No. 216.

North, on the river Moruca, and the other, to the South, on the river Mahaicony; both of which rivers, as well as the others situate between, pertain to that Colony; which of course shows undeniably that Demerara is one and the same Colony with Essequibo.

Extract from letter from West India Company (Zeeland Chamber) to Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, December 2, 1765.

We were glad to see, though we expected nothing else from your customary prudence and foresight, that you intended, with all proper circumspection and attention, to keep a watchful eye upon the movements of the Spaniards, and to take proper measures against them, in case this should become necessary. Still, we are of opinion that the friendship and help of the Carib nation would, under such circumstances, be to us of uncommon utility, and might even bring us profit; for which reason we strongly recommend that you cultivate it.

Extract from letter from Storm van'sGravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to the West India Company, December 13, 1765.

The reason why the postholder of Moruca had to depart from here so suddenly, as I had the honor to inform you in one of my former letters, was the uproar caused by a murder among the Indians, the bylier thinking that certain Spaniards had had a hand therein.

Extracts from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to the West India Company, December 27, 1765.

Thereafter it has always gone thus, and since the surprising of the post in Cuyuni I have never received one word of answer to all my letters; some have even been sent back unopened.

No. 219.

Messrs. Van der Heyde and Backer went up the river on the fourteenth, not only to investigate what was reported before, but also because I have received a secret report that all the Company's half-free creole men and women intend to desert to the Spanish missions up in Cuyuni, so as to be entirely free.

Extracts from letter from Storm van 's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, January 18, 1766.

According to the reports of the Spanish Indians, it is only too true that there is a desire to establish new Missions in Cajoeny and above Cajoeny, but now that a beginning was to be made on the 1st with re-establishing the Post, I hope that an end will be put to all these encroachments. I have already engaged a Post-holder who is well acquainted with Indian languages, and as soon as some of the buildings are ready I will give him a commando of one under-officer and six men to begin with until it is well established; but I have some trouble in finding six Protestant soldiers, it being of importance that no Roman Catholic, and especially no French, be sent there, because they are not to be trusted at all, and more than half the garrison consists of Frenchmen.

I beg your Lordships to be good enough to carefully examine the soldiers that are sent us in future. Pray do not let us have any more French, and as few Roman Catholics as possible. The Commandant cannot find six Protestants for the Posts in Cajoeny, and we dare not trust Catholics to go there. What is to be done?

Extract from letter from Storm van 's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to the West India Company, April 6, 1766.

At the same time I shall write to the Governor of Orinoco concerning the state of affairs in Barima, which would become a den of thieves, a gang, rag-tag and bobtail, of our colonists staying there under pretense of salting, trading with the Indians, felling timber, etc. They live there like savages,

No. 221.

burning each other's huts and putting each other in chains, and I fear that bloodshed and murder will yet come of it.

The west side of Barima being certainly Spanish territory (and there is where they are staying), I can use there no violent measures to break up that nest, not wishing to give any grounds for complaint; wherefore I think of proposing to this Governor (who is daily being more highly praised for his friendliness to all foreigners) to carry this out hand-in-hand, or to permit me to do so, or as and in what manner he shall consider best.

Extracts from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to the West India Company, May 30, 1766.

[Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, pp. 415–416.]

Furthermore, the Court forbade that any one hereafter stay in Barima and charged the Postholder of Moruca to see that this is carried out, because in time this would become a den of thieves, and expose us to the danger of getting mixed up in a quarrel with our neighbors the Spaniards.

"It is a crying shame that, no matter what pains one takes, one can get no faithful Postholders. If only those fellows can get rum, they never trouble themselves about anything else."

Extract from letter from West India Company (Zeeland Chamber) to Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, June 19, 1766.

It is good, we admit, that the other Indian who was brought by Tampoko and found to be a spy of the Spanish missions, was placed in custody; but we strongly doubt whether he will be kept securely enough and not find means to escape. But, as from his deposition and that of the other Indians it seems we must deduce that the Spaniards really have the purpose to establish new missions in and beyond Cuyuni, we believe that further delay in erecting the said post is absolutely inadmissible, if we expect those insidious approaches to gain no more ground, but effectively to prevent them. And, in order to assure ourselves of the desired success from that post, we believe with you that the command of six men and a Sergeant, which you would add to the Postholder already engaged, should consists of Protestants, for the reasons alleged by you, and we likewise

No. 223.

think necessary the laying-out of a bread-plantation there, and hope that without any prejudice to the Company the Council may thus have resolved after consultation with you.

Extract from letter from West India Company (Zeeland Chamber) to Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, September 8, 1766. [Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, pp. 419-420.]

The arrangements made by you to have the creole Tampoko live henceforth at the first fall in Cuyuni, in order the better to be able to keep a watchful eye upon all the movements of the Spaniards, has our fullest approval; and, if it should come to the worst, which, however, we would prefer not to see happen, we agree with you that it would be a great point to be able to rely upon the aid of the Caribs.

Extract from letter from West India Company (Zeeland Chamber) to Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, September 25, 1766. [Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, pp. 420–421.]

But in one of your preceding letters you told us that the place about the Barima, where some scum and offscourings of folk were staying together and leading a scandalous life, was Spanish territory, and that you intended to have Mr. Rousselet, who was going on a mission to Orinoco, submit some propositions to the Spanish Governor for the extirpation of that gang. And now you inform us of your having sent thither the Postholder of Moruca with positive orders, probably propria authoritate without any concurrence of the aforesaid Governor, inasmuch as Mr. Rousselet had not yet departed thither on his mission; and we cannot quite make this tally with the other. If that place is really Spanish territory, then you have acted very imprudently and irregularly; and, on the other hand, if that place belongs to the colony, and if you had previously been in error as to the territory, in that case you have done very well, and we must fully approve of your course, as also of the Court's Resolution that henceforth no one shall be at liberty to stay on the Barima. But, if the Court has no jurisdiction in that place, we foresee little result from that Resolution; extra territorium suum jus dicenti enim impune non paretur.

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No. 226.

Extract from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo, to West India Company, October 1, 1766.

The Postholder of Cajoeny will in the beginning of September (the water now beginning to fall) proceed up that river in order to build dwellings and lay out bread-gardens, with the assistance of the Indians, after which the work there will be properly regulated.

Extract from letter from Storm van's Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo and Demerara, to West India Company, December 3, 1766.

The Postholder of Cajoeny is, according to the latest reports, lying ill at the Post. This is a great pity, because he makes great progress in his work, and we should lose a great deal in him. But sickness is the fate which overtakes all, without exception, who proceed up the Cajoeny for the first time, especially in the dry season, which still continues.

Extracts from letter from Storm vanʼs Gravesande, Director-General in Essequibo and Demerara, to West India Company, December 8, 1766. [Reprinted from Blue Book, No. 3, pp. 141–142.]

I have (so I have reason to believe) found a competent Postholder for Cajoeny in the person of Pierre Martin, formerly a Corporal in the service of your Lordships. I have engaged him at the rate of 16 guilders per month, and have given him provisionally two assistants, who are well acquainted with the Indian language, each to receive 8 guilders per month. I dare not trust any of the soldiers here to go there, for reasons already given in my former letters. He is at present engaged in putting up the dwellings and in bringing the Post into some order, and has some Caraibans with him, whose number I shall greatly increase when sufficient bread has been planted and things are in a better state.

According to the report of these same Indians, the Spaniards have captured and carried off your Lordship's creole, Tampoko, together with