eS ae ee ee Qe — " ) ny + 1 4 jy j tate) " " Bla Gree leh ae 4 ee th agit Ley AS iets tab yoke talt an wit ry 4 # Sin, Wi 1 Sboquedads Ha Rae ten A} ALS ue s Sane hd egat ae AACA Nat at siteaeet eda: pets as ee 4 RF eit GAs \ ata Yanga i Hike Veet LW: Ait a Nanay’ Ki ea ri Wi se ieee Ch htt miei ta onedddest Nahant MRL TA is bY a Hi fl Loh ih ae f auiny VSP REL D ch ie tk a ; os Boers 2 pe ean aces Sisarsc iene ase aeet a Was ht wy: ; x a Hon t : PPR ai ih 1 Ht i " u y ec eS in mt 4 is Dts: a bbe ear adeh TERE ay, ae eres ei 4 cit an Th ite nec ‘Neat 4304 ate rat ne ao F eae ee bid tba ie Ra th DRY) iat . i DiAhus 4h ad i ai » ; fy Naas NY f a; i ASS y mi 2. i * an Mahe Ln = srerete rss oe ae Fast hy Aiiay ee) i ei 13 \ ik gobs stiles ik Mant aa te HE wiv Advertisements. —_—_———— *“ DOCTORS SAY WORRY KILLS, | BUT WE KNOW NEGLECT always ends in DEATH. THE DRUG STORE = THAT STANDS IN A CLASS BY ITSELF | FOR PURITY AND PRICE. Therefore come before it’s too Late to— SMITH BROS.’ DRUG STORE, The only House where you can secure a Patent Medicine to meet your Particular Case. If it’s more serious and needs The Doctor— call him in—he’ll tell you to take his ) _ Prescription where he is sure it would be Honestly Filled. We Specialize in PERFUMES, COLOGNE and TOILET WATERS of Every Kind, TALC POWDERS for the Baby and COMPLEXION POWDERS for Mother. We carry the Goods: what you don’t see please ask for. Once | a Purchaser, always a Friend. Smith Bros.’ Drug Store. Advertisements, Wieting & Richter, LIMITED. Established 1871. incorporated 1910. ee eee AGENTS Compagnie Generale Transatlantique. PROPRIETORS Demerara Biscuit Factory. Barbados Biscuit Factory. GEORGETOWN, DEMERARA. BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS. Guiana Rice Mill. Mahaicony Rice Mill. Cold Storage and Ice Depot. Berbice Branch Store. WINES, GROCERIES & PROVISIONS. PROVISIONS & GROCERIES. Ice Manufacturing & Cold Storage Plant. GENERAL EXPOR'TERS & IMPORTERS, COMMISSION AGENTS, Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Produce Exchange Buildings. BRITISH GUIANA, BRITISH GUIANA, * NEW YORK, Advertisements. a ee — SOME FIGURES | relating to the transactions of THE DEMERARA LIFE during the current quinquennium which closes at 3ist December, 1921. issue of Husiness. Over $3,800,000 with another Half-Year to go! (Estimate of $4,000,000 at the beginning of the quinquennium likely to be easily exceeded by end of year.) — Business in Force. | Nearly $5,090,000 to date against $2,291,607 at end of 1916. (This is the third occasion upon which the Society has doubled its business in less than five years, but this performance is naturally a bigger achievement than any previous as the amount done is so much greater:) Life Assurance Fund. Likely to be increased by about Half a pen Dollars by December. investments. Only about 60% of the Sum Invested in Bonds and Stock Exchange Securities at the beginning of the Quinquennium will be so invested at the end,by which time the RESERVE FUND will be more than qua- drupled out of current Interest and surpluses on Maturing Investments. interest Earniags. Mean rate on Mean Furd for past four years worked out at over 5,6" with every prospect of going higher this year. Expenses of Management. Down to 15.1% of premiums received previous half-year and as the Premium Income continues to grow the ratio for the quinquennium ‘should be very satisfactory. For Rates, etc., of ‘the Company that brought down the cost of Life Assurance in British Guiana and the British West Indies,” apply to i. B. SADLER, Secretary, 7 @=)— THE DEMERARA LIFE, l Pa Hand-in-Hand Buildings. ae ee 30th June, 1921. : = | ae ES cra SO ra moc SE pane 0 rage ree ven ee SE i es aL Bia eee Rey ee ae ass eee sso ee Egy Advertisements. 1665-1921. The Hand-in-Hand Mutual Guarantee fire Insurance Company OF BRITISH GUIANA, LIMITED. INCORPORATED 1865. Established over 50 years ago with the object of providing cheap Insurance in the Colony, it has succeeded in this object and is still doing so. All information as to RATES and other particulars, obtainable on application at the Company’s Office : LOTS I, 2 & 3, HIGH & NORTH STREETS, ROBBSTOWN, GEORGETOWN, DEMERARA. J. SLATER, Secretary. Advertisemenis. Satisfied Gustomers are our Best Advertisement ee ate EVERY CASE ONCE FITTED BY US IS RECORDED AND KEPT SO THAT WE CAN REFILL YOUR PRESCRIPTION WITHOUT BEING PRESENT. Ea oe Over 5,000 Cases on Record. | Buy PRACTICAL GiFTs FROM -SCHULER * JEWELLER, (Opposite Smith Bros), 21, Water Street, Demerara, B.G. Nugget Brooch. ; 0 le oe a Solid Gold Bangle. | Nugget Sleeve Links A large assortment of all kinds of v JEWELLERY Just to Hand. Our Speciality in WATCHES, CLOCKS and JEWELLERY is HIGH VALUES at SMALL COST, Advertesements. BOOKER BROS., McCONNELL | and Company, Limited. The Premier Merchants OF THE WEST INDIES. Georgetown, Demerara, British Guiana. GENERAL MERCHANTS, STEAMSHIP AND INSURANCE AGENTS, EXPORTERS, IMPORTERS, Agents in British Guiara for— LLOYDS UNDERWRITERS ASSOCIATION, LIVERPOOL UNDERWRITERS ASSOCIATION, JAMES NOURSE, LTD., FURNESS, WITHY & CO., LTD., DUTCH GOVERNMENT STEAMERS, ROYAL INSURANCE CO., LTD., MOTOR UNION INSURANCE CO., LTD., 3 PVCS. ETC.) (ee Tes GENERAL HEADQUARTERS—2I, Mincing Lane, London, SHIPPING HEADQUARTERS—77, The Albany, Liverpool, England. AGENTS IN NEW YORK-—L. & P. W. Armstrong, 106, Wall St., N.Y,, ane ca Scott & Co., Inc,, 2 & 4, Stone E.8 ah Ge AGENTS IN HALIFAX—W. & C. H. Mitchell, Woods Wharf, Halifax, N.S. ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO BRITISH GUIANA SENT FREE ON APPLICATION Re. : BOOKER BROS., McCONNELL & CO., LTD. > a . Leyte Hottite ui: a das th ‘TOTIOJUL FC 1 sw 119}UL FO yavd : UMNosny vuvtIny Ysytag OF (he iow! Agricultural and (Pommercial Sociely OF BRITISH GUIANA, > JaMEs Ropway, F.LS., Edztor. STASI UB uOe Vol. VII. (Third Series), August, 1921. PROGRESSIVE VOLUME. Demerara : THE “ARGOSY” COMPANY LIMITED. CONTENTS OF VOLUME VIL. (THIRD SERIES.) EDITORIAL NOTES STAGES OF PROGRESS—J. Rodway Progress IN NEw AMSTERDAM—J,. Van Sertima SoME EXAMPLES OF INDIAN Mimicry, FraupD AND IMposTURE—W. EK, Roth ATABARAU-WENA—C., I. Cary-Elwes... THE FARMER'S PRoGRESS—J. F. Denny CANE-BorERS IN 1878—Editor THE PROGRESS OF SANITATION IN British Guiana—F. G. Rose | ne TuE BEGINNINGS OF OUR ViLLAGES—J. G. Cruickshank PROGRESS OF SURINAM—Fred Oudschans Dentz SONS OF THE BLAcK RACE AS PREACHERS IN OLDEN TimEs——Fred Oudschans Dentz... A Piua FOR THE Mopern Woman—A Creole Girl ... WaraAo STorIES—C. Cooksey JUVENAL’S PROVERBIAL PHILOSOPHY—J. Van Sertima THe CREOLE East InDIAN—Joseph Ruhoman Our FUTURE PEASANTRY—P. M. DeWeever... THE NEOTROPICAL RESEARCH STATION —William Beebe SHootine Norrs—G. E. Bodkin and C. T. Matthey FEATHERED FrienpsHips—L. D. Cleare, Jnr. Progress ?—Edgar Beckett ... OccASIONAL NOTES PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY os me ae 102 107 110 115 126 134 148 158 TIMEHRI: THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH GUIANA. VOL. VII. AUGUST, 1921. PROGRESSIVE VOLUME —_—. EDITORIAL NOTES. The present volume has been delayed much longer than the Editor could have wished, but possibly it is none the worse for that. We call it a ‘ Progressive Volume ” and put up the ideal of “ A Magnificent Province ” which was formulated about eighty years ago. This ideal can be partially attained though perhaps not to perfection. In the order of things we strain for the unattainable and if that is not Utopia we get a little nearer as we goon. An ideal suchas Civilization or Health can bo partially gained as we move but as it would not be desirable for us to relax our efforts, full attainment is impossible. This is easily understood when we find people content to be passive and to wait for others to move. The talkers have been often contrasted with the doers ; no doubt many of those who abuse and find fault with things could put their “ shoulders to the wheel” with better result. We have tried to show that our Colony is really progressive, but of course we don’t want people to get into a condition where they think nothing more can be done. Our progress has been very slow and one of | our contributors entitles his article ‘‘ Progress ?” as if he doubted what we accept as a reality. The writer is a creole of the colony and decided- ly progressive himself ; we even think that he has done something, with good results. Even one good worker is proof of advancement and we can say of him that there is no question in his case, A few more workers of his type will make for a further advance towards the ideal of ‘A Magnificent Province.” We have laid some stress on the intellectual side of the creole be- cause we all admit that the mind is the higher standard. Those who say there has been no progress may read the articles by people of different races, showing a real advance of the intellect, which of course is human, and not bound by outside appearances. Throughout the West Indies il. Timehre. and Guiana the creole has begun to appear in the professions to an extent quite unknown until recent years and we may safely presume will be even more prominent in the near future. That Timehri should reflect every aspect of progress is in accord- ance with its traditions and therefore we need not apologise for our at- tempt to put up the creole as coming into line with outsiders. At the same time such aman as Mr. Beebe stands forth as a naturalist from outside inviting others to come and see what a grand field we have. His work at Cartabo is indicated by an-article, but he has materials for more | than one book. Father Cary-Elwes’ great cataract may incite further explorations ; progress on that line is by no means at an end. What some one wrote of Kaieteur in 1870 is probably worth publishing, but the » Hotel and Balloon trip were not realised. The law of progress should come first when we attempt to do things. Like other natural laws it is obscured in many directions by fancied ideals, some of which are unattainable. From the best standpoints we see that the world and everything in it is changing for the better; we cannot find a beginning and need not look for anend. It is a chain of causation coming from the mists which hide its antecedents, but as there can never be a cause that is not also an effect, we have to say that eter- nal change is the principle, with no exception. Failure of one line is not ruin for we can change when there isreal necessity. When our colony gave up coffee and cotton to develop sugar there was progress, and if sugar should fail other products like rice and coconuts can take its place. : But mere change is not everything, we want changes that mean progressive continuity or development. The colony lives and thrives in spite of failures—there is continuity with some progress, but we want more to make the “ Magnificent Province.” This ideal can be realised by hard work, for it does not mean something unattainable. Our prede- cessors worked very hard to make a line of plantations along our coasts, and it is curious to note that no new polders are being made. Were we inclined to look at the dark side of things, we might groan and complain as the old planters once did. | However, they made their livings in spite of difficulties and our children will, no doubt, be a little better off than ourselves. THE BAUXITE INDUSTRY. Railroad through the Bush. THE BAUXITE INDUSTRY. Shipping Bauxite. STAGES OF _PROGRESS. 1, THE PHYSICAL ASPECT, By J. Ropway. In view of the possibilities of beneficial occupation of the interior of _ our colony it may be well to survey the past history to see if any lessons ean be gleaned that will help in our development. Something has been done, and though all will admit that it is very little, yet we can feel more hopeful when looking to the North West and comparing our colony with Spanish Guayana. We can see some reasons for congratulation and should say that our predecessors were by uo means idle. If we start with the beginning, we find that Essequebo was not a | _ colony, nor was it expected to be anything more than a trading factory. Colonies were attempted in other parts of Guiana but at the beginning everyone was a failure. If therefore Essequebo and Berbice were not projected to invite settlers we can plainly say that they were not failures on the lines for which they were established. Wecan go a little farther and say that while several projected colonies in other parts of Guiana were disastrous failures these were fairly successful, Forts Kyk-over-al and Nassau were trading factories in a great _ wilderness to which the native Indians might bring their small lots of produce to exchange for tools and trinkets. No doubt the factors were always hoping to get more business; we cannot see that they were altogether idling for they sent people into the far interior to pick up cotton, tobacco and anatto. There was no suggestion of a settlement, even when the authorities began to grow a little tobacco and cotton. Later, sugar plantations were started on behalf of the Company and in time a few private planters made astart. But no particular efforts were made to get settlers, for the Trading Factory was not kept up for colonisation. The Company’s servants at Kyk-over-al were practically exiles, _ bound by the Articled Letter, and no doubt, eager to get home when their term of service expired. When they went back to the Netherlands their reports of the ‘“‘ Great Wild Coast” were by no means favourable for many privations were endured. Like other sailors they ardently desired to get to places where they could spend their wages, which of course accumulated during their exile. Mutinies were reported at times especially when the regular vessels did not come out with food supplies ; desertions also were not unknown. When people speak of slavery they donot always see that the bondage of the old sailors was in some respects . worse than that of the negroes. | | “Suppose we put the starting point for the Essequebo Trading Factory at about 1620, we find that little colonisation was done until near the end of the 17th century. A few settlers came and got free land but they could not be considered as colonists. 