No. 200.

Extract from letter from L. L. van Bercheyck, Commandeur in Demerara, to West India Company, March 10, 1763.

Concerning the second article I have the honor to say to you, that the coast has been drawn so accurately and so well by Mr. D'Anville, that I could not make an improvement upon it; nevertheless, I am willing, when making a map of the river Essequibo, to put in the seacoast up to Barima, in order to make the map the more sightly. I need three years in order to make it accurate and good,

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Extract from letter from the West India Company (Zeeland Chamber) to Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, July 7, 1763. [Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, pp. 399–400.]

You receive, however, by this ship twenty soldiers, the expense of which we will bear. Our intention is that, so long as the present danger lasts, you employ them for increasing the garrison of Rio Demerara, or wherever you shall think they may be of use for the greater security of the colony.

However, when the danger shall have entirely ceased, we should like you to employ 10 or 12 of these men for manning the post in Cuyuni; but it seems unadvisable to us to do it sooner, to avoid getting into hot water on two sides at the same time.

Extract from letter from Secretary in Essequibo to West India Company, July 12, 1763.

The uncertainty of how they would be treated by the Spanish is the reason why I have this year sent no boats belonging either to the Company or to myself out salting to the coast of Orinoque. The slaves are, therefore, obliged to make the best of what I can give them.

No. 203.

Extract from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, September 27, 1763.

Beginning with Essequibo, I will first mention the Posts, or so-called trading-places, four in number, of the Honourable Company.

The first is Maroco, situated between this river and Orinoque, under the direction of which are the Rivers of Powaron and Weyni, full of Indians of the Caraiban, Arawak, and Warouw nations, whose help is always required, both by the Company and by private salters and traders, and who have also to be kept in a continual sort of subjection in order to prevent the escape of runaway slaves, and to facilitate their capture.

1

Also, the road of the Spaniards hither 1 leads past this Post, so that no one can go that road without the knowledge of the Postholder, who therefore, if he wishes, can generally get to know what is going on in Orinoque. This Post was of very great importance when trade was still carried on there for the Honourable Company; it then furnished orange dye and boats, and since the cessation of the trade there is a great want of the latter.

On the other side of the river is the second, namely, Maycouni, between Demerary and Berbices. The chief use of this Post just now is really to keep possession of the country, for without it Maycouni would already have been inhabited some time from another side, concerning which matter I had the honour to write fully some years ago.

Formerly this Post used to furnish a considerable quantity of orange dye and boats, as is to be seen in the old business books.

The third is Post Arinda, above Essequibo, really intended for the trade in red slaves and dye and for the further exploration of the lands and nations of the interior, as well as to prevent the slaves making off in that direction.

The fourth, and last, is the still abandoned Post in Cajoeny, abandoned since the raid of the Spaniards, a Post of the very greatest importance, because the Spaniards, in order to get to this river, and the slaves in order to escape to them, have a free and open road, and the more so because the Spaniards have driven away the Caraibans who lived there, and who could apprehend and bring back the runaways.

Note by Prof. Burr.-For the words here italicized the Blue Book has The road to the Spaniards.

2 Note by Prof. Burr.-The Blue Book makes this plural, raids.

Note by Prof. Burr.-These italicized words are here substituted for also of the Blue Book.

No. 204.

Extract from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, October 18, 1763.

It is certain, your Lordships, that this [is] not the time to think of the re-establishment of the Post in Cajoeny. That matter will give us plenty of work to do when, with the blessing of God, all is at rest and in peace, because, the Spaniards having driven all the Indians out of the river, it will be no small matter to get [all]1 the necessary buildings, etc., in readiness there.

Extract from letter from West India Company (Zeeland Chamber) to Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, June 18, 1764.

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the hope of a larger and safer trade with the Orinoco is a matter which we count very advantageous for the colony, and it cannot, therefore, but give us pleasure. * *

Extract from Letter from Storm van 'sGravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, August, 1764.

I think that trade with Orinoque will now be fairly easy, because our boats not only go to and fro unchecked, but only last week two Spaniards came to me with formal passports from the Governor to come here. Essequibo was not expressly mentioned in them, but the neighbouring Colonies of friends and allies, which is equivalent.

1 Note by Prof. Burr.-This word in brackets should be omitted.

2 Note by Prof. Burr.-This italicized word does not here appear in the Blue Book.

No. 207.

