No. 237.

Extract from letter from West India Company (Zeeland Chamber) to Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, September 21, 1767. [Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, pp. 438–439.]

We hope that you have found means of bringing to naught the evil designs of the Spaniards against the post in Cuyuni; and, however persuaded of the necessity of strengthening both that post and the one in Moruca, we have nevertheless been unable to send by this ship a greater number of soldiers, having had trouble enough to find available shiproom for these few.

By a subsequent ship we shall again try to send some good soldiers, and, as we informed you in our ample missive, to continue doing so from time to time until the garrison shall reach its full quota of 50 men and shall be in proper order.

Extract from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to the Officers of the Militia in Essequibo [1767]. [Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, p. 439.]

*

* Moreover, you well know, or should know, that there are a considerable number of roads for the runaways which the barks cannot close, and how long the road through Cuyuni has been open, as a result of the attack of the Spaniards and the destruction of the post there, in which river there are no longer any Indians and the postholder can hardly maintain himself, through Pomeroon, over land, and many more.

Extract from letter from Stormvan's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, December 9, 1767.

As I could not leave the Post at Maroco without some defence I have provisionally and ad interim sent one Diderik Neelis there until I could get a good Postholder.

It is unfortunate that no competent person can be found here for places of such an importance to the colony; they are nearly all men whose drinking habits would make them unfit for such a post.

The one in Cajoeny is no better than the rest because he is asking to be placed elsewhere, saying that he cannot live there because the place is un

No. 239.

healthy. This is only a pretext, because he looks very well indeed, and there must be something else behind it which I have not yet been able to find out; but it is a hard and fast rule in this colony that when anyone has an honest and competent servant all kinds of deceit are practised to seduce him and entice him away, a thing that has happened in the Honourable Company's service more than once.

Extract from letter from J. C. van den Heuvel, Commandeur in Demerara, to West India Company, December 17, 1767.

I fear for the day after to-morrow; no resolution will be come to without disputes, because I have heard from outside sources that I shall be sore put to it, and placed in great difficulties how and in what manner I shall be able to protect the upper portion of this river; the citizens are unwilling to go on commando, asking why they should pay an annual poll-tax and duties, &c., if they have to defend themselves. I can send no soldiers because I have only 10 men, with which I have to guard two posts, and I am, moreover, destitute of all that a soldier requires when he goes out on commando. I hope the Caraibans will be successful in their undertakings, otherwise it looks very black for this river, for what can we expect from unwilling citizens in time of danger? Nothing but great disorder and confusion; in addition to this there is a lack of everything, and even in the storehouses of your lordships. Not six weeks ago I was obliged to buy nine and a half casks of bacon for the monthly rations, there being no meat either in Essequibo or here.

Extracts from letter from West India Company (Zeeland Chamber) to Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, December 28, 1767. [Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, pp. 440, 441.]

But we drop this subject and say that in our oft-mentioned missive of 21 September we have already affirmed our full persuasion of the necessity of strengthening both the post in Cuyuni and that of Moruca, and that we could heartily wish that you might find means for bringing to naught the undertakings of the Spaniards.

The description which you give us of the Governor of the Spanish Colonies and his dealings affords us no favorable idea of the bloom and prosperity of those colonies. The good God preserve ours at least against such and the like, for in that case we should think their total ruin impending.

No. 242.

Extract from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, February 9, 1768.

In the same despatch in which the Commander informs me of the arrival of the ship "The Flying Fish" I find these words:-" There are twelve soldiers on board who are again good recruits for Orinocque because they are nearly all French." Mr Lonk, who came over as a passenger, has assured me that they are all French, and that with the exception of one or two they are all Roman Catholics. Can it be possible that your lordships are so deceived by the recruiting agents? I shall have them closely examined, but as I have received no muster roll I do not know how they are described.

Extract from letter from J. C. van den Heuvel, Commandeur in Demerara, to West India Company, February 18, 1768.

I was very pleased, my lords, on reporting the arrival of the twelve men to the Director-General to hear from him that, according to your lordships' letter, they were all Protestants and that there was not a Frenchman, Fleming, Portuguese, or Spaniard amongst them. But when I mus tered them I found to my great surprise that out of these twelve men there were only three who were not French, these being the corporal, who comes from Utrecht, and has served in the State troops for some years, and a German, a native of Zweibrucken, and a French deserter. The others are all French deserters, so that I conclude that your lordships have been scandalously deceived by the recruiting agents, who are infamous scoundrels.

Extracts from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, April 9, 1768.

The desertion of a serjeant and a few men would (especially in time of peace) be scarcely noticed in Europe, but here it is an entirely different

No. 244.

matter, our colonies here on the coast having on the one side restless neighbours who cannot long remain still, and on the other side the Spaniards, who have already given us and still give us so many reasons for suspicion that we can really not be careful enough. In Suriname such deserters are received but immediately sent to Europe by the first departing ship.

In Cajoeny it is now quiet so long as it lasts; I wish I had a competent Postholder for that river.

Extracts from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, June 1, 1768.

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 difficul. ties 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.

The Posts are now in proper order; those at Maroco and Cajoeny ought to be strengthened; but Roman Catholic soldiers ought not to be sent there, and we have, so to say, no others. I should otherwise certainly have sent reinforcements to Maroco, because our rascally deserters have arrived in Barima with a few Spaniards and have robbed the Widow la Riviere of all her slaves and property. This did not matter very much, because I had strictly forbidden Jan la Riviere to settle between Essequibo and Orinocque, and for greater security I had this inserted in his pass; he was also forbidden by the Court to settle in Barima.

It is of the utmost necessity that we should have Protestant soldiers. I am certain that your lordships are convinced of the necessity of this, but how little hope there is of getting them I see from the last shipment which, with the exception of about four, consisted of none but Catholics, and from your lordships' letter I can only conclude that your lordships have been greatly deceived.

No. 245.

This ties my hands completely, and nothing can be done at the Posts, which are daily exposed to pillage; the Postholder cannot absent himself for a few days, let alone for a few weeks, as he would have to do to make any discoveries.

The garrison of the two rivers ought to consist of at least a hundred men (as it does in Berbices), but if they are to be Catholics it would be better to remain as we are, and even less, since the proximity of the Spaniards is a standing danger of desertion, and if the opportunity were embraced by many at once it would have fatal results for some plantations. This was very much feared when those seven deserted together, and we do not dare to send anyone after them, not only on account of the smallness of our numbers, but because it is feared that those who are sent would join the runaways, especially if they have a good boat and provisions.

We are at present in very precarious circumstances, the Acuways and Caraibans being now in open war which will probably bring about a great massacre shortly.

Extract from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, June 6, 1768.

[Reprinted from Blue Book, No. 3, p. 156.]

[POSTSCRIPT.]—Things are now really becoming serious, my lords. Last night an express arrived from Berbices reporting that the Caraibans above Berbices having been defeated by the Acuways, a body of six hundred Caraibans had passed the fort there and together with several other bodies had taken the road to upper Demerary and Essequibo, so that now our Caraibans of Essequibo and Masseroeny will take up arms and the war will become universal. The Lord knows what the results will be; I do not expect much good from it.

No. 247.

Letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, September 15, 1768.

[Reprinted from Blue Book, No. 3, pp. 156-157.]

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