2 Timehri. ‘We have an account of Kyk-over-al by Van Berkel who paid a visit in 1672, when there were only three private planters in the neighbourhood, The principal of these had about 30 slaves and the other two about a dozen each. They increased slowly and by the year 1698 were of sufficient importance to be taxed for their slaves at the rate of a dollar of three guilders per head. This became the main tax in later times, and the real settlers always objected to pay more than the legal dollar. The slow development of Essequebo is shown by the erection of the Huis Naby on Cartabo Point in 1716, and the establishment of a Court of Justice two years later. The Court of Policy existed before as a quarterly meeting of the servants of the Company who discussed the probable results of the working of the plantations belonging to the Government. An apology for a capital was laid out under the name of Stad Cartabo, but only the Government Offices were of any importance. The real colony may be conveniently put down as having commenced two centuries ago and we may put the starting point as the clearing for Pln. Pelgrim by the Company in 1721, This was a move down the river, the situation being near the Parika Creek nearly opposite Fort Island. A removal of the headquarters was then advocated but the Company were not yet prepared to spend money on a new fort. From 1720 to 1770 was the most important period in our history ; it began with the move down the river, then came Fort Zeelandia and * finally the declaration that Essequebo was open to people of all nations with ten years’ exemption from taxes, Hitherto Essequebo was closed to foreigners and even Dutchmen outside the province of Zeeland were almost excluded, Such a revolution could only have been due to the influence of a master-mind and this can be seen when we study the life of Governor Gravesande- We can see that he loved Essequebo and put up the welfare of the colony before his own interests. Fortunately for his colonisation scheme, the Company were not too much opposed to their Governor's projects though they were not fully convinced of their feasability. A measure of success was gained and although progress was slow it was steady and continuous. The first meeting at the new fort took place in 1739 and from that time the rea] development of Essequebo as a colony was assured. The Indian trade became secondary and because it was not of much value Gravesande put colonisation in the first place. The new regime was started in 1741, at which time there were few plantations in the lower district though ‘the remove from near Kyk- over-al had begun. Sugar was the main product, but coffee had been introduced ; neither did very well in the upper district, but the prospects — of the remove were bright and Governor Gravesande became enthusiastic over his anticipations. At that time there was some trade with New England, mainly for horses, and the Yankee vessels usually called at the islands, Barbados Stages of Progress. 3 coming first. Wecan try to picture the stir among the quidnunes of that island when the “‘ Mary Ann” arrived from Essequebo with the news that the river was opened to all nations and that every settler could have a large plantation without fees and be entitled to ten years’ exemption from taxes. The Barbadians of that day were as loyal to the Mother Country as they are now and therefore could not be expected to hurry off to Essequebo in a swarm. The Clarkes and the Gascoignes required time for consideration and meanwhile they discussed the matter over their cups in the Bridgetown taverns. ! Here was the Yankee skipper with the views of Governor Graves- ande who was confident that the river would, in a few years, be the most prosperous in this part of the world. Most of the islands were already worn out but Essequebo was exceptionally fertile. Then again it was so healthy that already people from neighbouring colonies had come over torecuperate. The fertility really outstripped belief and little was want- ing to make it one of the most blessed regions in the world. Kven the cane-borer was quite unknown. The Barbadian, with his two or three acres of yams and sweet pota- toes, could get no information in regard to these precious roots. He gloried in his native island. Bea Dutchman? Not he! True Barbadian born! The finest place in the West Indies! Nothing came up to their happy oiland. Essequebo! Pooh, pooh! It was overrun with mosquitoes and other pests. There was béte rouge, the parent of many sores; jiggers filled your toes with large colonies in a few hours. Nobody wanted to be jiggered. The pests got into your mouth, your eyes, your nose—you had to eat, drink and breathe flies. When you laid down lizards, cockroaches and snakes crawled into your beds and hammocks and when you got up scor- pions and centipedes stung your feet. Everything bit and stuny—life would be a burden. There * were unknown insects with eleven legs and _ mine wings in your cups and on your bread and butter. The land might be free and good to look upon, but while you were admiring it everything _ around you was wanting to eat you out of breeches, waistcoat and coat. Things were too free altogether. Barbados for ever ! This sort of thing, no doubt, went on until someone chartered a _ schooner and went to see for himself. On his return people crowded round him to hear that the sugar canes on some of the new plantations were finer than anything he had seen in the islands. The Governor was ready to grant 500 or even 1,000 acres at once and the firewood got by clearing could be sold in Barbados. There was a shortage of labour, but anyone might take over his slaves and in wu few weeks make a start. The Barbadians began to waver and presently by ones and twos they came and got free grants. Two years after Governor Gravesande reported that there were seven English plantations. A little 4 Timehrr. later he said that Messrs. J. Gibbs, W. Caddell and J. Panter, three of the principal inhabitants of Barbados, had come over bringing carpenters, masons and fifty slaves, with all necessaries for erecting mills. There were people from Surinam and Berbice as well as other islands besides Barbados and in five years all -the best places in Essequebo were granted and there were applicants who could not be satisfied. Then began a cry for grants in the Demerara, which river had hitherto been ignored. Some objections were made by the Company who thought settlers would demand protection by forts, but this was got over by their agreeing to ignore this and let people go at their own risks. One of the objections made was that people might leave Essequebo and thus damage the older settlement. However, the difficulties were overcome, the first applicant being Andries Pietersen, probably a Swede, who got the consent of the Com- pany in 1745 and ‘received a grant, on the 3rd of April, 1746, of 2,000 acres on or near the Coeleriserabo Creek. Four other grants were made on the same day, all up the Demerara River, one on the Camoeny of 1,000 acres to Bastian Christiansen, probably another Swede. Christianburg was granted later to Christian Finet of the same nationality. We have on the Demerara German names such as Berlin and Wismar and may presume that some of the mercenaries of the Dutch took up land after their discharge. Gravesande said that the only settlers from Essequebo were Jacobus van Roden and Andries Pietersen, the others coming from outside, This, however, only applies to the beginning for Finet had been in the other river for some years. Of the first settlers most were British from the islands ; Dutch and French were not so numerous. The most striking point was that a steady influx of settlers from outside came during the first ten years until all the facades were occupied. There were no fees and at the first no surveys, it followed therefore that perfect freedom existed except for the choice of a location which the Governor made in such a way that there were no vacant blocks. Possibly friends might in some cases become neighbours but we do not find Dutch or English names in groups. ~Probably there was some rule by which the order of application was kept and very little choice allowed, some of the grants being described as bounded by others belonging to particular persons. On Bercheyck’s chart the blocks adjoin each other which would not probably have been the case had the applicants been allowed to pick out what they liked. It is evident, however, that there were few restric- tions, for even Berbice people said that Demerara was better off than they, some went over and induced others to follow them. The position to-day is undoubtedly due to the freedom at the beginning which enabled Demerara to outstrip Berbice and Essequebo. Berbice never gave the same privileges, hence it is still backward. Those who took up land necessarily had to comply with the only conditions, which were to erect a house and begin to plant. The house Stages of Progress. aes was generally a troolie shed and the planting was limited by the labour supply. Most of the preliminary clearing was done by native Indians, who were more numerous tha nthey arenow. Unfortunately, advantage was taken of their craving for “‘kill-devil,” the fiery rum then made in Essequebo. There was always a shortage of labour and we have to excuse our prede- cessors for using the only inducement they could find. Early travellers speak of the way the natives treated all attempts to employ them under engage- ments. Jobs were undertaken for axes, knives and guns, but when these were obtained the men wanted to get away and use them for their own pleasure. Only kill-devil could induce them to do more. The banks of the Demerara, as I saw them fifty years ago, hardly showed a sign of inhabitants for the few river people hid their huts inside the bushes. From 1746 to 1760, however, there were clearings in front with benabs in sight at regular intervals. Those who had creeks near at hand could lay down water-mills, others had to be content with horse and cattle mills which however were scarce because few animals were available. Probably the river has never shown such stirring scenes as it did then when people were coming and going from Essequebo to Demerara in corials and everyone trying to make a start. Soon, however, there was disappointment. Sugar was the main object and after the first clearing fair crops could be obtained from the lower _ grounds near the river or in the creek gullies. We can, however, see now that the Indian system of burning the forest does not conduce to perma- nent fertility, for after two or three years a new clearing has to be made _ beeause the first has been exhausted. As for the back lands these are generally barren sands, gravels and clays, hardly worth cultivating with anything at all, much less sugar. No doubt the pioneers worked very hard with hopes and expectations but some of them gave up the struggle ; possibly such names as “Broke Pot ” and “John Trewern’s Folly” are relics of such failures. T have always taken much interest in the suggestive names of our plantations. Up the Demerara we have Bimpshire, Little Barbados and New St. Eustatius, suggesting the islands from whence their owners came. _ Few “ Hopes” are found up the river but there is “ Land of Canaan ” _and ‘ Garden of Eden ” ; “ Leert Zorg” suggests that the owner had _ some painful experience ; ‘De Wildernis ” would be suitable for the whole settlement. Plenty of work had to be done without much capital or labour and we can be sure that a fair trial was made of the river banks before people came down to the coast. , It seemed, however, that each of the three rivers took the same course _ from upper to lower, Essequebo first, then Demerara and finally Berbice, the last delaying possibly to be sure of the success of the others, In the half century we are considering the move in Demerara began and it was carried out on much the same — lines as on the other river. Here, however, windmills were — 6 Timehri. prominent and the early voyagers took their bearings from them ; that of Pln. Kitty had a flag and was a landmark for the entrance to the river. We can reckon that the pioneer work was done in about thirty years, and though it was done slowly it was a paving of the way towards another stage. ; The second fifty years was notable for consolidation. There was not the same freedom, for after Gravesande retired in 1772, stricter rules were made, not altogether agreeable to many of the British planters. However, all the coast plantations were taken up, the Canals, Nos. 1 to 3 dug, coffee and cotton grown on the lower districts and most of ‘he river plantations abandoned. Capital and labour were introduced, especially after the British arrived in 1796, and the exports rose from almost nothing to be of considerable value The capital, Stabroek, was laid out by the French in 1782, and