Extracts from a Memorandum (by van's Gravesande) concerning the West India Company's Trading-places.

Strange as it may seem, it is known but little or not at all that the great River of Masserouney, lying between the Essequibo and the Cajoeny, runs south-west right into the interior of these lands; that it is by no means so dangerous in falls as the two others, there being only one place where it runs under a very large rock about a few miles long; and that it was navigated and found to be without danger by the colonist C. Finet. The colonist E. Pipersberg is the only man to my knowledge who has been any distance up the river in pursuit of thirteen of his runaway slaves.

3. The third Post was on the River of Cajoeny, which river, like that of Masserouney, mostly runs in a straight south-westerly direction, after having first flowed for some miles in a westerly one; according to the unanimous testimony of the Indians, these Rivers Masserouney and Cajoeny have their source in a large lake or inland sea as the Indians call it, which lake is inclosed by high mountains, inhabited by vast numbers of Indians, who, through fear of the Spaniards, allow no strangers to come into their country, it being related that already two detachments of Spaniards sent into those parts to make discoveries have been beaten and massacred.

Whether this lake is the Lake of Parima or that of Cassipa is not yet known.

Now, this Post was, as is known, attacked in a treacherous manner contrary to the law of nations, and contrary to all Treaties, by the Spaniards of Guajana in the year,* with a detachment of 100 men, the Postholder and his assistant being taken prisoners to Guajana, and from there to Comana, the buildings at the Post being destroyed and burnt. The reasons that they had for such unlawful proceedings must be best known to themselves, because they can have not the very least shadow of a claim to possession, or it must have been the chimerical pretensions of the priests in these parts that the whole of America belongs to His Catholic Majesty, and that all other nations hold possession merely precario, and by permission.

So that they must have had entirely different reasons, and which must be of great consideration to authorize such an excess-which reasons can very well be guessed, but not being certain about them, I will pass over them in silence. The same reasons which made the Post of Arinda above Essequibo of importance and utility also exist here. In addition to this,

* Blank left in the original. The year was 1758.

No. 207.

there is also the fact that [the bend of]* 1 this river is a tract of land along which the Spaniards spread themselves from year to year, and gradually come closer by means of their missions, the small parties sent out by them coming close to the place where the Honourable Company's indigo plantation stood, and being certain to try and establish themselves if they are not stopped in time.

4. There now remains only the Post situated on the sea-coast between Essequibo and Orinoque, in the Creeks Wacquipo and Maroco, not far below the River Powaron, which creeks have an inland water communicating with Powaron, as also with the River Wayna, which has one with the River Barima, which are all navigable in the rainy season, and thus of very great use in furthering commerce both with the Indians and especially with the Spaniards, all who do not sail in very large ships having to pass the Post on their journey from Orinoque. The trade of that Post formerly consisted mostly in boats and orange dye, of which last it used to yield a very large quantity, though now it sends none.

The holder of this Post could make a large fortune if he was a man to look after his own interests, because in addition to the trade with the Indians in hammocks, boats, salt-fish, slaves, and other Indian merchandize, which is not without good profit, all the Spaniards who come here with mules, cattle, tobacco, hides, dried meat, &c., pass the Post, and stop there for a few days to refresh themselves and their animals. If he kept a stock of the things that the Spaniards required, the latter would be very pleased to buy them there, and not be obliged to go further. This fact it is easy to grasp.

The Rivers Masserouney, Cajoeny, Powaron, Wacquepo, Maroco and Weyni, &c., surpass this one so greatly in the matter of fertile lands that not the slightest comparison can be instituted.

If we ever desired to follow the example of the English and French, the Posts of which I have spoken would be absolutely necessary and indispensable, and (be it said) if this matter is not taken in hand, our neighbours will quietly approach and surround us, and finally, without exercising any violence, drive us from the country. This is already beginning to be observed, and what can we expect from the numerous arrivals of settlers in Cayenne and the removal of the Spanish colonies in Guayana so much

*Note in Blue Book.--There is an erasure here in the Director-General's own handwriting which makes it rather doubtful how he finally intended these words to stand.

1 Note by Prof. Burr.-This is an impossible rendering and cannot be admitted.

2 Note by Prof. Burr.-This italicized word does not here appear in the Blue Book.

Note by Prof. Burr.-For these italicised words the Blue Book reading is Spanish people and plantations.