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.On the 6th, the whole corps, without exception, received orders to leave Paramaribo, and to encamp at Magdenberg, a mountain near the Tempatee Creek, in the upper parts of the river Comewina, to which, as I have just mentioned, the reinforcement was already dispatched. Having, therefore, prepared myself to set out on my fourth campaign, and taken leave of my little family and friends, I repaired to the water side, to set out in the same barge with Colonel Seyburgh, but who, erroneously supposing that the troops which came with him from Holland were a distinct corps from those arrived with Fourgeoud in 1773, made the negroes shove off the boat in my presence, when I was not a stone’s cast from it, and left[5]me on the beach, to my utter surprize and mortification. I knew Fourgeoud had swore that he should “dance just as much to his pipes as the youngest ensign in the regiment;” and in that he was perfectly right: I therefore strenuously supported the chief against his antagonist, and setting off immediately with another boat, soon overtook him, to his astonishment, when we all went ashore at the plantation Vossenburgh, in the river Comewina. The next day we came to the estate Arentrust, having passed the heavy barges that departed from Paramaribo on the 5th; and on the 10th we made the Hope, where having spent so many months, I here present the reader with a view of that estate, and of the estate Clarenbeek, where still our hospital was kept. This day Colonel Fourgeoud also came up the river, and slept at Wajampibo.On the 11th, we arrived at the plantation Crawassibo, where we passed the night. Here the overseer, a Mr. De Bruyn, was so very impertinent, that, as I already had no abundance of affection for the fraternity of overseers, I gave him such a sound beating that, with a bloody face, he suddenly decamped from the estate in a small canoe with one negro, and in this trim, at twelve o’clock at night, like Banquo the ghost, appeared before the amazed Fourgeoud; who thought proper to give him no other consolation than to dismiss him with a hearty curse.On the 12th we arrived safe at Magdenberg,viz.[6]Fourgeoud, the officers, and the barges with the privates. From the Hope, the estates now began to appear thinner; and after passing Goet-Accord, about ten or twelve miles farther upwards, not a cultivated spot was to be seen, the plantations having been all laid in ashes by the rebels in 1757, as I have already mentioned, a small place excepted, just below Magdenberg, which is, I think, called theJacob, and where a few negroes are kept to cut timber. The river above Goet-accord becomes very narrow, being lined on each side with impenetrable brush-wood, like the river Cottica, between Devil’s-Harwar and Patamaca; and the Tempatee Creek, which may be considered as the source of the whole river Comewina, becomes also much narrower. Magdenberg, which is about a hundred miles from Paramaribo, was formerly an estate, but has now not a vestige of cultivation left, a poor old orange-tree excepted, and is at present neither more or less than a barren desolate mountain.Here we found the surface of the earth in some places covered with a kind of strata, that had the appearance of mother-of-pearl, and lay scattered in small scales, about the size of an English shilling. In many places of Surinam are found the marks of fossils and ores, as I have already hinted. Indeed, iron ore is common, and I have no doubt but gold and silver mines might be met with if the Dutch would be at the expence, and persevere in making the discovery. I have already mentioned the Marawina diamond, and white and red agate, which are[7]often seen in the upper parts of the river Surinam. On this mountain we also found the air cooler and more pure, and of course more healthy than in any other part of the colony.On the 17th the news reached us, that the transport ship, the Maria Helena, with the remaining two divisions of one hundred and twenty men, commanded by Captain Hamel, had also arrived in the river Surinam on the 14th instant. Thus the reinforcements together consisted of two hundred and forty men, and, on the 5th day of March, they all arrived in heavy barges at Magdenberg, where I may now say that Colonel Fourgeoud’s whole forces were assembled. The same day one hundred negro slaves also arrived, to carry the loads when we should march. One of the new negroes being missed from on board a military barge, and marks of blood discovered in it, the commanding officer, a Mr. Chatteauview, and a sentinel, were both put under an arrest to be tried for murder. On the same eventful day also, two of our captains fought a duel, in which one of them received a wound in his forehead.On the 13th, a barge with provisions, coming from Paramaribo (shocking to relate!) found the negro that was missed on the 5th at the water’s edge, lying in the brushwood, with his throat cut from ear to ear, but still alive, the knife having missed the wind-pipe. This miserable apparition of skin and bone they took on board, and[8]brought to Magdenberg, where, by a skilful surgeon, Mr. Knolaert, the wound was sewed up, and the man surprisingly recovered, having lain nine days in that dreadful condition without any subsistence or covering whatever, and weltering in his own blood, even without a bandage. The week after I had nearly lost my own life by an accident. Two negroes of the estate Goet-Accord being employed in hunting and fishing for Fourgeoud, one of them, namedPhilander, proposed to me to accompany them in the wood, where we might chance to meet with somepingoes, orpowesa; but a heavy shower of rain coming on, when we had only walked two miles, we determined to relinquish the project, and repair to the small spot called the Jacob for shelter, to gain which we were obliged to pass through a deep marsh. Having waded till up to our arm-pits, Philander, who was the finest man without exception that I ever saw, began to swim, as did his companion, with one hand, holding their fowling pieces above the water with the other, and desired me to follow them. This I tried, having nothing on but my shirt and trowsers; when, after swimming two or three strokes, I sunk to the bottom like a stone, with the weight of my musquet; but relinquishing it, I immediately rose to the surface, and begged that Philander would dive for it; who having secured his own to a mangrove, brought it up without difficulty. At this moment a thundering voice called out through the thicket,[9]—“Whosomma datty? and anothersooto sooto da Bonny kiry da dago? Who is that? Who is there? Fire! shoot! it is Bonny, kill the dog!”—and looking up, we saw the muzzles of six musquets presented upon us at a very little distance indeed. I instantly dived, but Philander answering that we belonged to Magdenberg, we were permitted to come on shore one by one at the Jacob, and found that these trusty negro slaves, having heard a flouncing in the water, and seeing three armed men in the marsh, took it for granted that the rebels were coming, headed by Bonny himself, for whom they had mistaken me, being almost naked and so much sun-burnt; besides my hair, which was short and curly, I entirely resembled a mulatto. Being refreshed with some rum, and having dried ourselves by a good fire, we now returned back to the Magdenberg, where I congratulated myself on my escape.On the 19th, Colonel Fourgeoud being now supplied with fresh troops, sent a whole ship load of invalids to Holland, who sailed this day; and on February the 26th, my dear friend Heneman also sailed for Holland, in an extremely debilitated state.Among the troops which sailed at the same time with Heneman were several officers, not very sick, but justly disheartened and disgusted at Fourgeoud’s injustice, in having stopped their preferment, as I have intimated in the end of the tenth chapter; while they now saw themselves superseded by raw youths, who were at school[10]at the time they were serving the colony in 1772. With this vessel sailed also the officers whom he had put under an arrest, the 16th December, 1774. Never was an hospital ship so ill provided with refreshments.The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys.Blake Sculpt.The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys.London, Published Decr. 2nd, 1793, by J. Johnson, St. Pauls Church Yard.On the 21st, Fourgeoud reviewed with pleasure his recruited little army, where I was sorry the rangers did not appear. He now dispatched one hundred men as a patrole to reconnoitre the skirts of his new encampment, of which number I had the honour to be one. During this time nothing remarkable happened, except meeting with a large company ofquatas, which being one of the most remarkable species of monkies in the world, from their affinity to the human race, I cannot tacitly pass over. One evening walking with my black boy Quaco without the camp, they came down so low to look at us, and threw small sticks and excrements at us, that we stopped, and I had an opportunity thoroughly to examine them. Thequata, orquato, is very large, with an enormous tail: their arms and legs being covered over with long black hair, they make a very hideous appearance indeed; the more so, as the creature’s face is quite naked and red, with deep sunk eyes, which gives it much the appearance of an old Indian woman. It has short ears, and only four fingers without a thumb on its hands or fore feet, but it has five toes on the hinder feet, all of which have black nails. The extremity of its tail has a spiral turn inwardly; it is naked and callous, by its frequently[11]hanging to the branches of the trees; for when so employed, it serves the animal as a fifth limb. Most wonderful is the agility of these monkies in swinging from one tree to another, but I never saw them leap. Their throwing short sticks and excrements seems to be no more than a mimicking of the human actions without any purpose, as they neither have strength to throw far, nor dexterity to hit their objects, and if they befoul them it is by accident only. But what appears peculiarly remarkable is, that when one is hurt by a musket or arrow, the poor animal instantly claps its hand on the wound, looks at the blood, and with the most piteous lamentations ascends to the very top of the tree, in which he is assisted by his companions; where, hanging by the tail, he continues to bewail his fate, till by the loss of blood he grows totally faint, and drops down dead at the feet of his adversaries.It is not so extraordinary that one of this species, when wounded, should be assisted by his companions in climbing; but that they should have so much knowledge in botany, as to procure vulnerary herbs, and chew and apply them to the wound, is what I cannot credit, though it is so confidently asserted by a late traveller: and as to the assistance they give in passing a river, by holding each other’s tails, and swinging till the lowermost is thrown up to the branch of a high tree, though I have a great opinion of Ulloa, who relates it, and has given a print of[12]it in a vignette; since he does not say he saw it himself, I must take the liberty to doubt this fact1, and even what he says he witnessed.I must here mention another monkey that I saw at Colonel Fourgeoud’s house, which is in Surinam called thewanacoe, and is covered over with long black hair, like the quato; but its limbs are shorter and more hairy, and its face is a kind of dirty white. This monkey is the only one of the species that is not sociable, being constantly found alone; and so despicable is this solitary animal, that he is continually beaten and robbed of his food by all the others, from whom he is too lazy to escape, though too cowardly to fight.Of the long-haired monkies, thesaccawinkeeis the smallest; indeed, I may say of all the monkies in[13]Guiana, if not in the world, being not much larger than a Norway rat.This is a beautiful little animal, with blackish grey frizzled hair, a white face, and very bright shining eyes; its ears are large and naked, yet they are not very perceptible, being covered by the very long and white whiskers that grow round the whole visage of this little creature: its feet are not unlike those of a squirrel, and its tail is bushy and annulated. So very delicate is the saccawinkee, and so sensible of the cold, that scarcely one of them is brought to Europe alive, and if they are they very soon pine and die. The Dutch call them theshagarintee, from their being chagrined at the smallest trifle. In the annexed plate, I have delineated both those monkies, the large quato, and the small saccawinkee, thus endeavouring to correct with my pencil the deficiency of my pen.On my return to the Magdenberg, I narrowly escaped being crushed to death by an enormous tree, which dropped by age just at my feet. These accidents frequently happen in the forest; this, however, only slightly wounded two or three of our marines. During this trip we had much rain, and were obliged to cross over a small creek. We cut down one of the palm-trees on the water’s edge, which falling across the river formed a temporary bridge.I now paid a visit to the miserable negro who had been found with his throat cut, and who was so well as to[14]be able to converse; when he declared to me, that he committed this violent action with his own hand. The suspected officer and sentinel were, therefore, instantly acquitted. I asked him by what reason he had been incited to suicide? and he answered—“None.”