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Relations of the Dutch with the Caribs.

Dependence of the Colony on its Indian allies.

* *

"The Caraibans were not at work very long, having killed seven men, one woman and one girl. * They have brought the seven right hands to me, and I am just now occupied in paying them."*

The Dutch dependence upon the Caribs is excellently depicted in a letter written by Gravesande on May 12, 1769, in which he says "the outlook is daily becoming blacker for the colony," and adds:

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"I asked the Caraiban Owl this morning whether the Caraibans were no longer men and whether they had no hands with which to defend themselves, whereupon he replied, Indeed, they have; but the Spaniards have guns, and we only bows and arrows. Give us rifles, powder, and shot, and we will show you what we are.' Even had I been inclined to do so I could not, having no further supply of these than just sufficient for the garrison."t

This dependence of the colony on its Indian allies and the submission of the latter to the Spaniards, is shown by the following extract from a letter of Gravesande, January 6, 1772. He says:

"The former Postholders in Maroco were able to do something to arrest the progress of this evil, they having at least six or seven hundred Indians around that post, some of whom they could always have out at sea, but the unauthorized attacks of the Spaniards have driven these natives away, and the Spaniards even came to the post, as your lordships know, sword in hand, to drive away or carry off the few that still remained, and succeeded only too well in doing so."

* Blue Book, 3, 154.

Appendix to Case, ii, 191.

Appendix to Case, ii, 218.

XI. SPANISH CONTROL AND SETTLEMENT IN 1725-1800.

THE DISPUTED TERRITORY.

With such scanty defence no wonder that the Dutch were in fear of the Spaniards. No doubt they had reason for this: a statement of Spanish strength and activity during this period will show it.

Turning to this it will be convenient to consider:

Dutch fear of the Spaniards.

1. THE COAST REGION.

From the Orinoco to the Essequibo the Spaniards claimed dominion. They also exercised exclusive control there.

This control of the Orinoco itself, which can hardly need demonstration, is evidenced by their repeated seizure of Dutch craft found trespassing there-both those entering for the purposes of trade and those attempting to carry on fishing at the mouth of the river.

Thus, in 1701, the Dutch Governor mentions, as a thing well known by experience," the prohibitions we have already met in the trade to Orinoco."

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In 1712 his successor in this governorship reported that the Spaniards would not allow the Dutch to enter the Orinoco; and in the following year he wrote of the Dutch traffic there that "it took place outside the district of the Noble Company, and was but carried on

*U. S. Commission, Report, ii, 201.

+ Blue Book 3, 74.

Spanish control of disputed territory.

Spanish control of the Orinoco.

of the Orinoco.

Spanish control solely on Spanish ground in the River Orinoco."* And commenting again on this subject in 1714, he admitted

Policy of the Dutch to change current of trade.

that "Orinoco, Trinidad, etc., is [sic] under the power of the Spaniards.”+

In 1717 the Dutch colonists of Essequibo begged to be allowed to trade there, declaring that "the Orinoco is a river which is accounted as the property of the King or Crown of Spain, and hence that nation master there." +

In 1719 the Spanish Commandant in the Orinoco arrested a Dutch trader who attempted to pass up the river; and the Dutch authorities of Essequibo were so sensible of the justice of Spanish complaints on this point that they not only made stricter the passes granted for this trade but thought of prohibiting it altogether.§ In 1727 a Dutch trader from Essequibo was seized by the Spaniards, who told him that "they had orders from the Governer of Trinidad to stop the trade in that river."| In the following year the same fate befell a Surinam Dutchman who was but fishing in the neighborhood of that river.

In fact, this danger came to be so well understood as to terrify Dutch commerce, and from the middle of

* Blue Book 3, 74.

+ U. S. Commission, Report, ii, 241.

Blue Book 3, 76.

§ U. S. Commission, Report, ii, 245–247.
| Blue Book 3, 80.

At the end of August last year twenty-three red slaves ran away from the plantation belonging to Pieter la Rivière to Orinocque, and he having sent his son there to claim them, but without any results, resolved to go there in person, but on arriving at the usual mooring place in that river he was attacked by a vessel flying the Spanish flag, and was unfortunate enough to be killed. Those with him begged for quarter, whereupon the Spaniards took all their merchandize, and told them that they had orders from the Governor of Trinidad to stop the trade in that river. [Appendix to Case, ii, 80-81.]

¶ Blue Book 3, 81.

The Secretary, H. Gelskerke, having communicated to us a certain

the century it was the Dutch policy to transfer this intercolonial trade to Spanish hands. Yet the Dutch smugglers were still often seized there.*

During 1767 the following property was seized and confiscated by the Spanish: A launch and contents from Essequibo, a boat and contents from the same, 4 mules loaded with foreign goods, several goods, 16 small barrels of brandy, an Indian boat with Dutch goods from Essequibo, one English sloop and Spanish schooner, 2 Spanish launches, an English boat and French schooner and French sloop, another French schooner. These were all tried and adjudged good prizes at Guayana. †

letter written by Jan Batiste from the Post in Wacquepo, and opened by him (the Secretary) in the absence of the Commandeur, in which information was given that the Spaniards of the Orinocque had with armed force taken possession of a Suriname vessel fishing in the neighborhood of the aforesaid river. [Appendix to Case, ii, 82.]