the town grew when Barbadians of the lower class came over and began to cater for the poorer people as hucksters. Progress under Dutch rule was slow but steady—a little spurt was made with the arrival of the British. Labour was absolutely necessary and until the suppression of the slave trade in 1807, the supply was almost equal to the demand. Plantations of a few acres extended their cultiva- tion until some were half occupied. We may say, however, that few were able to empolder the whole area of their grants. The stoppage of the labour supply was a severe check to progress; so long as slaves were available every estate could be developed, after- wards one must be stinted if others were to go on. Cotton and coffee began to decrease and sugar came to the front. There were ups and downs, largely due to the value of produce; some plantations on the coast gave up their cultivation and cattle farms began to appear. On the whole progress was slow and sure, for even Berbice came down to the coast and New Amsterdam followed Stabroek. In a general way Berbice was hampered by want of British settlers and was generally ten years behind Demerara. We now come to the third stage from 1820 to 1870, the most criti- cal period in our history. The labour supply having been stopped development depended more upon the value of produce. If canes gave a better profit than coffee or cotton, the only thing to be done was to aban- don the less profitable crops. As, however, sugar required more labour the abandoned coffee and cotton estates could hardly be kept up in canes. The general result was concentration of labour on afew instead of a fair distribution to the many. This was the beginning of what we see to-day, abandonment of several estates to bring the labour supply to one. The beginning of this period is notable for the survival of sugar as the fittest product under the circumstances. In studying survival people often put up one cause only and the general idea is that cotton and coffee fell at the Emancipation. But the causes were numerous and the most important was the comparative value of labour on a sugar plantation as compared with the same work with the other products ; the prices were - Stages of Progress. 7 alsoimportant factors. Cotton fell in price and coffee followed until they ceased to pay ; sugar gave fair returns hence it remained. Many planters failed when cotton fell in price; the end was more sudden than that of coffee which remained for many years after real cultivation and picking had ceased. The critical aspect of this period, however, is seen best in the Emancipation difficulties. Labour could be depended upon at first, but when no one could say whether he might get labour to reap, he hesitated to plant. The freedmen were entirely selfish and therefore were bad citizens. It is true that all of us are selfish, but we mostly like to have comfortable and pleasant surroundings, to obtain which we sometimes take some trouble. Were we entirely selfish nothing beyond food, clothing and a shelter would be desired. This was the position of the freedman ; the comforts and luxuries of a town did not appeal to him; it seemed as _ if he cared for nobody and that he thought nobody cared for him. Hitherto he had been a negligible quantity but now he became somebody of importance. No matter that he cared for nothing others wanted to live and not have a labour-starved colony. 4 At first it seemed as if all the progress made by the early pioneers _ would be wasted. Already the river estates were gone and many a gap _ existed in the coast line where the owners had failed. Some supposed that the villages would take the place of the plantations but their hopes were not justified. Where once order reigned became confusion and no freedman cared about canals, roads or bridges. Most of the old planters were ruined ; some were actually destitute. New people became owners of the estates and wanted to get labour from anywhere ; immigration began and at first produced much trouble. No one knew what could or - should be done, or what people were most suitable, The result was at first streets full of beggars and hospitals with the sick and dying. The old colonial system ended and the new birth was most -distressing. However, the new planter looked upon the estates with names like ‘‘ Better Hope ” and put his shoulder to the wheel, He succeeded the man who _ was really struck down, for very few had survived the great catastrophe. Slowly but surely the colony recovered by means of indentured labour and when we come to 1870 we find the export of sugar greater than it had ever been before. Then also Demerara sugar had a name in England ; people liked it when I was a boy. The last stage comprehends 1870 to 1920 and we may say plainly, in spite of the croakers, that there has been considerable progress. In the ’eighties the prosperity of sugar was much hampered by the European bounty system, but it was kept up mainly by the amalgamation of estates and economy in working. Labour has been fairly abundant through immigration and the freedman appears to have found his place. Plantation work is not so congenial to the negro as jobbing; he wants to work when he likes and then take a few days’ “ rest.” 8 Timehri. This stage may be called that of the opening of the country ; ina way it resembles that which led to the Demerara settlement. The interior is being opened but not on Gravesande’s easy lines. It is true that we have steamers running along the coast and for some distance up the rivers yet the Crown Lands Regulations fetter progress to a great extent. We are hampered too much and if anyone expects to be as free as the early pioneers he will soon find out his mistake. Perhaps, however, it was a very bad thing for the Indian that the Demerara pioneer had no restrictions on the use of ‘ kill-devil,” The fact remains however that we are hampered in the employment of natives even when they are willing to work for us. Before 1870 only a few travellers had gone to the interior. A large district was locked up through the Boundary dispute with Venezuela. The sugar planter was jealous of his labour supply ; he had struggled hard to get it and when about 1880 there were rumours of gold discoveries he feared that a rush would ruin him. However, the gold industry came, followed by balata and diamonds. The old ery that all our eggs were in one basket was heard in 1870 and several people advocated minor industries. Rice was mentioned and sometimes a housewife would put a dish of creole rice on the table as a luxury. Everybody knew that rice could be grown and yet the creoles hardly looked at it. Villagers could have planted it in quantity as the runaways did before the end of the eighteenth century. Governor Gravesande thought it the most suitable for the small planter and yet no one took it up as an industry. Coconuts were also well-known and were once used to wedge the sugar hogsheads on board ship; but no one dried copra or made oil until quite recently. I will not enumerate the préducts which are now in their infancy, but only state that we can say plainly that during the last fifty years we have developed things that should have been thought of long before. It seems, however, that development of a new country is very slow; things at our doors are found to be valuable, but it takes time. Then our people want to be taught and this is a slow process. Heredity is very strong and it is not alone the negro who does things in the same way as his father and grandfather once did them. It seems asif ‘“‘red tape” is the same principle; every clerk asks how the thing was done before. It is evident that progress consists with starting on new lines without the hampering of custom and habit. Even good habits must be ignored when circumstances render them undesirable and probably the colony would be better for a general relaxation of the rules. The real colonisation took place when land was free and there were no burdensome taxes. We have nine-tenths of the colony undeveloped and this large area should not be locked up. The old plantation system cannot be revived and when we look over the world we find it becomes more difficult every year to reconcile capital ——- Stages of Progress. 9 and labour. The ideal would be for every man to save enough in a few years to make a start for himself, i.e., become his own capitalist. In the tropics a man can get a bare living from one or two acres of land if he is industrious and get a few luxuries by working for a neighbour. The general idea of working one day a week and idling for the rest can be seen in practice among some of our Bovianders. The living, however, is unworthy of the age, in fact it is not consistent with civilization. I have seen these people, who apparently live on next to nothing, with no am- bition or self-respect. If we aim for real progress we must try to develop these people until they have desires and aspirations for betterment and will feel ashamed that their wives and children should be wanting in the simplest eonveniences of a town or village. The homestead, with a good roof for the house and plenty of simple food, can be got by every Boviander who has a plot of land, but even these were wanting when I came to the colony. Now and then I wished to buy food but could hardly find even a few plantains to roast. The hut was rotten with a leaky roof and the surroundings a jungle. There were children who had no use for clothing, but most of them were half-starved. Yet they were happy enough for they could not miss what they never had. The dear little boys and girls who paddled my bateau and enjoyed a ‘‘ walk” up the creek were by no means miserable. They sang as they paddled, ran about the jungle picking the palm fruits and almost anything that would stave off their hunger. They existed and probubly lite was worth living, though the looker-on thought they should have been mis- erable. However, most of our discontent comes from what we miss that we once had, or envy of others who have things we cannot get. People may be happy enough when ae don’t see others feasting and wearing fine clothes. We don’t want to encourage that sort of thing but to get people with wants who will be driven by ideals of comfort, cleanliness and full stomachs, Though happiness does not necessarily consist with wealth, there is pleasure ‘in that stage where absolute necessaries are available. The grandest ideals of home do not consist with bare surroundings such as some of our sanitary people appear to advocate, but beneficial eccupation of every bit of land. Such gardens as we can see in England round every cottage are sanitary and pleasing in every way. Man can be elevated or depressed by his surroundings; I can conceive that the bareness of a jail would be repulsive to many people. Governor Gravesande had an ideal which can be considered, though it must be modified to suit our time. Hither the Government or some joint-stock Company might supply every emigrant family with $800 to be repaid in instalments, Land was free and the head of the family might get four labourers and pay for clearing and building a house of the benab type. ‘The first planting would be of such necessaries as were actually required to feed the family, after which would come produce for sale. He 10 Tumehrr. advocated rice and coffee, both of which realised good prices, the first giving an immediate return. One of the drawbacks of the poor man has hitherto been the want of some crop that can be quickly realised and this we now have inrice. Itis curious that though it was known and liked a century and a half ago our people never took it up until the East Indians led the way. The settler would naturally grow plantains, cassava and other desirable food products, but no one could be reaped as quickly as rice. Gravesande advocated a trial with 25 settlers, who, if successful, could give the result of their experience for the benefit of later arrivals. The greatest difficulty in early times was isolation. There were no roads and of course no shops, churches and schools. Doctors were few and hard to get. Those who take up land away from the settlements are even now much hampered by the same disabilities. The Demerara villages were started to prevent such isolation which could be once seen up the river. Much can be said in favour of villages and something against them. What we want is cheap and easy communication so that a homestead would not be quite out of the world. Those who speak against the development of the coast and advocate opening the interior, forget that something good can be seen in the present conditions. The ideal should be a full development of what is nearest and a gradual extension. There is no doubt that the coastlands are most fertile and therefore should come first. There was. an old project which we may consider to-day; the Cuming’s Canal It was to reach from the Demerara River to the Mahaica Creek and have plantations on either side. Produce would not be shipped by sea or rail but brought down the canal. It is evident that a new set of plantations could be laid out aback of the present line, in fact it could be like No. 1 Canal which was projected to extend to the Essequebo. The old canals were not dug by the Government but by the grantees of the land on their banks. Here we come to a very great difference between the olden time and to- day ; Government was not the milch cow as it is now supposed to be. The land was free and the people wanted to develop it, but they rarely asked | for assistance. The water ways and roads were the work of the estate owners ; of course everyone looked after his own property, in fact he would have resented government interference. Social conditions are of course different, one of the contrasts coming through the want of labour control. It was once easier to calculate the cost than it is now, but formerly aslave must be bought, where now a labourer can be employed for as many weeks as he is required. The old settler was somewhat hampered by the preliminary cost, but it amounts to much about the same except that perhaps slave labour was cheaper in the long run. It must, however, be remembered that given a cheap labour supply, such as we have in some countries it would not be economical to take over the whole burden of keeping our servants in childhood, old age and sickness. We ~ SSE eee Stages of Progress. 