“I have,” said he, “as good a master and mistress as I could wish, and a family of my own that I much love: I had slept sound during the whole night till about four o’clock in the morning, when awaking I took my knife to pick my teeth with it, and instantaneously cut my throat without knowing why; but the moment after repented of what I had done. I then rose from my hammock and got into the canoe to wash myself, and try to bind up the wound, but stooping over the side and bleeding very fast, I turned faint and fell into the river. I was now no more able to get on board, or to cry for assistance. However, by struggling, I made shift to get on shore, where I fell down and lay helpless, till I was picked up by a boat going to Magdenberg; during all which time of nine days I had my perfect senses, and saw a tamanoir or ant-bear come to smell the putrid blood about my neck, who, on seeing me move, retired into the forest.”I gave the poor man some Boston biscuits which I had got from Paramaribo, a large calibash with barley to make him some soup, and also some wine. This negro appeared to be about sixty years of age.I now to my sorrow received a letter from Mr. Kennedy,[15]who was preparing to visit Holland, requesting that my boy Quaco might be returned to his estate. I accordingly sent him down with a letter, offering to buy him of his master as soon as it should be in my power to pay him.On the 2d of April, Colonel Fourgeoud ordered all the sick remaining in the colony to Magdenberg, where he had erected an hospital and a large victualling magazine. Thus all the invalids from Clarenbeck arrived here, with surgeons, apothecaries, attendants, &c.: and here, in fact, as I said, the air was more healthy. At this period the old gentleman was particularly ill-natured, and abused both friend and foe without distinction; swearing, that not a soul should be exempt from duty, provided they could but stand on their legs. About this time a strong detachment was sent to the estate Bruyinsburgh in Comewina, where an insurrection was expected, the slaves refusing to work upon a Sunday; to which, however, they were driven by the lash of the whip.It was now in the midst of the rainy season, that Fourgeoud declared his intention of scouring the woods; and, in consequence, gave orders for two strong columns to march the next day. The reason for chusing this season was, that if he could now dislodge the rebels they must starve for want, which would not be the case in the dry months, for then the forest abounds with fruits and roots of many kinds. This was, however, in my opinion, a false piece of generalship; if it be considered on the[16]other hand, the dreadful havock which the wet weather must produce among his troops, of which he killed, I suppose, at the rate of twenty to one rebel negro.Fourgeoud was himself of a very strong constitution, having been used to hunting and shooting the whole of his life-time: to which he added temperance, and the daily use of his belovedptisan.His dress consisted of nothing but a waistcoat, through one of the button-holes of which he wore his sword: on his head he wore a cotton night-cap, with a white beaver hat above it, and in his hand a cane; but he seldom carried his musket or his pistols. I have seen him all in rags and bare-footed, like the meanest soldier.On the morning of the 3d of April, at six o’clock, the two columns set out upon their march, the one commanded by Colonel Seyburg, the other by Fourgeoud; to which last I had the honour to belong. Our poor men were now loaded like asses. They were ordered to put their fire-locks in their knapsacks, of course the muzzles excepted: this was to keep them from the rain, which absolutely poured in torrents. Our course was south by east, up among the banks of the Tempatee Creek, where we soon came to swamps, and were marching in the water above our knees.During the first day’s march we met some very pretty squirrels, which are of several kinds in this country. Those that we saw were brown, with the belly white, the tail not so bushy; nor were they, upon the whole, so large[17]as those of Europe. There are also white squirrels in this country with red eyes, and flying squirrels. These, it is well known, have no wings, but a membrane between the fore and hinder leg, being a part of their skin, which, when they leap, expands like the wing of a bat, and by this, like a parachute, they rest upon the air, and in their flights are carried to a considerable distance.On the 4th of April we marched again, our course south by east, till two o’clock, when we changed our course to south-south-west.This day we passed by piles of fine timber, that were left there to rot since 1757, when the estates were demolished by the negro slaves who were in rebellion. Among these were thepurple-heart-tree, theiron-wood-tree, and thebourracourra, known in England by the name of Brazil.The purple-heart-tree grows sometimes to the height of fourscore feet, and thick in proportion, with a smooth dark brown bark; the wood is of a beautiful purple colour and an agreeable smell, and is much esteemed on account of its weight and durability.The iron-wood-tree, so called from the gravity and permanent quality of its timber, grows to about sixty feet in height, with a light-coloured bark. It is much valued by the natives as well as the Europeans, on account of its hardness in particular (resisting even the hatchet), and for taking a most beautiful bright polish. This wood sinks in water.[18]The bourracourra, or brazil, grows to between thirty and forty feet high, but not very thick, with a reddish bark. The heart only of this tree is valuable, after the white pithy part is cut away, though then it is much diminished. This wood is as truly beautiful as it is useful, the colour being a fine crimson, variegated with irregular and fantastical black spots, from which, by the French, it is calledbois de lettres. It is heavy, hard, and durable, though rather brittle, and is capable of taking the brightest polish; this last is scarce in Guiana, but the others are more plentiful, growing on the highest grounds; where also is found ebony. The heavy trees, being shaped into timbers for sugar-mills, are chiefly sent to the English West India islands, and often sold for the price of fifty guineas each piece.The word of command being again given on the 5th, we unslung our hammocks, then marched south-south-east, and south by east, through deep and dangerous marshes up to our breasts in water, and in very heavy rains; in which helpless situation we were suddenly alarmed, not by a party of rebels, but by a company of large monkies, which we discovered in the tops of the trees, knocking a kind of nuts against the branches to break them for their contents, with the greatest regularity, as it were keeping time alternately at every stroke, while some of them threw down their burthens; and a nut falling from a considerable height, broke the head of one of our marines. The sound of breaking these nuts, we had mistaken for the rebel negroes cutting wood with an axe.[19]In the evening we encamped near the Tempatee Creek; where we made large fires, and built comfortable huts; thus this night we slept protected from the wet. Here we found the best water I ever tasted: and in the camp I saw two remarkable lizards, the one called thedevil of the woods, and the otheragama, in this country. The first is an ugly small lizard of a deep brown or blackish colour, which runs with amazing swiftness up and down the trees; it has no scales, a large head, and it is said to bite, which is supposed to be an uncommon property in a lizard. The other is called theMexican cameleon, which is remarkably splendid; and, like others of the kind, is endued with the property of changing its colour; but of its nature and qualities I can say little more, having never had the opportunity of a close examination. In Surinam there is also a species of lizard, known by the name ofsalamander, which also I never saw.On the 6th we marched again, keeping due west till twelve o’clock, through very heavy rain and deep water; when we changed our course to the north, and passed over very high mountains, by many supposed to be pregnant with treasure.“Rocks rich with gems, and mountains bright with mines,That on the high equator ridgy rise;Where many a bursting stream auriferous plays:Majestic woods of every vigorous green,Stage above stage high waving o’er the hills.”Thomson.[20]The two highest mountains in South America, are that peak of the Andes calledChimborazo, which measures 20,460 geometrical feet above the surface of the South Sea; having, though under the line, 4000 feet of its summit continually covered with snow. The other is that, on the slope of which is built the city of Quito, at theheightof 9,370 feet, and is thought to be the highest inhabited land in South America, if not in the world.Sprig of the Arnotta, or Roucou Tree.Sprig of the Arnotta, or Roucou Tree.London, Published Decr.th. 1701, by Johnson St. Paul’s Church Yard.We still continued marching north, on the 7th, over mountains, from which, at intervals, we had undoubtedly the most enchanting prospects, as well from the wildness of the country, as the beautiful variegated verdure displayed in so many different shades through this amazing forest. Here I saw a bird which is called awoodcock, which appears to have much of the colour of those in Europe, but which flew very heavily; I was however informed, that it can run with incredible swiftness. But the objects which most attracted my attention were thearnotta-trees, a few of which we met with: of these I have copied one of the twigs with great exactness. This tree, which is also called therowcow, or theorlean-tree, and by the Indianscossowee, may rather be stiled a shrub, as it does not grow above twelve feet in height. The leaves are greener on one side than the other, and are divided by fibres of a reddish brown colour, as is also the stem; the pods, which are as large as a small hen’s egg, are bristled like the outer husk of a chesnut. At first they are a beautiful rose colour, which, as they[21]ripen, changes to a dark brown, when they burst open and display a rich crimson pulp, in which are contained seeds that are black, like those of a grape. The use of this pulp I have already described, when speaking of the Aborigines or Indians; and now I present the reader with a view of it, though from necessity on a small scale:—Ais the leaf above;Bthe same below;Cthe pod before it is yet ripe;Dthe same ripe, and exposing the crimson pulp;Ethe black seed covered over with part of the pulp. Here again I must take the liberty to observe, that therowcowplant, exhibited by the celebrated Madam Merian, is very unlike the original that I saw; and to my great surprize she says it grows on a large tree.Having crossed an arm of the Mapanee Creek in the evening, we once more returned to our camp at Magdenberg; Mr. Noot, one of our officers, and several others, were so ill, that they were carried in their hammocks upon poles by the negro slaves, and a great number were so very weak that they could scarcely support the weight of their emaciated bodies; but to complain of sickness was to mutiny, till they dropped down almost ready to expire. During this expedition, in which we still perceived nothing of the enemy, I was remarkably fortunate, having neither suffered by fatigue, nor been persecuted by extraordinary bad usage. The succeeding day Colonel Seyburg’s column arrived, having, like us, seen no appearance of the rebels.On the 9th, my boy Quaco returned from Paramaribo;[22]his master, Mr. Walter Kennedy, having, to my great joy, sold him to me for the sum of five hundred Dutch florins, amounting with the expences to near fifty pounds, for which Colonel Fourgeoud very civilly gave me a bill on his agent. The payment of this faithful servant’s ransom, of course revived my impatience for the long-wished moment of emancipation of my poor Joanna and her boy; from whose new master I had not yet received any answer.While we continued here, a negro brought me a beautiful butterfly, which I copied with all the correctness I was master of; and which I saw since in Madam Merian’s collection, where it is coloured very ill. This fly was a dark blue tinged with green, and variegated with spots like a peacock’s feather, and on each wing it had a spot of pale yellow; the under part of the wings were a charming crimson and purple; the body a pale red.—The caterpillar is green and yellow; it is crowned with eight horns on the head, and has two on the tail. About the same time Captain Fredericy returned also from traversing the woods. He had a corporal drowned by slipping off a tree in crossing over a creek; which accident frequently happened, but the men were generally picked up, except this poor fellow, who sunk to the bottom instantly with all his accoutrements.The Blue & Crimson Butterfly of South America.The Blue & Crimson Butterfly of South America.The Groe-groe, or Palm Tree Worms.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.Another negro also brought me a regale ofgroe-groe, or cabbage-tree worms, as they are called in Surinam.[23]This reptile is produced in a tree called themountain-cabbage-tree, which is one of the palm species. The worm grows to the size and thickness of a man’s thumb, is produced from the spawn of a black beetle, and is extremely fat. However disgusting to appearance, these worms are a delicious treat to many people, and they are regularly sold at Paramaribo. The manner of dressing them, is by frying them in a pan with a very little butter and salt, or spitting them on a wooden skewer. In taste they partake of all the spices of India, as mace, cinnamon, cloves, nutmegs, &c. Several species of these worms are produced in all the palm-trees when beginning to rot, but some are larger than others. They are all of a pale yellow colour, with black heads. In the plate annexed are represented the above-mentioned fine butterfly, and the cabbage-tree-worm, both of the natural size, taken from the life. By the Indians and negroes they are calledtoecoema.On the 13th, a detachment departed for La Rochelle in Patamaca, and the following day a captain was sent with a few men back to the Hope, in Comewina, to protect the estates in that river.On the same day, the miserable old negro who had cut his throat on the 5th day of March, but had since recovered, was seen by some slaves to enter the wood with a knife, from which he no more returned, being soon after found stabbed to death. We were afterwards informed by his master, that for some time before[24]he had attempted to do the same almost regularly from month to month.On the 17th, the detachment returned from La Rochelle, where the troops of the Society were all sick.Colonel Fourgeoud now treated me with the greatest politeness. And at his earnest request I presented him, on the 20th, with various drawings, representing himself and his troops struggling with the hardships annexed to the service they were sent on; and which drawings he told me were intended to shew thePrince of Orangeand theStatesa specimen of what he and his marines did undergo in the forests of Guiana.He now gave me leave, for fourteen days, to go to town to wish Mr. Kennedy a prosperous voyage to Europe. Availing myself therefore of his good humour, I left Magdenberg within one hour, and made such dispatch that I came to Paramaribo on the 22d, where I found my friends and little family all well, at the house of Mr.de la Mare, to which they were immediately sent from that of Mr. Lolkens, who had, during my last absence, entertained them, and treated them with the greatest attention and hospitality.[25]