* See, e. g., the list of such seizures reported by the Spanish Contador of Guayana on Jan. 28, 1769. [Appendix to Case, ii, 366–368.]

Don Andres de Oleaga, Official Royal Accountant of this City of Guayana and its Province for his Majesty (whom God preserve), etc.

I certify in the best manner I can, for whatever purpose, and before the Señores that may see it, how, after the arrival of Señor Don Manuel Centurion, Captain of the Royal Corps of Artillery, and Commandant General of this said Province, pursuant to his great energy and zeal in the Royal service, the following confiscations and seizures were made: On the twenty-seventh of January of the past year of sevenseen hundred and sixty-seven, in a closed port of the Presidio of old Guayana, a launch coming from Esquivo, Dutch Colony, with two slaves, and cargo of Taphia rum and merchandise, from Don Vicente Franco. On the sixth of March of said year, at the same Presidio, various goods from Bernardo Montes, who was coming from the same Colony in a felucca. On the eleventh of April of the said year, on the land within the said Presidio, four mules loaded with different kinds of foreign clothing, without permit or license. On the twenty-second of said month and year, above the port of this city, different articles, without permit or license, from Lorenzo Yeguas. On June sixteenth of the said year, at the Presidio aforesaid of old Guayana, sixteen kegs of brandy, from Master Gazpar Vidal, who was introducing them clandestinely and left them buried on an islet in the Orinoco. On September twenty-eighth of the same year, at the port of Piacoa, below the aforesaid Presidio, a canoe laden with Dutch goods from Esquibo, from Pedro Sanchez.

And by the Sergeant of the Company of Pioneers, Cipriano Maiorga,

Policy of the Dutch to change

current of trade.

Spanish seizures in the Orinoco.

Dutch prevented from fishing in Orinoco.

The Dutch effort to fish in the mouth of the Orinoco was more persistent; and was the cause of repeated arrests by the Spanish officials. In November, 1769, the Dutch Governor reported the ruin of their fisheries ; and before 1770 the Essequibo Dutch finally abandoned them.*

with the pirogue he commanded, one of the Orinoco corsair canoes from the aliens engaged in the clandestine extraction of mules, horses, cattle, and other products, through the Guarapiche and Theresen rivers, which empty in the interior of the Golpho Triste de la Paria. An English sloop named the Sevillana; a Spanish schooner, the Esperanza; two launches, also Spanish; an English boat with four lately-imported negroes, some animals, and different foreign articles, besides (in the same campaign and before returning to this city) a French schooner named Maria Louisa, with two newly-imported negroes; two barrels, one of claret and the other of Taphia rum, and ten arrobas (250 lbs.) of chinchorro thread ; and, also, on the same occasion, in company with the cruiser armed at the Island of Trinidad, a French sloop and schooner with various goods and newly-imported negroes, of which, after deducting all expenses and the sixth part, which the officials retained, they delivered to him the half, which amounts to seventeen hundred and ninety-two pesos, twenty-four maravedis, which brought in this place two-thousand and eighty-five pesos, three reals, one and twofourths maravedis. Which seizures were declared to be legal and belonging to His Majesty on March 26th, April 30th, and July 29th of last year1768. [Appendix to Case, ii, 366–367.]

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The principal fishery, my Lords, has always been in the mouth and between the islands of Orinoque, near the Warouws, to which we send salting markott twice every year. This has never been prevented until recently, to the inexpressible injury of the Company's plantations and Colony, because there now being a want of that fish, and the slaves being obliged to have their rations, salt cod has continually to be bought, which even in one year runs pretty high, and sometimes brings me into difficulties with the payment. Only this week I paid over 300 guilders to Captain Andrew; the twelve casks of meat which each plantation gets annually are of little use, and 1,000 lbs. of fish is soon gone. [Appendix to Case, ii, 176.]

A report which I received after the closing of my letters compels me to add these few lines. A Spanish privateer from Orinocque cruising along our coast made an attempt to capture your lordships' salter before the River Wayni (indisputably the Company's territory) and fired very strongly upon him. The latter was cautious enough (not being able to escape otherwise) to run his boat high and dry upon the bank so that he could not be reached by the privateer who, having continued to fire upon him for some time, and seeing that he could do nothing, finally departed.

They are not content with most unreasonably keeping our runaway slaves and with hindering us from carrying on the fishery in Orinocque, which we have always been free to do, but they now wish to prevent us from salting along our own coasts, and will in this manner end by closing our river and no boats will dare to go out any more. Is this proper

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