11 can compare the slave with the idle boy who wants to have the same privileges as another who is industrious ; he objects to work and must be coerced. The early settlers were bound to get labour in some way, hence they bought slaves and paid a lump sum at the beginning if credit could not be obtained. Probably a man with the same capital to-day could use it to better advantage by employing a large number at first and then going on with afew. The slave-owner had to use his labourers in the best way he could for he could not vary the number though his requirements might be greater or less: according to seasons. Here we have one of the difficulties of a fixed labour supply ; the same.people are available at all times and those only, though harvest may require three or four times the usual number. Were our villagers to occupy all their land they would sometimes require help from each other and unfortunately there is no bond of union between them. Probably the first idea of the village was co-operation but we can see that this has not been carried out. Suppose we have families, in some cases children will be old enough to assist, in others they are too young and labour must be hired. Those who advocate certain measures often fail to comprehend every aspect of the problems. The authorities generally say they watt to develop the country, but they act as if the opening up of the interior should be hampered by rules and regulations. Order is desirable but we must try to get a fair balance between liberty and licence. Because this is not easy the supposed better way is taken which hampers every pioneer with fees and permits. The sound principle that some risks must be taken is well understood by a new settler but the Government practically says there must be no risk of law-breaking. ‘The position of a government can be compared to _ that of a business ; every merchant knows that he must take risks, The new colonist has generally very little money and he wants it all for the preliminary work. It is good for the colony that he should develop the wilderness and he is more likely to succeed if he has a free hand. I must remind the reader that Demerara is the result of perfect freedom ; some would say license. By its fruits we must judge this as well as other things. | o I presume that what I say will not make any real impression and yet I must say it. The development of the country should not be ham- pered as itis now. Ihave been told by people who are spending money to find new industries that the trouble and expense is almost prohibitory. The pioneers’ work should be facilitated in every possible way so that only the natural difficulties have to be encountered. These are by no means few ; why then add a burden of “red tape” ? 12 7 Trmehra. 2. THE INTELLECTUAL SIDE, In connection with the progress of the colony it would be well to find out whether creoles are becoming more intellectual. Everyone is sup- posed to accept the idea that the mind is the real standard of all men and therefore development of the mental side is possibly more important than getting food or money. However, wealth and comfort are — generally put first and we find that pioneers in every country almost ignore the intellectual standpoints; they may be prosperous and yet ignorant. : The literary side of the West Indies and Guiana for early times must be studied from without, for all the old books were written by Europeans; probably down to about fifty years ago nothing but journalism was taken up by creoles. Here and there a white creole with an European education wrote a description of some colony or the West Indies in general but the real West Indian, born and bred here, was hardly fitted to give such accounts. Possibly a little may have been done by Jamaicans and Barbadians, but the crevle of British Guiana had no literary ability. Even the journalists of this colony when not English, were generally Barbadians. We can therefore study the beginnings and try to suggest lines of progress which may be seen in one or two more generations, The lines of progress in the literature of the West Iudies and Guiana appear to be first, descrigtive accounts by voyagers and travellers and second, studies of the fauna and flora including man. Much has been done on these lines, but hitherto, always by outsiders, Europeans or Americans, and until the last fifty years no creole, white or coloured, has been conspicuous. It is evident that some awakening might be expected, and I happen to have been able to see in my residence in British Guiana, what I may call the birth of a literature. For convenience I shall include all oreoles of the Islands because some of the Colonial writers have been Barbadians. Even the first printers came from “ Little England” and several newspaper editors, including Mr. Braithwaite of the ‘“‘Creole.‘ As a rule however editors have been British and I cannot say that they did much beyond encourag- ing creoles to become reporters. ‘he early British schoolmasters and clergy helped to develop teachers of primary schools and possibly in time we may have good results from them. The earliest literary work is compilation and this is largely done by editors who have recently encouraged reporters to write original sketches that will be the germs of Guiana literature. We can already see how this has begun and possibly the names will be better known in a few years. The starting-point of science, history and literature is collectinfige’. Specimens and facts; it follows therefore that compilation comes first. = ~ Stages of Progress. | 13 Those who start in anything at all must gather their knowledge from all available sources and in bookwork they are compilers who sometimes content themselves with bare records or notes of supposed authorities. Such compilations without much critical examination can be found in our local literature as the Histories of Dalton and Bennett. Mr. F. M. Carbin, a Surinam creole, was a compiler who never got beyond the collecting stage. We had, however, in Mr. Darnell Davis, a West Indian, one of those ardent collectors who could estimate the value of any old docu- ment, and possibly if he had lived might have written some valuable West Indian studies. He was kind enough to give me several copies of MSS. which I used in my history, and I much deplored the loss of his collections during the war. - The compiler notes what others have done but. does little himself. Few creoles have made careful observations but I must mention one, Mr. J.J. Queleh, who saw things and recorded them in avery pleasant way. Perhaps, however, his English education excludes him from our study of _ the writers born, bred and educated in the West Indies. Some descrip- tive writing by true creoles can be found in the files of the “ Argosy” and “Daily Chronicle” as well as ‘“‘Timehri.” The best writer we have is Harold W. B. Moore, whose pictures of insect life are often graphic ; he is a born naturalist. Possibly L. D. Cleare, junior, will excel on similar lines, From a literary standpoint, however, records of observations must be made into readable essays, fiction or poetry. It seems as if collecting and describing must be supplemented by the imagination ; in fact litera- ture started with myth and fable. Primitive man was utilitarian and could not become a real thinker until he adopted what we call make- believe. The artist sees something in a landscape which others miss and the novelist throws a glamour over a simple incident. The painter sees much where others see nothing and the literary artist can give us vivid pictures where everything looks dull. To bring before us what he sees and we do not, is the standard of what we call a picturesque writer. Man, beast and plant live and move ; they are not artificial puppets. He who ean paint such pictures in words necessarily comes first from the literary standpoint. Certain famous writers like Darwin, Bates, Wallace and Waterton have enabled the people who never saw a tropical country to get ideas of the reality unknown to those who never read their works. No crecle has yet been conspicuous as an admirer of the wonderful and beautiful scenery of our colony. A few have attempted to describe trips to the gold and diamond fields, but I know of nothing like the word- pictures of Waterton and other travellers from outside. It isa well- known fact that a visitor sees more than a resident, though perhaps his views are less accurate. We have no creoles des scribing the glory of our | _ rivers and creeks, though many have seen them. But we do see pictures of human life walliauy by Messrs. Van Sertima, Moe and a few others who. however, do not seem to love Sarah ‘“ 14 Timehri. Theophilus and Theresa. This suggests that the picture should be beautiful and free from blots and smears. The brush must have plenty of love to soften the darker shades with glows of brightness. ‘The balance is to the good in everything and we can love people in spite of their faults. Some of our people have not yet found out the good side, but I must say that “ Sarah ” could be loved. The writer whose pen is never dipped in gallis Mr. J. G. Cruick- shank. When he writes of the African we ean see the old fellow before us’ as a simple child of nature, nearer to God than many of those who think themselves ‘“ highly superior.” I may not live to seeit, but I ean safely state that future generations will appreciate Mr. Cruickshank’s word-pictures. His style is peculiarly graphic with many dashes to add to the effect. He is never ata loss for the right word and he does not make his people repulsive. Probably he agrees with me in the principle that if you cannot find any good in a man we should say nothing about him. Itis rarely pleasant to dwell upon mistakes and blunders, especially when all know that they themselves are not faultless. Love to others begets a kindly feeling in ourselves, which is undoubtedly pleasant and profitable. To write of something we love is more desirable than to be picking faults in people we dislike, and when We begin our literary studies the start should be on the best lines. The artist does not generally like to paint horrible punishments or tortures nowadays though the older painters revel in such things ‘The fault-finders will perhaps say that loving sympathy means bias; very well, let us favour the best side so long as we do not tell lies. We havea good writer in Mr. Edgar Beckett and I have no doubt he will be remembered by the next generation. The drawback to some of our writers is their anonymity; some of their best work has no name. Christmastide and the Christmas Chronicle have done something by offering prizes ; the result has been that some creole ladies have come to the front. Mrs. Dinzey, Mrs. Messervy and ‘‘ Lavinia Gray” may be ‘mentioned, but I cannot tell the names of all because I confine myself to a few examples. Mr. Christiani writes a good story, but possibly the best of the men was Norman Bascom, a Barbadian creole. — I was asked last year for an account of our local poets, but I am afraid little can be said about them. The most prominent was Edyar Martin, ‘‘ Leo,” who I suppose was a creole of Madeiran parentage. Dr. Dalton wrote ‘‘ Tropical Lays,” and there have been verses in the news- papers now and again that we may consider fairly good. Mrs. Sarah Swain was once prominent as the ‘“ Poetess and Novelist of the West Indies.” I feel, however, that the poet of the tropics has not arrived ; perhaps the time is not yet ripe. 3 A few musical pieces have been written by creoles, perhaps the most notable is Mr. P, M, de Wever. : Stages of Progress. 