I now once more return to the principal object of my Journal,viz.Fourgeoud’s military operations. I have before mentioned, that a supply of fresh troops was expected to reinforce our decayed little army; and, on the 30th of January, 1775, the news came to Paramaribo that the transport ship Maastroom, Captain Eeg, was arrived in the river Surinam, and come to an anchor before the fortress Amsterdam, with Colonel Seyburgh and two divisions, consisting together of one hundred and twenty men, under his command, two more divisions being expected.

The following day I went down with a row-boat to welcome them; and having dined on board together, the[2]ship weighed anchor, and I sailed up with them till before the fortress Zelandia, where they moored, and were saluted by a few guns. Among the officers, I with pleasure recollected my old ship-mate, poor Ensign Hesseling, whom we had left behind us on the Helder, according to every appearance dying of the small-pox, when we sailed from the Texel, the 24th of December, 1772. This young man, who now joined us with rank of second lieutenant, had been peculiarly unfortunate since his recovery; for, soon after taking a passage on board another ship for Surinam, the vessel encountered a gale in the Bay of Biscay; when off Cape Finisterre, her quarter-gallery and rudder were beat away; besides which she lost her fore-mast and main-top-mast. In this dangerous condition, having the wind against her for Lisbon, the vessel run with difficulty into Plymouth. From this place Mr. Hesseling took a passage for France, on board a small sloop loaded with coals, with which he had no better success; for she ran, through the inadvertence of the master, on the Caskets, which rocks went through her bottom, and she foundered immediately. Before the vessel sunk, however, he had time to break open his chest, and take out some linen and other necessaries, with which he arrived in a crazy yaul at Brest. He now took shipping again for Amsterdam, on board a Dutchman; but the master ran the ship a-ground, and he had nearly been once more wrecked. Nevertheless he arrived safe at the Texel, whence he had twice in vain attempted[3]to set out for South America; and on this last passage it blew so violently hard, that all the boats, the sheep, the pigs, and the poultry, were washed overboard. Till this date I had been the oldest officer in the corps, excepting only Colonel Fourgeoud.

