The discovery of Guiana, by some called “the Wild Coast,” has been long (though with uncertainty) attributed to the Spanish commander Vasco Nunes, who, in the year 1504, after discovering Cuba to be an island, landed on the continent of South America, penetrated as far as between the rivers Oroonoko and Amazon, and comprehended that country in the extensive tract of land, to which, in contradiction to Cuba and the adjacent islands, he gave the name of Terra Firma.

This country, the length of which is about 1220, and the breadth about 680 geographical miles, is situated between eight degrees twenty minutes north, and three degrees south latitude, and between fifty and seventy degrees twenty minutes west longitude from the meridian of London, in the N. E. part of South America. Its boundaries are marked by the rivers Viapary or Oroonoko on the N. W. and by the Maranon or river Amazon on the S. E.—The N. E. is washed by the Atlantic Ocean; and the river Negris, or Black river, terminates its extent on the S. W. which form it into a kind of island, and separate it from New Grenada, Peru, and the Brazils.

Though situated, like Guinea, under the Torrid Zone, [31]the heats in Guiana are much more supportable than those on that part of the African coast. The scorching rays of the sun are in Guiana daily tempered by cooling breezes from the sea; while in Guinea the intense heat is increased by the wind blowing continually over the land, and in its passage traversing numerous sandy desarts. The easterly or trade winds, which generally blow between the Tropics, are extremely refreshing to the coast of Guiana, between the hours of eight or ten in the morning, and six o’clock in the evening, when they cease to operate, and a zephyr is scarcely ever heard to whisper during the night. These winds are succeeded by thick fogs, and vapours exhaled from the earth, which render the nights in this country not only very chilly, but extremely damp and unhealthy. The length of the days and nights in Guiana never varies much more than forty minutes during the course of the year, as the sun always rises about six in the morning, and sets at the same hour in the evening.

The rainy and dry seasons which divide the year, as cold and warm weather divide it in Europe, may be termed the winter and summer of this country. There is however one remarkable difference between the European seasons and those in Guiana, which is, that Guiana has annually two winters and two summers, which are distinguished from each other by the appellation of the greater and the smaller, not because the rains are less violent in the two latter seasons, or the heat less intense, but from an opinion which has prevailed, that their period of duration is but about half as long as that of the [32]former. This distinction however appears to be more imaginary than real, as far as respects the rainy seasons; for as these downfalls of water only take place when the sun is vertical, which it is near the line twice a year, and for an equal portion of time, the continuance of the rains will probably be equal in both seasons.

The difference between the dry seasons indeed may be accounted for from the greater commencing in Surinam at the time when the sun is about to cross the equator in its course to the tropic of Capricorn, often in October, when a continual drought and scorching heat begin to take place, till its return in March. This is succeeded by violent uninterrupted rains till June, during which time the sun has travelled to the tropic of Cancer, and a short season of parching heat again takes place, till about July, which is once more followed by incessant rains till October, and thus the revolution of the different seasons is completed1.

The continuance of the rains during the time when the sun is vertical in this climate, is necessary to the existence of animal and vegetable life, which without these seasonable refreshments must languish and expire under the fervid influence of its rays. But though I have mentioned stated periods for the variations of the [33]seasons in Guiana, yet it is necessary to remark that these changes are not uniformly produced at the same time, but, like the European seasons, occasionally vary. The changes are always accompanied by tremendous claps of thunder, and very vivid flashes of lightning, which continue during several weeks, and are frequently fatal both to the cattle and inhabitants of this country.

Some parts of Guiana present a barren and mountainous aspect, but in general the soil is abundantly fruitful, the earth during the whole of the year adorned with continual verdure, the trees loaded at the same time with blossoms and ripe fruit, and the whole presenting to the view the delightful union of spring and summer. This general appearance of fertility, particularly in Surinam, may be ascribed not only to the rains and warmth in this climate, but also to its low and marshy situation, which prevents the intense heats from destroying vegetation, and from the extreme richness of the soil, particularly in those parts which are cultivated by European industry. It must indeed be confessed, that such situations are far from being favourable to health; but the spirit of gain is a very powerful principle, and the certainty of present profit will generally be considered as a weighty counterpoise to those evils which, if ever encountered, appear at a considerable distance; and as they are sometimes escaped, may be always esteemed as uncertain.