15 - A tragedy, “ Phileron,” written by Mr. W. J. Veecock, when a student at Edinburgh, showed promise, but, poor fellow! he did not. live long enough to bring out his latent powers. I must again ask those not mentioned to remember that this is not a list but only an attempt to show that some creoles can write. The reader may perhaps laugh wheu I tell him that the most remark- able little creole book I ever saw, is ‘‘ A Voice from the Woods” by Walter Theophilus Pieters, published in 1886, and probably without revision by any European. Evon some standpoints it 1s humorous butt the writer is evidently serious, There is a suggestion of Johnsonian language anda hint of the long introductions found in some old books, but on the whole there is a picture of the thoughts and feelings of the writer. There are eight introductory chapters, occupying a fourth of the book and a pre- face ; in this preface Mr. Pieters says : — “ The whole tone of this book is only the natural tone of its writer, and a few of its orthoeraphical forms, his preferences.” Here is originality and in several other places he hints that he is not following any pattern :— “Should there be any mistakes or erroneous opinions or conclusions found herein I must ask to be excused.” The student is quite ready to excuse anything when it is not imita- tion, for unfortunately there is too much of that in our colony. ‘The first introductory chapter starts by saying :— “There is not any sane individual, however scant his faculties, how- ever limited his advantages may be, who may not be able by persev cae ; and Gou’s blessing, to make himself both good and wise.” We can call this platitude or commonsense as we please, but it is not foolishness. No doubt Mr. Pieters’s philosophy was got from school books, but it is not mere repetition., Some thinking has been done to make this passage in the second introductory chapter :— “It isnot to be expected any man ought to (with Dey perched on his cot) always remain silent—especially when he ought to be noticed —or hang his harp on willow trees when by relating his past useful labours and present unfair circumstances he may be noticed and removed from distressing conditions of want and misery to under sunshine’s cleamings.” He goes on to speak of a noble mind, implying that he has such and that it is bravely eccentric and shuns the beaten path “ through ite benevolence.” There are certainly many signs of eccentricity in the book and that makes it valuable. Perseverance is dealt with and he con- siders it strange for anyone of a certain race in British Guiana to really persevere :— ‘I say again—perseverance is good—wise—necessary—especially now-a-days —so critical—so troublous— so dry—so famine-like—so singu- 16 Tumehri. lar—being altogether changed—so as that it appears (to me) strange circumstances will produce strange things.” He was determined, ‘I will, I must persevere ; for I feel ’tis just the time to do so.” Here we see that he is straining to express himself and no doubt felt as we all do that our inmost feelings cannot be fully expressed. There was something in him and like a child he tried to bring it forth ; in some cases we find it hard to distinguish his meaning but in general the involved sentences can be analysed. His efforts can be seen ‘in several places and he is not so conceited as some we know. ‘And although I may he dark when . . . compared with to any European race yet ; T feel that pure liberty of thought and will, which can only originate within a heart regenerated (or changed by spiritual | light) —shining within the soul and therefore discoverable in the in- tellect.” Anyone can see that this is not quite the goody-goody string of quotations that we commonly find in such pamphlets, He is not fearless and yet— “ A doubtful trembling temerity is not honourable. I could not for all the world feel so, nor are there such dispositions of fear on me abiding.” ‘“T stand on shaky foundations, not shaken altogether by my own faults, but by many discouragements. . .. If J do not succeed perhaps it will be for the better.” : There is a suggestion of fatalism but it is modified—-‘‘I must either stand or fall on those foundations, I must either live or die.” He accepted the usual teaching of the churches‘ and was not quite satisfied with the theory of attraction as he understood it. I once met a fairly intelligent black man who could not grasp the idea of the earth rolling through space with the possibility of everything falling off. Mr. Pieters, however, has tried to think out the matter :— Perhaps ’tis that universal-like attraction, which, so long ago for ages past—(considered by some individuals a mighty giant) ... that makes the tiny snipe, plovers, and these birds called sea gulls ; and fishermen balance themselves so curiously or shaky-like on tae own native shores. When I see these birds their heads and tails appear to play see-saw and bo-peep with their slender legs.” He evidently saw things and would have liked to understand as we are all trying todo. I can sympathise with him when he says :—“ We can: only try to know but what perhaps we may never know.” Here we have what we may call the fruits of philosophy, straining after ideals that are unattainable. The moreI analyse the little book the more pleased I am with the peep he gives me into his mind. Itis so very hard to get such peeps, I Stages of Progress. 17 can see Mr, Pieters as I once knew him and hear him talk of his life at Groete Creek. But he was not so free with his ideas when conversing as he is in his book. The sixth introductory chapter starts with :— ‘< Words do sometimes act as arrows, swords, ointment, medicine— balms or cordials for our wounded spirits—antidotes to our fears, * But it is according to the state or condition of our hearts that words which might do us good do not—and such truths as ought to com- fort us sometimes prove like blunted arrows on our hardened hearts— instead of consolation to our wounded breast,” There seems to be something here not quite plain ; perhaps he means that some people were abusing him with hard words and others applying the cordial or balm. We all knqgw how some words pierce the soul and others soothe ; it is quaintly put and not involved when we analyse it. Like most of us he wanted to get a solution of the problem of continuity after death :— “The soul is allowed either its supernatural acts, so as to form itself, as I have already hinted, or forms are sometimes impressed on the spirit of man after death, according to its various tempers or dispositions.” He believed in ghosts and generally in the church teaching but like most of us was not satisfied ; he winds up his argument for continuity with the Utopian ideal so widely diffused where :— | “Truth in its heavenly purity will reign throughout heaven and in our spiritual bodies ; and everlasting unalterable friendship hallowed in love, never to be broken or troubled by mistake or jealousy. All who will not do justly on earth--those who will not Jove mercy, nor walk humbl with God, will be unprepared for all those future seasons pointed out.” The introductory chapters end with a discourse on sin and death with few original ideas; where nothing is known, anything can be imagined, and all of us are groping in the dark. At page 27 begins the account of his three years at Groete Creek, which is descriptive in his _ peculiar way, and by no means of the ordinary type. He was born, bred and educated in Georgetown and never before saw a creek until 1880, when sent as schoolmaster to the Presbyterian Mission station at Groete Creek. He was pleased with all he saw and I can hear him now as he told me of the beauty of the creek. Of course I was sympathetic for I also always enjoyed the creeks and the pleasant inhabitants of the forest. He showed me the picture mentioned in his - book :— 2 “ I sketched more than a yard long, and half yard wide, the Creek’s mouth, etc., or entrance, with its adjoining southern sand-shore, etc., and heavy timbers, launched off rough river punts, and lying at slanting easiness as if regardless who took them up or who laid them there.” : : It was the kind of drawing which a boy might make with his first box of water-colours, but I had to agree with him as he pointed out the 18 Timehri. blue of the sky and green of the forest. In some things he was almost childish, in fact, I would not cool his enthusiasm in any way because I liked to hear him dilate on the good points. It was taken to the then Curator of the Museum as an exhibit for the Edinburgh Forestry Exhibi- tion and refused, as might be expected. Possibly, however, the refusal - was given in a way that caused offence for Mr, Pieters implied that Provi- dence did not allow the insult to remain unpunished. This is about- the only discord in the book and I willnot dwell upon it; the gentleman died because he would not accept the picture ! Descriptive writing, like drawing, was not within his power, but we can find much to admire in the bits of loving and sympathetic talk, even though it is somewhat supercilious at times. I wonder what the Indian | would have said of his Catechist could he have written such a book. The little Indian children his pupils, struck him at once as different from those he had seen in town. The ‘innocence of an Indian’s wild- wood” affected him pleasantly and I may presume that the glamour of the forest tinged him with some of the ideas shown in his book. The children were lovable :— ‘Their beauty did not bewitch me, O no !” “Tis true Ann was fat. Johannah had quite an aristocratic gait, Elizabeth was charming. Mary was like a flower, mild, yet sending forth its fragrance, and made me think at once of the Four O’clocks that in my youthful days, grew near my father’s gate-post. Little Clairmont’s (littlest of all) marble-worded speech was truly funny, and used to make me laugh and like him more on this cause. Henrietta, with soft silent footsteps, appeared to dance whenever she walked. “T really liked—or did love them; for I love innocence more than beauty, I love virtue more than vice, and I really thought what pretty angels these Indian children may be.” We can hardly think of Mr. Pieters as a schoolmaster of the average type, flogging such pretty children, and from what I saw of him I should say he would not ‘hurt a fly.” In fact, he said punishment was out of thought. He loved them and we can see that they must have loved him for Johannah :— “ Brought the most fortunate of the games on which her brother's or father’s gun had failed to place the proper shot, or bullet, and with her dill-dill-like ducking style, often sometimes came rushing towards me, bearing a young Accourie or Labba, and saying to me—‘ Look seh, mamma sen’ it seh.’” In spite of the fact that the writer does not quite say what he means he brings before us a picture which is not like the daub he wanted to send to Edinburgh. Could some real artist have been present to paint the little Indian girl of six bringing a labba almost as big as herself and handing it to her teacher, something like a picture would have resulted. His word-pictures are really pretty, e.g., the children—“ were always like pretty yellow young Muscovy ducks ; so pretty, yellow and clean, as if possessed of soft downy feathers.” Stages of Progress. 19 Of course he moralises a little on Bible lines, but this is not too prominent. There is so much in little and it is so varied as to be almost bewildering. There is no sequence or arrangement of ideas but every- where we can pick out little gems that are pleasing to our fancies as they probably were to his. There are pictures of the crew of his corial worth noting ; they were generally such little boys as I have myself had to paddle light bateaux up the- Demerara creeks :-—. “ The little boys did pull very eagerly and it was not until I got on the ‘ Hill-foot’ then did I find out that their constant quick strokes all along to that Hill were only brought forth by the volvings of their souls or hearts, on their dainties in those parts—deer meat and fresh-fish.” They duly got tothe Hill and were prov'led with meat and bread ; like Indian children in general they appeared as if starving and were ready to gorge themselves whenever they got an opportunity. This I _ know to be true for I have seen them, but 1 never drew such a picture as the following :— “We allhad breakfast and ate it ; but my schoolboys although ac- customed to such meats, etc., ate as if they had never tasted meat. “One greedy little fellow of about 7 or 8 years, on whose coun- tenance I could almost read his strange existence on the earth, kicked up a row when eating ; and was not satisfied with the last bite he got, after having got so many on plenty lumps of meats among his fellow school- mates.” So Mr. Pieters gave the greedy boy part of his share. It may be suggested that primitive man was always hungry and when he had an opportunity would eat as much as possible because he might never again have such a chance. Another pretty picture is brought before us as we read the following :— “Let us now jump into boat with its 7 lads and 6 paddles, besides the big captain’s paddle. I acted captain’s part, ‘‘Qne or two years’ difference existed on the heads of the six lads who were to pull, and the idle Jittlest fellow about 5 or 6 years, was, of course, to remain idle with his broad half doubtful features, and large inquisitive eyes ; for he was part-owner, for the old mailboat belonged to his father, “We all appeared to start with pleasing countenances. A brown fellow (not an Indian) grinned a sort of smile, with almost open mouth— yawning out laziness—and his closing lips of sunlight-painted-heat, as if beating from his proud little coloured heart (as such hearts do generally appear to beat) through similar signs and jealous symbols.” ; ‘Somehow or other, in spite of his queer modes of expression we can- not fail to see the happy disposition often found in the black man when we are not looking for faults. His explanation of the reason for en- 20 Timehrt. couraging innocent pleasures was that he did not invent vain and mis- chievous things but found lessons in stones and voices in woods, His echo of the poet is not quite a repetition. I could pick out more tit-bits, but these will probably be enough to — show the character of the little book. At first sight it might repel most people, but I saw something in it from the first and mentioned it to several people at different times. Two or three quotations in ‘‘ Guiana, British, Dutch and French,” interested one