On the arrival of the troops, our commander invited them to a dinner, which consisted of salt beef, pork, barley, and hard pease, of which I had the honour to partake, to my no small amusement, when I observed the significant looks which were directed by these newcomers on their commander and his entertainment. In the evening we conducted them to the play-house, where the death of Cæsar, and Crispin Doctor, were performed, the one exactly as laughable as the other. I must however confess, that I was better entertained the next day, when the governor gave to all a superb dinner and supper, where the strangers seemed to be as much surprised with the magnificence of the feast, as they had been the day before amazed with Colonel Fourgeoud’s frugality.

Having met at this table with some excellent preserved fruits, among which was theguava, I will embrace an opportunity which is barren of incident to say something of it. The guaba, or guava-tree, grows to about twenty-four feet high, with leaves like those of a plum-tree. It is light-coloured, and the wood of little consequence; but the fruit, which is yellow, oval, and[4]about the size of a gold pippin, incloses a reddish pulp, full of small seeds; the pulp is very sweet, and may be eaten raw, or made into marmalade or jelly, and then it is delicious. There are two species of guava; that which is the sweetest has the smallest quantity of seeds.

On the 5th of February, the troops that were so lately landed were sent to the upper parts of the river Comewina to be encamped. I speak of the privates, for most of the officers remained to partake of a feast at the house of a Mr. Mercellus; by whose command (to crown the banquet) half a dozen negroes continued blowing the trumpet and French horn in the room where we dined, till the company were absolutely deafened by discordancy and noise.

View of L’Esperance, or the Hope, on the Commewine.View of L’Esperance, or the Hope, on the Commewine.View of Clarenbeek, on the River Commewine.London, Published Decr. 1st. 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.

View of L’Esperance, or the Hope, on the Commewine.

View of Clarenbeek, on the River Commewine.