The uncultivated parts of Guiana are covered with [34]immense forests, rocks, and mountains; some of the latter enriched with a great variety of mineral substances; and the whole country is intersected by very deep marshes or swamps, and by extensive heaths or savannas. The stream along the coast flows continually towards the north-west; and the whole shore is rendered almost inaccessible from its being covered with dangerous banks, quicksands, bogs, and rocks, with prodigious bushes, and a large quantity of brushwood, which are so closely interwoven as to be impenetrable.

The Spanish, Portugueze, and Dutch, are the only nations which possess settlements in this part of Terra Firma, excepting the small colony of Cayenne, belonging to the French, which is situated between the river Marawina and Cape Orange. The dominions in Guiana, subject to Spain, are situated on the banks of the Oronoque, and those of Portugal extend along the shores of the river Amazon. The Dutch settlements, which spread along the coasts of the Atlantic ocean, and reach from Cape Nassau to the river Marawina, are Essequibo, Demerary, Berbice, and Surinam2; the last of which is the most extensive and valuable, and that portion of the Dutch possessions to which the succeeding account will be chiefly confined. This industrious nation endeavoured, in the year 1657, to establish a small colony on the banks of the river Poumeron, but in 1666 this settlement [35]was demolished by the English. Nor were they more successful in one which they founded in 1677, on the river Wiapoko or Oyapocko, which was immediately invaded and destroyed by the French.

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

The principal rivers that belong to this settlement are the river Surinam, from which the colony takes its name, the Corantine, the Copename, the Seramica, and the Marawina. Of those rivers the first only is navigable, the rest, not excepting the Marawina, being, though very long and broad, so shallow, and so extremely crouded with rocks and small islands, that they are of little consequence to Europeans, nor are their banks inhabited except by some of the Indians or natives of the country. The river Surinam, whose mouth is situated in about six degrees north latitude, is, at its entrance, nearly the breadth of four English miles, and in depth from sixteen to eighteen feet at low-water mark, the tide rising and falling above twelve feet; this breadth and depth is continued from its mouth upwards to the distance of eight or ten miles, when it divides itself into [36]two branches, winding to the S. S. E. for the length of upwards of 120 miles. All this extent is navigable for small craft, but beyond this distance the river proceeds directly south; sometimes in its course surrounding small islands, and sometimes forming small cataracts. The source of this beautiful river has never yet been discovered by Europeans. All large vessels, after entering the Surinam, ought to keep rather near the east shore; the opposite side being very full of shoals, as far as the town of Paramaribo, which is about eighteen miles from its mouth. The other branch, into which this large river is divided, is named Comawina, and keeps due east for about sixteen miles, with a depth of about three or four fathom at high-water mark; but as the tide makes a difference of twelve feet, it is not considered as navigable for any ships of burthen, though its breadth may be computed at about two miles. At the distance of sixteen miles, the river Comawina is again divided into two branches, one of which bears the same name to the S. E. for a length of above fifty miles, and that of Cottica to the E. S. E. for more than forty miles, when this last takes a meandring course to the S. S. W. for the distance of twenty-four or thirty miles. Into all these rivers, the courses of which are not straight but serpentine, are discharged a number of very large creeks or rivulets, the banks of which are inhabited by Europeans, and cultivated with sugar, cocoa, cotton, and indigo plantations, which form the most delightful prospects that [37]can be imagined to those who travel by water, the universal mode of journeying in this country, as the soil is in general ill adapted for the construction of roads; and in some places the woods, &c. are absolutely impenetrable, a small path of communication between Paramaribo and the river Seramica being the only passable road that I know of in the settlement. The rivers whose banks are uncultivated, such as the Corantine, Copename, Seramica, and Marawina, afford but little matter for description: it is therefore only necessary to remark, that they are generally from two to four miles in breadth, exceedingly shallow, and crowded with quicksands, small islands, and rocks, which form a number of beautiful cascades. In the river Marawina is frequently found a curious stone or pebble, which is known by the name of the Marawina diamond, and which being polished, bears a very near resemblance to that most valuable gem, and is consequently often set in rings, &c. &c. In all the above rivers, without exception, the water rises and falls for more than sixty miles from the mouth, occasioned by the stoppage of the freshes by the tide; yet fresh water may generally be met with about twenty-four or thirty miles from the mouths of these rivers for watering the ships. The water of the river Surinam is accounted the most excellent, and is brought by the sailors from as far as the Jew Savannah, which is above forty miles from the town of Paramaribo. The circumstance [38]most injurious to ships in these rivers is, that their bottoms are often affected by a kind of water-worm, the ravages of which are the most effectually prevented by frequently careening the vessels, in order that they may be properly cleaned, scraped, caulked, and payed. For that purpose the coal-tar, invented by the Earl of Dundonald, (for which a patent of twelve years was granted to him) is greatly preferable to any other material which can be applied for this use.