of the reviewers of that book, who wrongly thought I was poking fun atit. It is funny in places, and if read to a mixed audience, would no doubt make people laugh; in fact, it is enjoyable even to the average person. But I have already said enough and will conclude my study with Mr. Pieters’ iast words :--- ‘‘ And as study is a weariness of the flesh and in writing of Books or Drawing, or making up of Books there may be such mistakes as may be placed within respectful brackets of forgetfulness, I ask the reader of this _ my hurry-scurry book to accept what’s good in this book, reject what you may suppose to be erroneous, and expect to read (D.V.) some yet more amusing tales or ‘stories’ in my second volume or book.” It is almost a pity that he was not encouraged to go on with a second book, but unfortunately no one seemed to appreciate the first at its real value. Dear Theophilus! He died many years ago, and I lost sight of him, yet my memory can still recall his ingenuous conversation. I believe that he failed to pass as a schoolmaster, possibly he was too original for the examiners. In searching for local talent I must give prominence to “ Quow,” Mr. -M: McTurk, whose fables and sketches are not only amusing for their talki-talki” but for humour as well. I cannot here quote more than will indicate his style; these few lines come from “O]’ Time Nagah,” wherein an attempt is made to depict his troubles since freedom came :— ‘Da free time dis? Now freedom come, He isn’t hab no house, no home: He free fo’ true, go wa’k ‘pon dam, But weh de bittle fo’ he nyam? Bin ol’ time now da ’nadah ease. He hab good bittle fo’ go wa’se, Man ’kin an’ bone no bin a mix, He hab he meat an’ fat betwix’, He hroke-up ‘kin and magah figah, Ayou hab ha’t fo’ ol’ time nagah.” There is a type of local pamphlets that shows up the old-fashioned schoolmaster, who formed his style from the essayists. The idea running through them is the choice of magniloquent language to make the reader admire the writing; in fact, to wonder what it means. The average schoolboy memorises without understanding and repeats a long string of paragraphs or verses that are meaningless. When therefore he tries to Stages of Progress. 21 write he probably wants to “show-off” as he did on the platform when the school was breaking up. There is no originality in the materials, but possibly there may be in the arrangement; some are really amusing if not tiresome. I have a pamphlet ‘‘ Guiana Dialogues,” 1906, which is possibly an extreme specimen of the use of fine words misunderstood. It is intended for children’s plays, and possibly some may have been acted in our vil- lages. A single extract will probably be enough to show its character ; a lover is begging for a kiss :— “ Arthur (slow and pitiful)—Rebecca, thou earthly star of my life, thou whose fancy ranges no further than to mo, thou whose beauty can- not be paralleled by any existing human soul, thou whose presence cheers the burdened heart, and illuminates the darkest home, thou whose eyes foretell merriment, whose ways are ways of uprightness, did I not perish on the mighty deep? Sought wealth when death appeared whilst cross- ing the Kaieteur Falls? When also in the interior of Berbice, I fought with a tiger, and was taken helplessto the New Amsterdam Hospital, disfigured by the paws and teeth of the animal? Was it not for your happiness? Revoke your resolutions and come into my loving embrace, thou pride of my life, and give me the kiss I long for, come, come, my blue bells, come thou Guiana’s star, come, come, come.” I wonder what idea of Kaieteur the writer had and what children could learn from such language. In this connection it may be noted that the creole writer not only loves a long word but also a long sentence. In a printed lecture I noted that if was almost entirely a single paragraph, and when I was once con- sulted about a MS. story without stops or divisions the writer said all that sort of thing would be done by the printer. Poor printer! What a job he must have with his correspondence ! I once got a creole young man to repeat a speech given by himself at a wedding. Four young fellows listened with hands over their mouths until he finished and then the pent-up laughter burst forth in one glori- ous guffaw. Of course the speechifier joined in the applause and went off to tell how his grandiloquent string of words was appreciated by white men. A characteristic of the gold-diggers and boatmen 1s their power of improvising and altering sailor’s chanties to suit the conditions of the moment. They have the faculty of keeping time but are wanting in har- mony and melody. Mr. John A. McMillan published in 1895 a “ Lecture on the Gold Industry” with some of the paddling chanties. There is not much decency in the printed copies, but as the songs are sung many people would call them shocking. One of the most popular, once known to every gold-digger is ‘‘ Potaro Coarse Gold.” / 22 Timehrs. ‘ When the spademan spade and the hoeman hoe, And the cullayman cullay, and the batelle tell, Our manager shout, Potaro gold, Potaro coarse, coarse gold. Oh, Oh, blow Potaro blow Oh, Oh, blow Potaro, blow Ch, shilling ah lock ap story ; Gold ah Massaruni ; One shilling can’t buy my lober dress ; Oh, Oh, blow Potaro, blow, Oh, Oh, blow Potaro, blow.” Iam inclined to praise Mr. McMillan’s picture of what he calls the ‘¢ prettiest dreadful phenomenon” he had ever witnessed, a boat coming down the falls :— “‘ Placing yourself at the foot of a ae fall thirty or forty feet in height you behold with admiration, in all its sublimity, a boat thirty or thirty-five feet in length, loaded to perfection, shooting with the double velocity of a railway, whilst the captain and bowman with equal swiftness administering their steering capabilities to keep clear of huge as well as diminutive rocks ; and the other hands, manager and all, bending on their paddles with all their might, when ona sudden it seems to be launched with all its beauty of splendour on the swiftest of flat watery sur- face. It is a sight enough to make your hair stand on end, or make an old man laugh or weep according to his idiosyncrasy.” His picture of the evening gos sip of the gold camp is true to life :— “What can you have to talk about? Let me remind you, these men — being bushmen, they may try to retaliate. They chatter sometimes about the last placer they worked on; the kind of manager, clerk, etc., they encountered ; the wages obtained; the days occupied on the river and from the landing to the interior ; the food they were fed on ; the number of days they spent in the bush; which and which feigned sick for some are low enough to do that sometimes; the last advance they took, and which and which rascally fellows walked off with ‘‘’vance’” ; whether they must work in harmony with this manager for this Company or to hum- bug the work and return to town. Some of these are plots, of course, and the dumb signs telegraphy is thrown into active play where it appeared unsafe to risk the use of viva voce communication. Tiger and other stories of kindred utility not infrequently very happily lend their charm none the less to the colonial coveted undertaking, giving warning to the eager ears to have the fire in continual blaze as a barrier agai’.st the quadrupedal and creeping invaders.” : It is evident from these few examples that the creole is straiming to express his ideas and that he should be encouraged. We have seen pic- tures of boats in the rapids and perhaps been thrilled as we saw the strain- ing paddlers fighting for dear life; even the chanty tries to give us a picture :— Stages of Progress. 23 * When the captain, starding on the stand Give his command to his men Over danger, over danger Over danger rocks and falls. ” No wonder that they work and pray to save their lives; chanties are real prayers with work, laborare est orare. That some of our people are beginning to wake up is shown by an ex- tract from ‘“‘ The Negro in British Guiana,” by Joseph N. Conway, 1907 :— “Tf the negro in British Guiana has had to make grave efforts to reach thus far, those for his future are still graver. Nothing in the posi- tion of the race can remain in the inertia of rest, as having begun the ascent, halting, he will lose his momentum, and descend in obedience to the laws of gravitation.” Slowly but steadily the creole is becoming a thinker and if he can read and think a little more instead of ‘‘resting” his progress will be certain though slow. I have been told by Kuropeans that they can’t study here as in Eng- land, for they feel languid and the mosquitoes bother them. Anything beyond a light novel is tiring. Possibly much of this lassitude is due to errors in the seasoning period, when there is a craving for cool drinks and lounging in the gallery. Personally, I have found that walking induces thinking and that being carrie! in a vehicle disposes to the sort of do- nothing which some appear to enjoy. There is room for good work here ; the creole should rouse himself and not let outsiders do everything. The reader must excuse my boring him with a touch of my philosophy of progress. It appears as if everything is open to improvement, but no one can tell what can be done until he tries. Even a failure does not necessarily mean that all ways of success are blocked, for no one can declare that he has tried everyone. To get on we must have liberty and opportunity, it follows therefore that those who say there is only one way of doing a thing, whether developing a country or writingja story, are putting stumbling blocks in our path. Progressive continuity is the principle of development ; we improve things already existing, but we must take risks. Openings should be given where possible ; if Gravesande had not opened up Demerara it might have been like Berbice, and if Messrs. Thomson and Jardine had not opened their papers to the strain- ings of the creole mind we should hardly have been able to see that local talent exists and can be developed. There were impediments in the way of publishing magazines and pamphlets forty yearsago, but when these were overcome the Churches began to publish their organs and other Societies woke up with “ The Young Man,” “ The Guide,” “ The Philatelic Journal,” ‘The Commercial Review” as well as “ Timehri” and “The West Indian Quarterly.” All these gave desirable openings for the coming forth of a Guiana literature, but I am afraid that the opening up of the oountry will continually be obstructed by RED TAPE. PROGRESS IN NEW AMSTERDAM. By irs Town CLERK. From the listless repose of the place and the peculiar character of its people whe are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered den has long been known by the name of the Sleepy Hollow.—Irving, I have been asked to write something about New Amsterdam, in- dicative of its progress. Hard is the task, for having lived in the town for the past seven years, I cannot find true perspective, and movements and changes which should excite the interest and engage the attention of the historian might quite easily escape the notice of the dweller within the gates. Agreeably with the shifting scenes of life, unpalatable though the fact may be to oldsters, New Amsterdam, once the capital of Berbice, has fallen from its high estate, a circumstance that is most acutely felt by praisers of the past, who, by a well-known psychological twist, are un- willing to admit that the times they now live in are better than those that were. Nor will they who exalt the past at the expense of the pre- sent be weaned from their conservatism, in view of res angustae expe- rienced in many a home through the quaint turns in the social drama which have been superinduced by war conditions, these being responsible for that unpicturesque phenomenon of the rich growing richer and the poor growing poorer. There is no doubt that the merging of Berbice with the united colony of Demerara and Essequebo stripped the capital of much of its independence and territorial consequence—a process that until lately has been going on with a corrosive effect on the prestige and dignity of the town. Gone is the resident judge; gone is the Treasury; | gone is the Alms House—swept away by a sudden flood of economical zeal on the part of the central Government which might have been for- given its iconoclasm if uniformity, continuity and equity had marked its policy of retrenchment. In the councils of the State the voice of no resi- dent Berbician or of any Berbician at all is heard; and thereat young - Berbice stands mutely by, as if for all the world it confesses that there are better waters than the waters of Abana and Pharpar. Though for a variety of reasons—and here may be mentioned the absence of a port and the presence of a silted harbour—the kinetic energy of the town, which has not yet caught the expression of exhaustion, is not so pronounced as that of the metropolis, some measure of progress stands to be recorded to the credit of the former. In such a country as British Guiana, population is a matter of first importance, for it precedes and accompanies progress. During the past twenty-five years the population of New Amsterdam has moved up to 8,400 souls, an increase of about, eight per cent. This, apparently, is a poor achievement, but not so un- appreciable when it is recalled that the population of the whole colony has not advanced at a greater pace. A railway with a river connects the twocentres. This connection, meant for an abridgment of distances and Progress 1n New Amsterdam. 