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

On the 6th, the whole corps, without exception, received orders to leave Paramaribo, and to encamp at Magdenberg, a mountain near the Tempatee Creek, in the upper parts of the river Comewina, to which, as I have just mentioned, the reinforcement was already dispatched. Having, therefore, prepared myself to set out on my fourth campaign, and taken leave of my little family and friends, I repaired to the water side, to set out in the same barge with Colonel Seyburgh, but who, erroneously supposing that the troops which came with him from Holland were a distinct corps from those arrived with Fourgeoud in 1773, made the negroes shove off the boat in my presence, when I was not a stone’s cast from it, and left[5]me on the beach, to my utter surprize and mortification. I knew Fourgeoud had swore that he should “dance just as much to his pipes as the youngest ensign in the regiment;” and in that he was perfectly right: I therefore strenuously supported the chief against his antagonist, and setting off immediately with another boat, soon overtook him, to his astonishment, when we all went ashore at the plantation Vossenburgh, in the river Comewina. The next day we came to the estate Arentrust, having passed the heavy barges that departed from Paramaribo on the 5th; and on the 10th we made the Hope, where having spent so many months, I here present the reader with a view of that estate, and of the estate Clarenbeek, where still our hospital was kept. This day Colonel Fourgeoud also came up the river, and slept at Wajampibo.

On the 11th, we arrived at the plantation Crawassibo, where we passed the night. Here the overseer, a Mr. De Bruyn, was so very impertinent, that, as I already had no abundance of affection for the fraternity of overseers, I gave him such a sound beating that, with a bloody face, he suddenly decamped from the estate in a small canoe with one negro, and in this trim, at twelve o’clock at night, like Banquo the ghost, appeared before the amazed Fourgeoud; who thought proper to give him no other consolation than to dismiss him with a hearty curse.

On the 12th we arrived safe at Magdenberg,viz.[6]Fourgeoud, the officers, and the barges with the privates. From the Hope, the estates now began to appear thinner; and after passing Goet-Accord, about ten or twelve miles farther upwards, not a cultivated spot was to be seen, the plantations having been all laid in ashes by the rebels in 1757, as I have already mentioned, a small place excepted, just below Magdenberg, which is, I think, called theJacob, and where a few negroes are kept to cut timber. The river above Goet-accord becomes very narrow, being lined on each side with impenetrable brush-wood, like the river Cottica, between Devil’s-Harwar and Patamaca; and the Tempatee Creek, which may be considered as the source of the whole river Comewina, becomes also much narrower. Magdenberg, which is about a hundred miles from Paramaribo, was formerly an estate, but has now not a vestige of cultivation left, a poor old orange-tree excepted, and is at present neither more or less than a barren desolate mountain.

Here we found the surface of the earth in some places covered with a kind of strata, that had the appearance of mother-of-pearl, and lay scattered in small scales, about the size of an English shilling. In many places of Surinam are found the marks of fossils and ores, as I have already hinted. Indeed, iron ore is common, and I have no doubt but gold and silver mines might be met with if the Dutch would be at the expence, and persevere in making the discovery. I have already mentioned the Marawina diamond, and white and red agate, which are[7]often seen in the upper parts of the river Surinam. On this mountain we also found the air cooler and more pure, and of course more healthy than in any other part of the colony.

On the 17th the news reached us, that the transport ship, the Maria Helena, with the remaining two divisions of one hundred and twenty men, commanded by Captain Hamel, had also arrived in the river Surinam on the 14th instant. Thus the reinforcements together consisted of two hundred and forty men, and, on the 5th day of March, they all arrived in heavy barges at Magdenberg, where I may now say that Colonel Fourgeoud’s whole forces were assembled. The same day one hundred negro slaves also arrived, to carry the loads when we should march. One of the new negroes being missed from on board a military barge, and marks of blood discovered in it, the commanding officer, a Mr. Chatteauview, and a sentinel, were both put under an arrest to be tried for murder. On the same eventful day also, two of our captains fought a duel, in which one of them received a wound in his forehead.

On the 13th, a barge with provisions, coming from Paramaribo (shocking to relate!) found the negro that was missed on the 5th at the water’s edge, lying in the brushwood, with his throat cut from ear to ear, but still alive, the knife having missed the wind-pipe. This miserable apparition of skin and bone they took on board, and[8]brought to Magdenberg, where, by a skilful surgeon, Mr. Knolaert, the wound was sewed up, and the man surprisingly recovered, having lain nine days in that dreadful condition without any subsistence or covering whatever, and weltering in his own blood, even without a bandage. The week after I had nearly lost my own life by an accident. Two negroes of the estate Goet-Accord being employed in hunting and fishing for Fourgeoud, one of them, namedPhilander, proposed to me to accompany them in the wood, where we might chance to meet with somepingoes, orpowesa; but a heavy shower of rain coming on, when we had only walked two miles, we determined to relinquish the project, and repair to the small spot called the Jacob for shelter, to gain which we were obliged to pass through a deep marsh. Having waded till up to our arm-pits, Philander, who was the finest man without exception that I ever saw, began to swim, as did his companion, with one hand, holding their fowling pieces above the water with the other, and desired me to follow them. This I tried, having nothing on but my shirt and trowsers; when, after swimming two or three strokes, I sunk to the bottom like a stone, with the weight of my musquet; but relinquishing it, I immediately rose to the surface, and begged that Philander would dive for it; who having secured his own to a mangrove, brought it up without difficulty. At this moment a thundering voice called out through the thicket,[9]—“Whosomma datty? and anothersooto sooto da Bonny kiry da dago? Who is that? Who is there? Fire! shoot! it is Bonny, kill the dog!”—and looking up, we saw the muzzles of six musquets presented upon us at a very little distance indeed. I instantly dived, but Philander answering that we belonged to Magdenberg, we were permitted to come on shore one by one at the Jacob, and found that these trusty negro slaves, having heard a flouncing in the water, and seeing three armed men in the marsh, took it for granted that the rebels were coming, headed by Bonny himself, for whom they had mistaken me, being almost naked and so much sun-burnt; besides my hair, which was short and curly, I entirely resembled a mulatto. Being refreshed with some rum, and having dried ourselves by a good fire, we now returned back to the Magdenberg, where I congratulated myself on my escape.

On the 19th, Colonel Fourgeoud being now supplied with fresh troops, sent a whole ship load of invalids to Holland, who sailed this day; and on February the 26th, my dear friend Heneman also sailed for Holland, in an extremely debilitated state.

Among the troops which sailed at the same time with Heneman were several officers, not very sick, but justly disheartened and disgusted at Fourgeoud’s injustice, in having stopped their preferment, as I have intimated in the end of the tenth chapter; while they now saw themselves superseded by raw youths, who were at school[10]at the time they were serving the colony in 1772. With this vessel sailed also the officers whom he had put under an arrest, the 16th December, 1774. Never was an hospital ship so ill provided with refreshments.

The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys.Blake Sculpt.The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys.London, Published Decr. 2nd, 1793, by J. Johnson, St. Pauls Church Yard.

Blake Sculpt.

The Quato & Saccawinkee Monkeys.

London, Published Decr. 2nd, 1793, by J. Johnson, St. Pauls Church Yard.