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

It may be perhaps expected, in this place, that I should add a few words concerning the defence of the above rivers, though that is a subject which I purpose to treat more at large on another occasion. On the east side of the mouth of the river Surinam is a small promontory, called Braam’s Point, which I think originally had been named Pram’s, or Parham’s Point, after Francis Lord Willoughby of Parham, to whom this settlement was granted by King Charles the Second in 1662, and which spot is supposed to be the first on which Lord Willoughby landed in 1652, ten years before he obtained the charter from his sovereign. This point is not fortified; but about eight miles upwards are two [39]redoubts, one on each side of the river, called Leyden and Purmerent, and a little higher up is the new fortress called Amsterdam, built on the point of land which separates the two rivers, Surinam and Comewina, from each other; and whose fire, crossing with that of the two redoubts, protects the entry of both these rivers.

Near the town of Paramaribo, and about six or seven miles from the fortress Amsterdam, is the citadel which bears the name of Fort Zealandia, protecting the town and all the shipping in the roads; and about sixteen miles from Fort Amsterdam, on Rio Comewina, is a fortress called Somelsdyk, which commands the two opposite shores, viz. those of Rio Comewina and Rio Cottica. Besides these, there are military posts on the Corantine, the Seramica, and Marawina. Next to these is a strong guard at the mouth of the Mott Creek, about thirty miles below the river Surinam, where a fire-beacon or light-house is erected on the coast, to warn the ships bound for the river that they are past the mouth of the dangerous Marawina. This guard also fires a few guns, to apprize the colony when ships are within view and steering for the coast. Along the higher parts of the rivers Surinam, Comewina, and Cottica, advanced guards are also continually kept, to protect the inhabitants from inland invasions by the Indians or fugitive negroes. In these fortifications consists the principal defence of this settlement; besides a small armed bark or guarda-costa, which [40]cruises between the river Marawina and Berbice, to give intelligence in case of any threatening danger to the colony.

