2D. AS TO THE INTERIOR. During the period under consideration, British occupation in the interior was limited to a single post at the junction of the Essequibo, Cuyuni and Mazaruni. At no time was there a pretence of anything beyond this. Above the falls of these three rivers the interior was practically unknown to the British. Mr. Rodway, speaking apparently of the time of the earliest British conquest in 1796, says that for the three rivers, Essequibo, Mazaruni and Cuyuni, there was only one post which was "always near the junction of the three rivers." He states that it was not, "however, quite settled; at one time, the site of the present Penal Settlement was chosen; then it was at Ampa, and at another time at Bartica;" and he adds that, "all of these places are near the junction of the three rivers." In explanation of the fact that only one post was kept up in the interior, Mr. Rodway adds that "neither the King's nor Colony Chest could afford to keep up more than one," and, therefore, "that single post must be in a convenient place." Further light is thrown upon the location of this post by a report of H. W. Knollman, styled Protector of Indians in the Essequibo, made in 1808. Speaking of the postholder (evidently of this same Essequibo post), he says: "The Postholder, Wahl, wishes to change the Post and bring the same to a certain hill, from whence he can oversee the three mouths of the rivers Essequibo, Cajoeñy, and Massaroeny, and from whence he can communicate by signals with his Assistant at Bartica."+ * Appendix to Case, iii, 357. Same, p. 357. British occupation in the interior. Rodway, 1796. Knollman, 1808 Knoelman, 1808. 1835. This removal was allowed by the Court of Policy on April 29, 1808.* Schomburgk, In a letter of September 25, 1835, existing at the Government office at Demerara, and published by Mr. Rodway, Schomburgk speaks of this post as the post "at Cuyuni." In a letter of October 1, 1835, he calls it "post Essequibo." He also calls it the "post on the Cuyuni.” Later Schomburgk writes that on his return in 1836 he found that the post had been removed to Ampa. Ampa is a village on the right or eastern bank of the Essequibo, below the Cuyuni. Hilhouse, 1830-31. Schomburgk, 1835. In 1830 Mr. William Hilhouse made his first exploration of the Mazaruni. The following year he continued his work of exploration. His account throws light upon the location of the former extreme Dutch establishment in this quarter, shown also by Schomburgk on his map and erroneonsly called "a post" by Hilhouse. He says: "We halted the first night, to increase our stock of bread, at Caria island, about three hours above the post. Caria was once a Dutch post; and several plantations were formerly on the adjacent banks of the river, but the only traces of them now left are a few cocoa trees on the east shore. Above Caria, on a small island, is a Caribisce settlement of one family, which is the only one of that nation now left on the Massaroony. Here begin the rapids, the fourth of which, Warimambo, is the most remarkable in this day's progress." + Referring to his movements in the last week of September, 1835, Schomburgk writes that, having gone up the Essequibo to the confluence, "We here left the main stream and sailed five miles up the Cuyuni to the post or station of the postholder, which stands in a beautiful situation on a mass of granite full 50 feet above the water, commanding a view of the three rivers-the Essequibo, the Cuyuni and Mazeruni, over which it is his duty to watch." t * Appendix to Case, iii, 358. Royal Geogr. Soc. Journ., London, 1834, vol. 4, pp. 27-28. In Colonel St. Clair's work, above cited, speaking of Berbice, he writes as follows regarding the interior of the country in 1834: 66 'As I have before stated, the northerly boundary of this colony is the sea. The southerly, as in the rest of our settlements in Guiana, is undetermined, which, however, at this period is immaterial, as the Europeans in this country seem to be afraid of leaving the seashore, apparently anxious not to expose themselves to the fury of the native Indians, or to the vengeance of their black slaves, and therefore keeping within sight of their shipping."* Codazzi's Atlas, published in 1840, contains a special map of the region in dispute,† and gives the site of the former Dutch fort as on the Cuyuni and at the mouth of the Tupuru, a short distance above the confluence of the Cuyuni and Mazaruni. It gives nothing, either Dutch or British, beyond that point. Schomburgk's official report of August, 1841, contains the following statement, clearly indicating that, at that time, there was no occupation above the lowest falls of the Cuyuni: "But the difficulties which the Cuyuni presents to navigation, and those tremendous falls which impede the river in the first day's ascent, will, I fear, prove a great obstacle to making the fertility of its banks available to the colony."