On the 21st, Fourgeoud reviewed with pleasure his recruited little army, where I was sorry the rangers did not appear. He now dispatched one hundred men as a patrole to reconnoitre the skirts of his new encampment, of which number I had the honour to be one. During this time nothing remarkable happened, except meeting with a large company ofquatas, which being one of the most remarkable species of monkies in the world, from their affinity to the human race, I cannot tacitly pass over. One evening walking with my black boy Quaco without the camp, they came down so low to look at us, and threw small sticks and excrements at us, that we stopped, and I had an opportunity thoroughly to examine them. Thequata, orquato, is very large, with an enormous tail: their arms and legs being covered over with long black hair, they make a very hideous appearance indeed; the more so, as the creature’s face is quite naked and red, with deep sunk eyes, which gives it much the appearance of an old Indian woman. It has short ears, and only four fingers without a thumb on its hands or fore feet, but it has five toes on the hinder feet, all of which have black nails. The extremity of its tail has a spiral turn inwardly; it is naked and callous, by its frequently[11]hanging to the branches of the trees; for when so employed, it serves the animal as a fifth limb. Most wonderful is the agility of these monkies in swinging from one tree to another, but I never saw them leap. Their throwing short sticks and excrements seems to be no more than a mimicking of the human actions without any purpose, as they neither have strength to throw far, nor dexterity to hit their objects, and if they befoul them it is by accident only. But what appears peculiarly remarkable is, that when one is hurt by a musket or arrow, the poor animal instantly claps its hand on the wound, looks at the blood, and with the most piteous lamentations ascends to the very top of the tree, in which he is assisted by his companions; where, hanging by the tail, he continues to bewail his fate, till by the loss of blood he grows totally faint, and drops down dead at the feet of his adversaries.

It is not so extraordinary that one of this species, when wounded, should be assisted by his companions in climbing; but that they should have so much knowledge in botany, as to procure vulnerary herbs, and chew and apply them to the wound, is what I cannot credit, though it is so confidently asserted by a late traveller: and as to the assistance they give in passing a river, by holding each other’s tails, and swinging till the lowermost is thrown up to the branch of a high tree, though I have a great opinion of Ulloa, who relates it, and has given a print of[12]it in a vignette; since he does not say he saw it himself, I must take the liberty to doubt this fact1, and even what he says he witnessed.

I must here mention another monkey that I saw at Colonel Fourgeoud’s house, which is in Surinam called thewanacoe, and is covered over with long black hair, like the quato; but its limbs are shorter and more hairy, and its face is a kind of dirty white. This monkey is the only one of the species that is not sociable, being constantly found alone; and so despicable is this solitary animal, that he is continually beaten and robbed of his food by all the others, from whom he is too lazy to escape, though too cowardly to fight.

Of the long-haired monkies, thesaccawinkeeis the smallest; indeed, I may say of all the monkies in[13]Guiana, if not in the world, being not much larger than a Norway rat.

This is a beautiful little animal, with blackish grey frizzled hair, a white face, and very bright shining eyes; its ears are large and naked, yet they are not very perceptible, being covered by the very long and white whiskers that grow round the whole visage of this little creature: its feet are not unlike those of a squirrel, and its tail is bushy and annulated. So very delicate is the saccawinkee, and so sensible of the cold, that scarcely one of them is brought to Europe alive, and if they are they very soon pine and die. The Dutch call them theshagarintee, from their being chagrined at the smallest trifle. In the annexed plate, I have delineated both those monkies, the large quato, and the small saccawinkee, thus endeavouring to correct with my pencil the deficiency of my pen.

On my return to the Magdenberg, I narrowly escaped being crushed to death by an enormous tree, which dropped by age just at my feet. These accidents frequently happen in the forest; this, however, only slightly wounded two or three of our marines. During this trip we had much rain, and were obliged to cross over a small creek. We cut down one of the palm-trees on the water’s edge, which falling across the river formed a temporary bridge.

I now paid a visit to the miserable negro who had been found with his throat cut, and who was so well as to[14]be able to converse; when he declared to me, that he committed this violent action with his own hand. The suspected officer and sentinel were, therefore, instantly acquitted. I asked him by what reason he had been incited to suicide? and he answered—“None.”

“I have,” said he, “as good a master and mistress as I could wish, and a family of my own that I much love: I had slept sound during the whole night till about four o’clock in the morning, when awaking I took my knife to pick my teeth with it, and instantaneously cut my throat without knowing why; but the moment after repented of what I had done. I then rose from my hammock and got into the canoe to wash myself, and try to bind up the wound, but stooping over the side and bleeding very fast, I turned faint and fell into the river. I was now no more able to get on board, or to cry for assistance. However, by struggling, I made shift to get on shore, where I fell down and lay helpless, till I was picked up by a boat going to Magdenberg; during all which time of nine days I had my perfect senses, and saw a tamanoir or ant-bear come to smell the putrid blood about my neck, who, on seeing me move, retired into the forest.”

I gave the poor man some Boston biscuits which I had got from Paramaribo, a large calibash with barley to make him some soup, and also some wine. This negro appeared to be about sixty years of age.

I now to my sorrow received a letter from Mr. Kennedy,[15]who was preparing to visit Holland, requesting that my boy Quaco might be returned to his estate. I accordingly sent him down with a letter, offering to buy him of his master as soon as it should be in my power to pay him.

On the 2d of April, Colonel Fourgeoud ordered all the sick remaining in the colony to Magdenberg, where he had erected an hospital and a large victualling magazine. Thus all the invalids from Clarenbeck arrived here, with surgeons, apothecaries, attendants, &c.: and here, in fact, as I said, the air was more healthy. At this period the old gentleman was particularly ill-natured, and abused both friend and foe without distinction; swearing, that not a soul should be exempt from duty, provided they could but stand on their legs. About this time a strong detachment was sent to the estate Bruyinsburgh in Comewina, where an insurrection was expected, the slaves refusing to work upon a Sunday; to which, however, they were driven by the lash of the whip.

It was now in the midst of the rainy season, that Fourgeoud declared his intention of scouring the woods; and, in consequence, gave orders for two strong columns to march the next day. The reason for chusing this season was, that if he could now dislodge the rebels they must starve for want, which would not be the case in the dry months, for then the forest abounds with fruits and roots of many kinds. This was, however, in my opinion, a false piece of generalship; if it be considered on the[16]other hand, the dreadful havock which the wet weather must produce among his troops, of which he killed, I suppose, at the rate of twenty to one rebel negro.

Fourgeoud was himself of a very strong constitution, having been used to hunting and shooting the whole of his life-time: to which he added temperance, and the daily use of his belovedptisan.

His dress consisted of nothing but a waistcoat, through one of the button-holes of which he wore his sword: on his head he wore a cotton night-cap, with a white beaver hat above it, and in his hand a cane; but he seldom carried his musket or his pistols. I have seen him all in rags and bare-footed, like the meanest soldier.