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

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

In 1595 it was visited by Sir Walter Raleigh, under Queen Elizabeth, who also sailed up the river Oronoque above 600 miles, in search of the supposed El Dorado, and in hopes of discovering the gold-mines, of which he had the most lively expectations, from samples of a [41]marcasite, which the Spaniards call Madre de Oro3. In 1634, a Captain Marshall, with about sixty English, were discovered in Surinam employed in planting tobacco, according to the relation of David Piterse de Vries, a Dutchman, who conversed with them upon the spot. In 1640, Surinam was inhabited by the French, who were obliged to leave it soon after, on account of the frequent invasions which they justly suffered from the Caribbean Indians, for having, like their neighbours the Spaniards, treated them with the most barbarous cruelties. In the year 1650, this colony being vacant, Francis Lord Willoughby of Parham, by King Charles the Second’s permission, sent thither one vessel, equipped by himself, to take possession of it in the name of his royal master; a little after which he dispatched three vessels more, one of them carrying twenty guns. All these were well received by the Indians or inhabitants of the country, with whom they entered into friendly treaties, and a kind of negociation. Two years after this Lord Willoughby went over himself, and leaving several good and wholesome laws and regulations for the government and defence of the colony, returned to England, whence he continued to supply the settlement at his own expence with men and ammunition. On the second day of June, [42]1662, the colony of Surinam was granted by charter of Charles the Second to Francis Lord Willoughby, and at that lord’s desire to be divided with Lawrence Hide, second son of Edward Earl of Clarendon, for them and their descendants for ever: the original record of this charter is to be found in the chapel of the Rolls. In 1664, the English captured the New Netherlands, since called New-York, from the Dutch.

In the year 1665, Surinam was successfully cultivated, mostly by planting tobacco. They had also raised above forty fine sugar plantations, and erected a strong fortress of hewn stone for their defence. It is proper however to remark, that some suppose these improvements were effected by the Portuguese, though at what period is uncertain; while the French strenuously dispute the point, and insist that they were the work of Monsieur Ponsert de Bretigny, when France had possession of that country. However this may be, the fortress is situated about sixteen or eighteen miles from the mouth of the river Surinam, and these industrious settlers found themselves perfectly happy in a small town which they had built under the walls. Their felicity was not of long duration; for in the wars between Charles the Second and the United Provinces, the Dutch having been driven in 1661 from the Brazils by the Portuguese, took the colony of Surinam from the English in 1667, under the command of a Captain Abraham Criuvon, who was dispatched [43]for that purpose by the province of Zealand, with three ships of war and 300 marines. The English commander, William Biam, lost the settlement of Surinam by surprize, when above 600 of the best men in the colony were at work on the sugar plantations. This neglect appears from the trifling loss of the Dutch, who in storming the citadel had but one man killed. They immediately planted the Prince of Orange’s flag on the ramparts, and gave now to this fortress the name of Zealandia, and that of New Middleburge to the town of Paramaribo, after making the inhabitants, amongst other contributions, pay one hundred thousand pounds weight of sugar, and sending a number of them to the island of Tobago. This event took place in February, and in July following the peace was concluded at Breda. But, most unluckily for the new possessors of Surinam, it was concluded unknown to the English commodore, Sir John Harman, who in October that same year, having first taken Cayenne from the French, entered the river with a strong fleet of seven ships of war, two bomb-ketches, &c. and retook the colony from the Dutch, killing on this occasion above fifty of their men, and destroying nine pieces of cannon in Fort Zealandia. The new inhabitants were now in their turn laid under contribution, and the Dutch garrison were transported as prisoners to the island of Barbadoes.

At the discovery, in Surinam, that the peace had been concluded in Europe between the contending powers, [44]before Commodore Harman retook the colony from the Dutch, considerable tumult and disorder took place among the inhabitants, who knew not whom they ought to acknowledge as their lawful sovereign. At length, by an order of King Charles, the settlement was ceded to the Dutch, in 1669, when twelve hundred of the old inhabitants, English and negroes together, left it, and went to settle on the island of Jamaica. At the close of the succeeding war, it was agreed by the treaty of Westminster that Surinam should be the property of the Dutch for ever, in exchange for the province of New-York, which accordingly took place in the year 1674; and after this period the colony of Surinam was never more in the possession of Great Britain. In 1678, a Mr. Heynsius was governor of the colony, and a Captain. Lightenburgh commander of the troops.