‡ Ordinance of The present penal settlement at the junction of the three rivers was established in pursuance of an Ordi- April 9, 1842. nance passed April 9, 1842. The wording of this Or dinance is confirmatory of what has already been stated with regard to the location of the prior "Cuyuni" or "Essequibo" post. It is as follows: "Whereas it has been deemed expedient to erect and establish *St. Clair (T. S.) Residence in the West Indies and America, etc., chap. 10. London, 1834, vol. 一, + Appendix to Case, atlas, map 80. Appendix to Case, iii, 119-120. Ordinance of April 9, 1842. Local Guide, 1843. No extension of a penal settlement at the old Post, near the junction of the Massaroony River with the River Essequibo, etc."* The "Local Guide" for 1843, after speaking of the few scattered woodcutters inhabiting the banks of the Essequibo, continues as follows: "Above the rapids, which occur about 50 miles from its (Essequibo's) mouth, there are no inhabitants except Indians. The same is the case with the two great tributaries of the Essequibo, the Cayuni and the Mazaruni, which come from the west and the southwest. These rivers unite about eight miles from the Essequibo, and their united stream joins that river about forty miles from its mouth. A short distance above their junction these rivers become impeded by rapids, above which they are frequented only by a few wandering Indians. At their point of union with the Essequibo, called Bartica, is an Indian Missionary settlement; and three or four miles up their united stream, on the left bank, is the Colonial Penal Settlement, where the Colonial convicts, sentenced to hard labor, are employed in working a fine quarry of granite."t There is no evidence of any extension of British setBritish occupa tlement or occupation into the interior between this last date and the year 1850. tion. The above evidence, gathered from the statements of British officials and British documents, makes it clear that, at least as late as 1850, that is to say, less than 50 years ago, British occupation of the Essequibo, so far as its western bank was concerned, differed from Dutch occupation of the same river in 1648 only because of a few plantations along the Arabian or Arabisi coast. Actual settlement along the coast did not extend as far west as the Pomeroon; and, in the interior, except for a penal settlement, and a mission at or near the former site of fort Kykoveral, there was no settlement or occupation whatever. * Local Guide of British Guiana, Demerara, 1843, p. 27. + Local Guide of British Guiana, Demerara, 1843, p. ii. 2d.-CONDITION OF ESSEQUIBO COLONY. A glance at the general condition of the colony itself during the first half of this century will disclose the fact that, like its predecessor of two hundred years be fore, it was generally on the brink of ruin; and that its continued existence, at least west of the Essequibo, was at times very doubtful. A brief reference will be made to but a few of the facts upon which this statement is based. To begin with, during the opening years of the century, the Spaniards seem to have had as little regard for British rights west of the Essequibo, as they had formerly had for Dutch rights in the same region. The planters of the Arabian coast-the only planters west of the Essequibo--suffered constant attacks from the Spaniards; and in November, 1807, petitioned the Court of Policy for protection.* Precarious condition of colony. Spanish attacks on Arabian coast. Abolition of African slave But it was not from the Spaniards alone that the planters suffered damage. This same year of 1807 saw trade, 1807. the abolition of the African slave trade, the first of those steps which in 1838 resulted in the total abolition of slavery from the Colony. † It was a blow to However much applause the abolition of this inhuman trade may merit, it certainly came as a severe blow to the Colony. the struggling planters whose dependence upon their slaves was complete. The blow itself came at a most inopportune moment. It came when the colony was already in a moribund condition. * Appendix to Case, iii, 324. Slave catching by the Caribs had ceased by this time. This once powerful tribe had gradually dwindled in numbers, and a little later had become so reduced that Schomburgk, in 1840, wrote that there remained but few in British Guiana. He adds: "The Caribs inhabit the lower Mazaruni and Cuyuni; about 100 are located at the Corentyn, 80 at the Rupununi, 30 at the Guidaru, and their whole number (once the lords of the soil) does not at present surpass 300." [Schomburgk (R. H.), Description of British Guiana, London, 1840, p. 50; see also Appendix to Case, iii, 325.] |