25 the harbinger of great things, has had the effect of making the town more of an appanage to the city, and accordingly has weakened its in- dependence, while challenging its pristine glory as a separate entity. Thus has it come to pass that Georgetown regards New Amsterdam as, in _ the quaint conceit of Lamb, an irrelevant thing, an impertinent corres- pondency, a Mordecai in its gate, a fly in its ointment—a poor relation. A flood of progress is more easily visible ina town than in the country, and whether or not an urban environment is opposed to man’s fundamen- tal instincts, there is this peculiarity about New Amsterdam thatit has a rural air, an aspect of Nature not without its effect on the mentality of the townsfolk, ‘There is a closer correspondence, as it were, between the town mouse and the country mouse, and so there is no need for the former to ask of the latter Quid te juvat, amice, Praerupti nemoris patientem vivere dorso ? The rural air referred to, that is, its umbratile characteristic, is less noticeable than it was, say, a decade ago. Though malaria has not yet vanished, the baneful attentions of mali culices are less pronounced ; mosquito invasions are far fewer than before ; sand-flies are now a mere memory ; the sylvan aspect of the town is disappearing. This, to be sure, makes for improved health—to the detriment of the coup d’ceil from _ the point of view of the artist, the lover of Nature unadorned. With the best intentions, some of the townsfolk revel in the occupation of maligning the health of their own hearth, in blissful ignorance of the fact that the New Amsterdam death-rate is lower than that of the city. Typhoid is unknown except when imported ; and as there is less over- crowding than in the city, fewer victims are claimed by Tuberculosis. And to the end that the wings of this dread scourge should be clipped, there has been established a branch of the Society for the Prevention and Treatment of Tuberculosis. It is doinz valuable work, for its officers and staff are nothing if mot zealous and tactful, and moreover have material of the pliant order to deal with, that is, folks who appreciate the value of the beneficent objective in view, and accordingly do not kick at domiciliary visits, or translate kindly attentions as officious intrusions. The town has natural advantages which keep off disease. A com- parison as to physique between the lower orders of the city and town is all in favour of the town. This is most noticeable. Those in New Amsterdam are better fed, albeit they appear to be more listless. In their vocabulary there is no such word as hurry. They take their ambulatory exercises with inexorable decorousness. The drainage of the town is easy, and so, unlike the case of Georgetown, spring-tides ' bring no discomfort with them. The roads are kept in good order, an achievement all the more creditable when it is learned that Whereas some fifteen years ago from $8,000 to $10,000 a year used to be voted for their upkeep, asum of only about $6,000 is made to suffice nowadays. And be it remembered that the traffic is sensibly heavier. * 26 Timehri. New Amsterdam is in a transition stage, passing on from the green ear to the full ear, probably on its return journey to the position it once occupied in the social and economic hierarchy. Perhaps there was a time when the laxity of its movement indicated the absence of objective, but the process of metamorphosis is being hastened by war’s aftermath. We see this more particularly in the building operations that have been going on for the past eighteen months. One must carry his memory back many years to recall activities of this kind. Since the fall of 1918, when the Municipal Building By-laws came into force, never a month has passed but that building “notices” have been sent into the Council. And this in spite of the high cost of building materials and of labour. Inflated money is being exchanged for price-inflated commodities. Tradesmen who aforetime could hardly count upon more than four months of employment, and broken at that, during the year, find them- selves working five days in a week. No longer for tbem are the hungry > months of Ramazan. In other departments, too, it may beseen that the - social temperature is rising; and one could wish that there will be no slipping down of the mercury. Now should the occasion be grasped by the roots of its hair ; and if measures of consolidation be prudently gone about, New Amsterdam may yet regain some at least of its erst position of social puissance. At the present time the town cannot be charged with the habit of decumbency. It is all life and commerce, and it is making a move onin the bustling way. Fora long time it has not been accus- tomed to this fret and fever, but maybe it will, sooner or later, corre- spond to the changed environment. Seven years ago, there were some two dozen cabs about the town. There are now oaly two, the comfortable and mobile motor car having caused the remainder to evanesce. Joy rides are common, and the East Indian is not the least enthusiastic of the joy-riders—a preg- nant sign for the _ social -philosopher. The churches have not diminished in number, the threat of the withdrawal of State-aid notwithstanding. The enigma of the grave and the riddle of after-life will ever inflame the imagination and excite the curiosity of mere man. There are no carillons, but the music (or the nuisance) of the bells subsists or rather persists; and as there are no fewer than eight churches, within a radius of some five hundred acres, having bells and ringing bells, one can imagine what goes on at times, and be sure that it is not thus that melody is foretold. Quot vivos vocant, mortuos plangunt, fulgura frangunt. Besides churches, there are chapels and conventicles and street-corner gatherings, these latter being illuminated by grace of naphtha and the nasal exhortations of the modern Stiggins. This much he does: he keeps people. out of harm’s way but in the way of the traflic, and the policeman does not say him nay. The town derives its economic sustenance from the extractive industries which concern themselves with the cultivation and manufacture Progress in New Amsterdam. 7 of sugar, the cultivation of rice, and the winning of mimusops globosa. That is, it is these industries which actas feeders. The contributions to the Wages Fund made by the balata industry are markedly attenuated in comparison with times past, yet if this industry fell to pieces, the hurt to the town would be at once visible. Some little business, probably destined to grow in volume, is done in the way of converting paddy into rice, the most nutritive of the cerealia, and a food which is eaten by all classes of the community—a unique circumstance. Rice is now being cultivated in the environs, and if success attend the adventure, the town cannot choose but benefit therefrom. Also will it materially benefit if riverine industrial activities were more in evidence. The river people are said to be more studious of their ease than those of the creek (Canje river) inhabitants, and the indictment may be true, for much more could be done with ground provisions and fruit. For the latter, dependence is being had on the industry of the villagers on the east coast of Demerara. | The enterprise of the New Amsterdam Town Council is seen in its lighting service. Some two decades ago there was a tremendous saltation from oil lamps to electric Jighting. The adventure has passed through sore travail, and it is gratifying to be able to record the fact that there are evidences seeming to indicate a surcease from losses and -trepidations. Last year the enterprise showed a frofit of an appreciable sum ; and of late the plant has been giving less trouble and anxiety than before. The occasional failure of the light brings home to users and the general _- publicits great convenience and value. Moreover, it is not known to many that the light is being supplied at a cost much smaller than com- mercial enterprise would venture upon. In this regard alone the Municipality has conferred an inestimable boon on dwellers within the gates. There is promise of all-round improvement in matters Municipal. _ An amalgamation scheme is being launched. The Water and Electricity Works may in due course be no longer separate entities, and in this way large economies are confidently anticipated. It is sincerely to be hoped that all will go well in this connection ; for if not, then there may be a violent throw back into the ‘‘ dark backward and abysm of time.” It is rather remarkable—and I cannot help saying it is a reproach— that in the good old days of New Amsterdam, the leaders of men did not seem to appreciate the value of secondary education within its own gates, Maybe they had other piscatorial delicacies to fry ; maybe other objects obsessed them. Be that as it may, New Amsterdam can now boast of a high school, the Berbice High School, to wit. It has been founded with _ the capital and by the beneficence of the Canadian Mission. The school was opened in September, 1916, and in the first term there was a roll-call of twenty-seven pupils. This number has more than doubled, and com- _ pares very favourable with the attendance at the Queen’s College of British Guiana. The curriculum includes regular work up to the stand- ard required for the senior Cambridge Local Examinations. There is also manual training, including a class for the training of Hast Indian 28 Timehra. boys for the primary school-teachers’ examination. The building has been partly finished at a cost of $2,800; and it has a striking appear- ance near the junction of Fort and North Roads. It will be completed this year, and to it will be added, it is contemplated, a small laboratory. A residence for the headmaster is to be built, and already there are two dormitories and a work-shop. The school is doing good, solid work, and is destined to do even better when there is heartier co-operation on the part of the public upon whom the boon has not yet been borne in. Iam to add that the existence of this seminary has given a filip to the studious and the ambitious. Here and there night classes have leaped into existence, and coaches have sprung up from where one does not know, and boasting of a proficiency that may be but the fiction of the imagination. In dress New Amsterdam is not behind hand. Among the young men that finicking coxcombry which is on exhibition on the Sea Wall and the public gardens of the city, is not seen in such vulgar kind and pro- fusion. But as to the daughters of Eve, they meekly and joyously sub- mit to the tyranny of fashion. In every other street a dressmaker is to be found, and they know their business, or rather, in view of the fine figures they have to deal with, they do not find their business a task— save.or the tedium of stitch, stitch, stitch. Females of all classes dress well and decorously. The “loud” does not obtrude. Girls emerge from school into womanhood wearing the same length of dress. When they are “keeping company” the dress is lowered and the hair is “ put up.” There is no guessing conjugal conditions by skirt length; and I have chanced upon some grandmothers who affect the syncopated skirt—in the chimerical hope, I conceive, that Fashion may distract the attention and stay the hand of Time in its natural occupation of writing wrinkles ! . SOME EXAMPLES OF INDIAN MIMICRY, FRAUD AND IMPOSTURE. COMPILED BY WALTER E. ROTH. When in residence at Sandringham, Her Gracious Majesty happens to visit her wondrously-appointed aviaries and calls her feathered song- sters with a “‘ tweet-tweet !” it is somewhat hard to realise that she is but obeying the same hereditary instinct that prompts the lowest savage in her realm to secure the wherewithal to satisfy the cravings of his hungry stomach. Decoy-calls are but one of the many forms of mimicry, fraud and imposture employed by him to lure the winged denizen of the forest to its doom. wh Any form of imitation and pretence practised by man to the dis- advantage of lower animals may be classed under Mimicry: when the object in view is to the detriment of his fellow-creatures it is recognised under the somewhat unpleasant terms of Fraud and Imposture, In the latter case, however, an additional and higher sense has to be outwitted to bring about successful results for with the gradual development of more advanced reasoning powers in both parties, the would-be hunter has now to play upon his quarry’s sense of proportion, comparison and credibility. Church and State, the classes and the masses, the sharps ‘and flats, the rooks and pigeons all have a common source of origin, a -foundation-stone of mimicry and pretence, however upright, however base, the superstructure, Mimicry, fraud and imposture are but the natural development of one and the same guiding instinct that has had its share in making man what he is, to survive in the struggle for existence, and during the recent Armageddon, under the term of Camou- flage, mystery ships, and other contrivances, helping in a large measure to pave the way to yictory. : Mimicry, it must be remembered, is only harmful when applied to the detriment of others ; it may prove an important educational force, and on occasion may constitute sources of pleasure and enjoyment not only to the artist who practises it, but even to the model practised upon. It provides in a sense the humour which is common to every Indian. If a stranger arrives among them, curiosity