The Dutch for the first few years enjoyed little satisfaction in their new possessions, as they were daily harrassed by the invasions of the Carribbean Indians, to whom they were much more obnoxious than the English had been: indeed they carried their resentment so far as to murder several of the Dutch settlers. In addition to this, the province of Zealand, to which the colony properly belonged, being perpetually at variance with the other United Provinces concerning the sovereignty of this settlement, and not being of themselves able to support the great expence which was requisite for its preservation and defence, at last resolved to sell the whole to the Dutch West India [45]Company; which they did in the year 1682, for the sum of £.23,636 sterling, including all the warlike stores, ammunition, &c. amongst which were fifty pieces of cannon. At the same time they obtained a charter from their high mightinesses the States General, exempting them from duty for ten years. A few months after this, however, the West India Company, notwithstanding the above charter of indemnification, finding the other necessary expences of the settlement also too great for them, again transferred two-thirds of the colony of Surinam, the one to the town of Amsterdam, the other to the house of Somelsdyk, at the same price for which they had bought it, and these three together formed a society, to whom (still under the sanction of their high mightinesses) was some time afterwards intrusted, by a resolution of the States General, the sole and entire direction of the affairs of this country.

Such was the situation of Surinam, and in this manner all matters were finally settled, when Cornelius Van Aarsen, lord of Somelsdyk (as being one of the proprietors) went over with three hundred men, with whom he also took some felons sentenced for transportation. At his arrival, in 1684, he took the command as governor general of the colony. He then created a court of policy, to assist in the administration of justice; with the members of which, as well as with the inhabitants, he lived in a state of continual dissension. The consequence was, that they sent several complaints against him to Europe, notwithstanding [46]he had made a favourable peace with the Caribbee, Warowa, and Arawakka Indians, as well as with a few run-away negroes, who had been settled at Rio Copename since the English left the colony.

This unfortunate gentleman’s reign, however, lasted but a short space, viz. till the year 1688, when on the same day both the governor and deputy governor, Mr. Verboom, were murdered by their own soldiers, owing, as was alledged, to their having not only forced the men to work like negroes in digging canals, &c. but also obliged them to subsist on very bad and short allowance, which drove them to this act of desperation4.—I am sorry to say this treatment is too frequently the case in the settlements, as I shall afterwards have occasion to prove. Such indeed was the confidence of these assassins, that they offered to give in their defence, and assign their reasons for committing this act of cruelty.

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

The governor was walking under a grove of orange-trees, near his own house, with Mr. Verboom, when unexpectedly ten or twelve armed soldiers (seemingly drunk) accosted them, and immediately insisted on less work and better subsistence. The governor drawing his [47]sword to force them back, was instantaneously shot through the body in many places, and died upon the spot; his companion, on the other hand, received but one wound, and did not expire till the ninth day after. This done, the rioters, accompanied by several accomplices, marched in triumph to Fort Zealandia, which they took without resistance, and made themselves masters of the gunpowder and victualling magazines. After this, the garrison having joined them, they formed a ring, and chose out from among them a commander in chief, and several other officers to whom they all swore to be faithful, as also to each other, to the last drop of their blood. What is very remarkable, is, that their new chief, the very same afternoon, ordered the body of the massacred governor, Somelsdyk, to be interred in Fort Zealandia with decency and military honours; and even the great guns were fired from the walls, and three rounds with small arms by the rebels.

The magistrates and other inhabitants of Surinam now beheld themselves in a most unpleasant situation, and were obliged even to enter into a capitulation with the insurgents in the fort, the principal articles of which were, that the latter should evacuate Fort Zealandia, for which they were to receive a few hundred pounds; that they were then to be permitted to embark on board the transport ship Salamander, to quit the colony without molestation, and to set sail for what part of the world they should prefer: they accordingly, to the amount of above one [48]hundred, were sent on board; but no sooner did they prepare to weigh anchor for their departure, than the ship was boarded by several small vessels, privately armed and manned for the purpose. The rebels were compelled to surrender at discretion, and a few days after were tried for murder and rebellion; when eleven of the ringleaders were executed, three of them were broke alive upon the rack, and eight were hanged on the gallows in irons. The rest obtained their pardon; but being no longer to be depended on, were gradually discharged from the colonial service, when others could be procured to replace them.