On the morning of the 3d of April, at six o’clock, the two columns set out upon their march, the one commanded by Colonel Seyburg, the other by Fourgeoud; to which last I had the honour to belong. Our poor men were now loaded like asses. They were ordered to put their fire-locks in their knapsacks, of course the muzzles excepted: this was to keep them from the rain, which absolutely poured in torrents. Our course was south by east, up among the banks of the Tempatee Creek, where we soon came to swamps, and were marching in the water above our knees.

During the first day’s march we met some very pretty squirrels, which are of several kinds in this country. Those that we saw were brown, with the belly white, the tail not so bushy; nor were they, upon the whole, so large[17]as those of Europe. There are also white squirrels in this country with red eyes, and flying squirrels. These, it is well known, have no wings, but a membrane between the fore and hinder leg, being a part of their skin, which, when they leap, expands like the wing of a bat, and by this, like a parachute, they rest upon the air, and in their flights are carried to a considerable distance.

On the 4th of April we marched again, our course south by east, till two o’clock, when we changed our course to south-south-west.

This day we passed by piles of fine timber, that were left there to rot since 1757, when the estates were demolished by the negro slaves who were in rebellion. Among these were thepurple-heart-tree, theiron-wood-tree, and thebourracourra, known in England by the name of Brazil.

The purple-heart-tree grows sometimes to the height of fourscore feet, and thick in proportion, with a smooth dark brown bark; the wood is of a beautiful purple colour and an agreeable smell, and is much esteemed on account of its weight and durability.

The iron-wood-tree, so called from the gravity and permanent quality of its timber, grows to about sixty feet in height, with a light-coloured bark. It is much valued by the natives as well as the Europeans, on account of its hardness in particular (resisting even the hatchet), and for taking a most beautiful bright polish. This wood sinks in water.[18]

The bourracourra, or brazil, grows to between thirty and forty feet high, but not very thick, with a reddish bark. The heart only of this tree is valuable, after the white pithy part is cut away, though then it is much diminished. This wood is as truly beautiful as it is useful, the colour being a fine crimson, variegated with irregular and fantastical black spots, from which, by the French, it is calledbois de lettres. It is heavy, hard, and durable, though rather brittle, and is capable of taking the brightest polish; this last is scarce in Guiana, but the others are more plentiful, growing on the highest grounds; where also is found ebony. The heavy trees, being shaped into timbers for sugar-mills, are chiefly sent to the English West India islands, and often sold for the price of fifty guineas each piece.

The word of command being again given on the 5th, we unslung our hammocks, then marched south-south-east, and south by east, through deep and dangerous marshes up to our breasts in water, and in very heavy rains; in which helpless situation we were suddenly alarmed, not by a party of rebels, but by a company of large monkies, which we discovered in the tops of the trees, knocking a kind of nuts against the branches to break them for their contents, with the greatest regularity, as it were keeping time alternately at every stroke, while some of them threw down their burthens; and a nut falling from a considerable height, broke the head of one of our marines. The sound of breaking these nuts, we had mistaken for the rebel negroes cutting wood with an axe.[19]

In the evening we encamped near the Tempatee Creek; where we made large fires, and built comfortable huts; thus this night we slept protected from the wet. Here we found the best water I ever tasted: and in the camp I saw two remarkable lizards, the one called thedevil of the woods, and the otheragama, in this country. The first is an ugly small lizard of a deep brown or blackish colour, which runs with amazing swiftness up and down the trees; it has no scales, a large head, and it is said to bite, which is supposed to be an uncommon property in a lizard. The other is called theMexican cameleon, which is remarkably splendid; and, like others of the kind, is endued with the property of changing its colour; but of its nature and qualities I can say little more, having never had the opportunity of a close examination. In Surinam there is also a species of lizard, known by the name ofsalamander, which also I never saw.

On the 6th we marched again, keeping due west till twelve o’clock, through very heavy rain and deep water; when we changed our course to the north, and passed over very high mountains, by many supposed to be pregnant with treasure.

“Rocks rich with gems, and mountains bright with mines,That on the high equator ridgy rise;Where many a bursting stream auriferous plays:Majestic woods of every vigorous green,Stage above stage high waving o’er the hills.”

“Rocks rich with gems, and mountains bright with mines,

That on the high equator ridgy rise;

Where many a bursting stream auriferous plays:

Majestic woods of every vigorous green,

Stage above stage high waving o’er the hills.”

Thomson.[20]

The two highest mountains in South America, are that peak of the Andes calledChimborazo, which measures 20,460 geometrical feet above the surface of the South Sea; having, though under the line, 4000 feet of its summit continually covered with snow. The other is that, on the slope of which is built the city of Quito, at theheightof 9,370 feet, and is thought to be the highest inhabited land in South America, if not in the world.

Sprig of the Arnotta, or Roucou Tree.Sprig of the Arnotta, or Roucou Tree.London, Published Decr.th. 1701, by Johnson St. Paul’s Church Yard.

Sprig of the Arnotta, or Roucou Tree.

London, Published Decr.th. 1701, by Johnson St. Paul’s Church Yard.

We still continued marching north, on the 7th, over mountains, from which, at intervals, we had undoubtedly the most enchanting prospects, as well from the wildness of the country, as the beautiful variegated verdure displayed in so many different shades through this amazing forest. Here I saw a bird which is called awoodcock, which appears to have much of the colour of those in Europe, but which flew very heavily; I was however informed, that it can run with incredible swiftness. But the objects which most attracted my attention were thearnotta-trees, a few of which we met with: of these I have copied one of the twigs with great exactness. This tree, which is also called therowcow, or theorlean-tree, and by the Indianscossowee, may rather be stiled a shrub, as it does not grow above twelve feet in height. The leaves are greener on one side than the other, and are divided by fibres of a reddish brown colour, as is also the stem; the pods, which are as large as a small hen’s egg, are bristled like the outer husk of a chesnut. At first they are a beautiful rose colour, which, as they[21]ripen, changes to a dark brown, when they burst open and display a rich crimson pulp, in which are contained seeds that are black, like those of a grape. The use of this pulp I have already described, when speaking of the Aborigines or Indians; and now I present the reader with a view of it, though from necessity on a small scale:—Ais the leaf above;Bthe same below;Cthe pod before it is yet ripe;Dthe same ripe, and exposing the crimson pulp;Ethe black seed covered over with part of the pulp. Here again I must take the liberty to observe, that therowcowplant, exhibited by the celebrated Madam Merian, is very unlike the original that I saw; and to my great surprize she says it grows on a large tree.

Having crossed an arm of the Mapanee Creek in the evening, we once more returned to our camp at Magdenberg; Mr. Noot, one of our officers, and several others, were so ill, that they were carried in their hammocks upon poles by the negro slaves, and a great number were so very weak that they could scarcely support the weight of their emaciated bodies; but to complain of sickness was to mutiny, till they dropped down almost ready to expire. During this expedition, in which we still perceived nothing of the enemy, I was remarkably fortunate, having neither suffered by fatigue, nor been persecuted by extraordinary bad usage. The succeeding day Colonel Seyburg’s column arrived, having, like us, seen no appearance of the rebels.