In the following year the widow of Somelsdyk offered to transfer her portion in this settlement to King William the Third, but to no purpose; while a Mr. Scherpenhuysen was sent over to Surinam from Holland, with a fresh supply of men and ammunition, to take the command in the room of the late Lord of Somelsdyk, as governor of the colony. Mr. Scherpenhayzoen, at his arrival, finding every thing in the utmost confusion, in order to apply the speediest means of redress, established a court of justice, which differed from that formed by his predecessor, Governor Somelsdyk, in this particular, that the former is invested with the management of all military and criminal affairs, and the latter with that of all civil processes and pecuniary matters. Both of these courts still remain, and of both the governor is always president.

This gentleman was also very diligent in establishing [49]many good laws and institutions; and had just begun to put the colony in a proper state of defence (of which at this time it stood greatly in need) against its domestic and foreign enemies, when war was declared between France and the United Provinces; and the same year the settlement of Surinam was attacked by Admiral Ducasse with a strong fleet, which, however, Governor Scherpenhayzon very courageously beat off, after they had begun to cannonade Fort Zealandia.

In 1692 Jeronimus Clifford, an Englishman, was condemned to be hanged (which sentence was changed to seven years imprisonment in the fortress Somelsdyk) on pretence of having insulted a magistrate who had arrested him for debt. On application, however, from the court of Great Britain, he was set at liberty in 1695, by desire of the King, when he made a demand on the colony of 20,000 guineas, for damages and false imprisonment; which being refused, his heirs have continued to claim it since 1700 to so late as 1762, but hitherto without obtaining any satisfaction.

During the succeeding war which happened in 1712, the French Commodore Jaques Cassard, met with the same reception from Governor De Gooyer, which Ducasse had experienced from Scherpenhayzon before Zealandia; but four months after he returned with better success, and laid the colony under contribution for a sum of about 56,618l. sterling. It was on the 10th of October that he [50]entered the river of Surinam, with six or eight ships of war, accompanied by a number of small vessels, in which fleet were embarked 3000 men. The largest ships were Le Neptune of 74, on board which he himself commanded

The 11th Cassard sent a long-boat with a white flag, and an officer to treat with the inhabitants for contributions, which, if they refused to pay, he threatened to bombard the town of Paramaribo5. The boat, however, was obliged to return on board without any satisfactory answer. The river Surinam, just before Fort Zealandia, being above a mile in breadth, the Meduse and several flat-bottomed vessels with French troops, being favoured by a very dark night, found means to sail up beyond Paramaribo without being observed by the Dutch, with an intention to plunder the sugar and coffee plantations [51]that are situated above that town: but on the 15th, the besieged prepared two large flat-bottomed barges filled with combustible matters, such as old junk, tar-barrels, &c. and anchored them on the other side of the river, directly opposite to the town, to which fire being applied, both were set in a blaze, and discovered the smallest boats of the enemy as they tried to get up the river through the darkness of the night. Thus discovered, few escaped without damage from the guns of the fort, and those of the trading vessels that lay in the roads, who sunk some of the flat-bottomed boats, a great part of the crews of which were drowned. This stratagem, however, did not prevent Cassard’s people, who had hasted forward, from pillaging and setting on fire the plantations; while he himself, having at last anchored before the town of Paramaribo, threw above thirty shells into it, and kept up a close cannonade both upon that and Fort Zealandia, till the 20th of October, when he sent a second message with one of his captains to the Dutch, demanding of them finally, whether they would capitulate and pay contribution, which, if they now dared to refuse, he threatened fire and destruction to the whole settlement.

The Dutch finding their ruin inevitable if they persisted, demanded three days cessation of hostilities to deliberate, which being granted, they at last complied with commodore Cassard’s demands; and accordingly on the 27th, a treaty of twenty-four articles being settled between [52]them, they paid the demanded contribution of 56,618l. sterling to the French, principally in sugar, negro slaves, &c. having but little gold or silver in the colony. This was no sooner accomplished, than the commodore weighed anchor, on the 6th of December, 1712, and with his whole fleet left the settlement of Surinam. [53]