On the 9th, my boy Quaco returned from Paramaribo;[22]his master, Mr. Walter Kennedy, having, to my great joy, sold him to me for the sum of five hundred Dutch florins, amounting with the expences to near fifty pounds, for which Colonel Fourgeoud very civilly gave me a bill on his agent. The payment of this faithful servant’s ransom, of course revived my impatience for the long-wished moment of emancipation of my poor Joanna and her boy; from whose new master I had not yet received any answer.

While we continued here, a negro brought me a beautiful butterfly, which I copied with all the correctness I was master of; and which I saw since in Madam Merian’s collection, where it is coloured very ill. This fly was a dark blue tinged with green, and variegated with spots like a peacock’s feather, and on each wing it had a spot of pale yellow; the under part of the wings were a charming crimson and purple; the body a pale red.—The caterpillar is green and yellow; it is crowned with eight horns on the head, and has two on the tail. About the same time Captain Fredericy returned also from traversing the woods. He had a corporal drowned by slipping off a tree in crossing over a creek; which accident frequently happened, but the men were generally picked up, except this poor fellow, who sunk to the bottom instantly with all his accoutrements.

The Blue & Crimson Butterfly of South America.The Blue & Crimson Butterfly of South America.The Groe-groe, or Palm Tree Worms.London, Published Decr. 1st, 1791, by J. Johnson, St. Paul’s Church Yard.

The Blue & Crimson Butterfly of South America.

The Groe-groe, or Palm Tree Worms.

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

Another negro also brought me a regale ofgroe-groe, or cabbage-tree worms, as they are called in Surinam.[23]

This reptile is produced in a tree called themountain-cabbage-tree, which is one of the palm species. The worm grows to the size and thickness of a man’s thumb, is produced from the spawn of a black beetle, and is extremely fat. However disgusting to appearance, these worms are a delicious treat to many people, and they are regularly sold at Paramaribo. The manner of dressing them, is by frying them in a pan with a very little butter and salt, or spitting them on a wooden skewer. In taste they partake of all the spices of India, as mace, cinnamon, cloves, nutmegs, &c. Several species of these worms are produced in all the palm-trees when beginning to rot, but some are larger than others. They are all of a pale yellow colour, with black heads. In the plate annexed are represented the above-mentioned fine butterfly, and the cabbage-tree-worm, both of the natural size, taken from the life. By the Indians and negroes they are calledtoecoema.

On the 13th, a detachment departed for La Rochelle in Patamaca, and the following day a captain was sent with a few men back to the Hope, in Comewina, to protect the estates in that river.

On the same day, the miserable old negro who had cut his throat on the 5th day of March, but had since recovered, was seen by some slaves to enter the wood with a knife, from which he no more returned, being soon after found stabbed to death. We were afterwards informed by his master, that for some time before[24]he had attempted to do the same almost regularly from month to month.

On the 17th, the detachment returned from La Rochelle, where the troops of the Society were all sick.

Colonel Fourgeoud now treated me with the greatest politeness. And at his earnest request I presented him, on the 20th, with various drawings, representing himself and his troops struggling with the hardships annexed to the service they were sent on; and which drawings he told me were intended to shew thePrince of Orangeand theStatesa specimen of what he and his marines did undergo in the forests of Guiana.

He now gave me leave, for fourteen days, to go to town to wish Mr. Kennedy a prosperous voyage to Europe. Availing myself therefore of his good humour, I left Magdenberg within one hour, and made such dispatch that I came to Paramaribo on the 22d, where I found my friends and little family all well, at the house of Mr.de la Mare, to which they were immediately sent from that of Mr. Lolkens, who had, during my last absence, entertained them, and treated them with the greatest attention and hospitality.[25]

1It is most probable, that Ulloa took the account from Acosta’s History of the West Indies. This is his account, taken from a translation printed in 1604.“They leap where theylist, winding their tails about a branch to shake it, when they will leap farther than they can at once; they use a pretty device, tying themselves by the tails one of another, and by this means make as it were a chain of many, then do they launch themselves forth.”Acosta does not say he saw this himself; but to the following he professes he was an eye-witness. These are his words—“Isawone in Carthagene, in the governor’s house, so taught, as the things he did seemed incredible. They sent him to the tavern for wine, putting the pot in one hand and the money in the other; they could not possibly get the money out of his hand before he had his pot full of wine. If any children met him in the street, and threw stones at him, he would set his pot down and cast stones against the children, till he had assured his way; then would he return to carry home his pot. And, which is more, although he were a good bibber of wine, yet he would never touch it till leave was given him.”↑

1It is most probable, that Ulloa took the account from Acosta’s History of the West Indies. This is his account, taken from a translation printed in 1604.“They leap where theylist, winding their tails about a branch to shake it, when they will leap farther than they can at once; they use a pretty device, tying themselves by the tails one of another, and by this means make as it were a chain of many, then do they launch themselves forth.”Acosta does not say he saw this himself; but to the following he professes he was an eye-witness. These are his words—“Isawone in Carthagene, in the governor’s house, so taught, as the things he did seemed incredible. They sent him to the tavern for wine, putting the pot in one hand and the money in the other; they could not possibly get the money out of his hand before he had his pot full of wine. If any children met him in the street, and threw stones at him, he would set his pot down and cast stones against the children, till he had assured his way; then would he return to carry home his pot. And, which is more, although he were a good bibber of wine, yet he would never touch it till leave was given him.”↑

1It is most probable, that Ulloa took the account from Acosta’s History of the West Indies. This is his account, taken from a translation printed in 1604.“They leap where theylist, winding their tails about a branch to shake it, when they will leap farther than they can at once; they use a pretty device, tying themselves by the tails one of another, and by this means make as it were a chain of many, then do they launch themselves forth.”Acosta does not say he saw this himself; but to the following he professes he was an eye-witness. These are his words—“Isawone in Carthagene, in the governor’s house, so taught, as the things he did seemed incredible. They sent him to the tavern for wine, putting the pot in one hand and the money in the other; they could not possibly get the money out of his hand before he had his pot full of wine. If any children met him in the street, and threw stones at him, he would set his pot down and cast stones against the children, till he had assured his way; then would he return to carry home his pot. And, which is more, although he were a good bibber of wine, yet he would never touch it till leave was given him.”↑

1It is most probable, that Ulloa took the account from Acosta’s History of the West Indies. This is his account, taken from a translation printed in 1604.

“They leap where theylist, winding their tails about a branch to shake it, when they will leap farther than they can at once; they use a pretty device, tying themselves by the tails one of another, and by this means make as it were a chain of many, then do they launch themselves forth.”

Acosta does not say he saw this himself; but to the following he professes he was an eye-witness. These are his words—“Isawone in Carthagene, in the governor’s house, so taught, as the things he did seemed incredible. They sent him to the tavern for wine, putting the pot in one hand and the money in the other; they could not possibly get the money out of his hand before he had his pot full of wine. If any children met him in the street, and threw stones at him, he would set his pot down and cast stones against the children, till he had assured his way; then would he return to carry home his pot. And, which is more, although he were a good bibber of wine, yet he would never touch it till leave was given him.”↑

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