compels the neighbouring resi- | dents to come and make comparison between him and themselves. With sharp and critical gaze the Indian observes his demeanour, his every move- ment, listens to his very word, and now and again casts a significant side-glance at his friends standing around ; nothing escapes him, but he betrays nought of the triumph which he already inwardly experiences, Accompanied by his mates, he returns to his quarters where, bubbling over with fun, judgment is passed upon the stranger in the most biting satire. The latter’s portrait is sketched : his nose is as long as a tapir’s, he has a mouth like an alligator, and bolts his food like a tiger ; his legs are as ugly and lean asa crane’s, and his belly is as shrivelled as a mon- © 30 Timehn. key’s. After Schomburgk’s party had spent their first few weeks among the Makusis, each of them got anick-name with which they distinguished one from another: Mr. Fryer, on account of his size and long feet, was Jabiru ; Mr. Goodall, who often read the prayers at service, was Domini; Stockle, owing to his fair hair which seemed specially ridiculous to them, was Howler-monkey; Tiedge, with his long nose, was Tapir; whilst Schomburgk, owing to his being always engaged in botanising, was ~ Yariko-papa, i.e., Father of the Flowers. Justas a stranger gets a nick- name, so does an Indian with any peculiarity or deformity: long-hair, long-head, pointed-nose, thick-neck ; and crook-leg. If anyone is good at climbing he is called tiger-cat ; if he can run well he is known as deer, arrow, or lightning. As with the men so with the women: we find such terms as fat-leg, lumpy, big belly, red-lip, squint eye, and curly. Many Indian games and amusements afford proof of the excellence with which the antics of animals can be imitated; as a matter of fact many of them are named after the particular beast or bird represented, . and are of wide distribution. I have thus witnessed the Bimitti or hum- ming-bird dance performed by Akawais on the Demerara, and by Areku- nas at Roraima. The young chick cackles as the old cock crows and many an evening did I spend at Karikaparu, a village about a week’s walk from Roraima, watching the actions of a company of young boys playing pantomime games after dusk had set in. One which particularly took my fancy was that of ‘‘ jaguar” where two youths played the part of King of the Forest, each stalking on his two hands and one foot, with the other foot raised and extended to represent a tai]. As the rest of the perform- ers circled in Indian file around the two central figures all howling and singing, the latter would prowl around and behind the last of the line, suddenly spring upon, and drag him captive to their den a few yards away outside the circle where he would lie stiff and stark while the jaguars jumped over his dead corpse. The whole scene would then be repeated and another victim seized, until all and every boy in the circle was brought captive to the lair, and jumped over, when the final feasting on the slaughtered bodies would be represented in every detail from the hacking of the flesh to the grinding of the bones. The idea of jumping over the bodies is indicative of death, and is practised at Makusi funerals. By the way, a whole chapter could be written over this custom of jump- ing the dead, a custom of which traces are still found in similar savage as well asin more advanced races. I once had a gruesome experience in the Never-Never of Western Queensland at seeing a woman speared for thoughtlessly stepping over her prostrate husband to reach the fire. ‘‘ She can walk over me when I am dead, but not while I am alive,” was the only explanation that the brute could offer for his action. We our- selves have remnants of a somewhat similar belief, when feeling as if someone were “ walkiug over our grave.” wis Let us now consider some examples of mimicry practised by the Indian to secure his daily food, and see how far the victim’s sense of Some Examples of Indian Mimicry, Fraud and Imposture. 31 sound can be played upon. The surprise I experienced on first learning how fish can be attracted by sound has been shared by other observers, for rt certainly was a canon for successtul angling on any streams in the Homeland that silence was golden and that even the slightest noise or ripple on the water was prejudicial to a catch. Here in the Guiana creeks on the other hand, itis of advantage every now and again to lash the water with the rod because, if fish are present at all, they will very probably rise to the occasion and, provided the bait be suitable, will take the hook. The Indian explains this phenomenon on the ground that by splashing the surface he mimics the falling into the water of ripened seeds, certain kinds of which are eagerly swallowed by many kinds of fish. The yarran is undoubtedly lured by a sort of whistle which the Caribs are particularly adept at practising. Only last September I was fishing on a tributary of the Barima and could catch nothing, when the Carib accompanying me whistled a short plaintive staccato note, and repeated it some six or seven times, when sure exough a couple of large yarrau suddenly put in an appearance. In this case I must certainly admit my ignorance of what the decoy sound was intended to convey, if indeed it is a case of mimicry at all. It is the imitation of bird-calls however, that the Indians have developed almost into a fine art, and it is little matter for surprise that so large a number of names indicative of birds should be onomatopeie, e.g., Quest-ce-que-dit, hanaqua, duraquarra, and kuau. ‘To so truthful a pitch can the mimicry be carried that if not infrequently hap- pens that the hunter may be deceived even by his fellow “ matti,” the one calling, and the other answering, The accuri is a mammal that can also be lured to destruction by calling and a case is known to have occurred on the Demerara River where the Indian mimicked the call so accurately that a tiger-cat in the vicinity, being itself deceived, sprang upon his back, where the resulting scars remained for long after. In the pairing season it is acommon trick on the Barima and Kaituma Rivers to imitate the call of the tapir and so bring it within range of bow and arrow. The deer is similarly called in the open when the hunter must of course hide his presence more or less by means of a bundle of Curatella bush held in front of him. As the savannah has but little or hardly any scrub along which the Indian can sneak towards the animal, it is extremely interesting to watch him on the chase. As soon as the creature is noticed and bends down to graze he is on the move, ereeps forward like a cat, keeping the animal constantly in view however, and instantly remains as immovable as a statue when it raises its head again. Nothing can tire his patience in thus approaching within arrow or gun-shot, even should two or three hours be necessary for the purpose, and when about 100 paces close to the inoffensive creature, the call of the buck is imitated by him in the cleverest manner. The deer is all _ attention, stamps its forefeet, and whether or not owing to some deficiency in keenness of sight or scent, it at any rate commences circling round the hunter in narrower and varrower turns until, when within twenty paces, it falls a sure victim to the gun or more certain arrow. 32 Timehri. With nocturnal animals the sudden and unexpected appearance of daylight mimicked by torch or lamp may prove the creature’s undoing : at any rate, this is the explanation given by the Indians to account for the success met with by the exercise of such methods. A torch at night will bring certain fish within reach of gun or cutlass—the popular belief is that they are attracted out of curiosity, the Indian view being that they are fooled into believing that day has dawned. So with the laba, both opinions are current, and as the method here employed is comparatively recent and hitherto undescribed, a short account of it may not prove out of place. The stranger visiting the upper Demerara for the first time would probably be surprised at seeing the regular Bull’s eye lantern of the London “ Bobby ” in every little timber-grant that he might visit, and even in Indian camps also. These lanterns or ‘“‘shoolers”’ are imported and sold expressly for laba hunting. Going up the higher reaches of the Karuabaru one day, I noticed numerous laba tracks along the banks. So that evening I suggested that two of my men should try and secure a specimen, I accompanying them, After supper and before the moon rose the three of us set out in a corial: the man with the gun and lamp in the bow, I amidship, and the steersman in the stern. The latter and I looked after the paddling, the bowman holding his gun in one hand, and flashing the lantern along the banks with the other. We drifted noise- | lessly down, only using the paddles to keep the vessel in the middle of the stream. It was a weird sensation—gliding through the ink-black forest on an equally dark current with only the ever shifting circle of light from the lantern to guide us. Suddenly, and just ahead, a sound was heard like the grinding of teeth. The bowman raised the gun to his shoulder and steadied it with his left which still held the lantern. The rays shone along the barrel, and ‘following them ‘to the bank I got a glimpse of two small red lights as the feeding laba raised its head to the lamp. The next moment, with a flash of fireand an awful row the gun went off, and the three of us had all we could do to prevent the corial capsizing with the recoil. Going ashore we found the sleek brown and white spotted carcass of a full-grown laba lying across the heap of fallen palm seeds on which it had been feeding. Other cases there are, where the hunter will hide his presence with grass or leaf, and thus through the sense of sight give his quarry a false sense of security. A tussock of matted grass floating along with the stream need give no cause for suspicion to a brace of ducks further down. Hidden in, and surrounded by, this apparently innocent looking wrack, however, is the head of an Indian who, with body submerged, and barely a ripple on the surface is gingerly guiding himself to the required spot, where, seizing bird after bird from below, he tucks them inte his waist belt. Just as harmless in appearance as the floating tussocks were the ambush-shelters built by the Makusis towards the end of the wet season on the recently formed Jakes in the neighbourhood of Mapeima village in the Canuku Ranges : in these oval little structures, formed of a framework covered with leafy bush rising from 4 to 5 feet above the surface of the Some Examples of Indian Mimicry, Fraud and Imposture. 33 water, the Indians were accustomed to hide themselves and shoot with blow-guns or fire-arms the various birds that were either standing along the banks or wading around in the water. In those rare circumstances where the bird call does not lend itself to imitation, the bird itself may be caught and assist the Indian in securing _ others : the captive creature mimics a free one. Decoys are thus made use of as in the case of grass-birds and other small members of the feathered race. Among the Arekuna Indians on the Caco River, in the far hinterland, certain small parrots of the Pionus species used to be easily eaught by specimens of the same bird confined in a basket. The employ- ment of decoys is common throughout most of the races of mankind and examples are readily called to mind from other countries of elephants, horses, cattle and sheep being specially trained for the purpose. A similar idea has left its trace in the trapping of one’s fellow men. More than one scientific expedition exploring the Amazon basin even within recent years has been wiped out to a man through the agency of decoy women sent in amongst them-for the purpose by local Indians. The latter can hardly be blamed, for even in the late war, both the enemy and the allies practised ay similar tactics; it has even been asserted that General Allenby’s success in Palestine wera in no small measure due to information supplied by an Englishwoman in the German lines who, unfortunately, later on suffered the supreme penalty for her patriotism. While there are thus many examples forthcoming of the Indian’s powers of mimicry leading to the animal’s undoing through the senses of sight and sound, I have learnt of none here that is exercised by smell. At this I am not surprised for I know of but one case, which I have already recorded from Australia, in connection with the Kangaroo, an animal that is far keener scented than our big Guiana deer and can never be stalked from the windward. Now, on occasion, the Queensland aboriginal will succeed in turning the beast into his own direction by previously fixing a spear or two along the pathway it is likely to pursue on its way to water, such weapons having been previously moistened with the sweat derived from his armpits and thighs, a scent which the creature knows only too well to avoid: it is a case of an inanimate object being made to imitate the presence of a human being. : In searching the various records there is a notable prominence of mimicry applied to the detriment of one’s fellow creatures, 2.e, cases of fraud and imposture. In the olden days, the wants of the Indian were few, the comforts of a higher civilisation unknown, each individual had his own particular weapons and implements that he made himself; there was - nocause for envy, no reason for fraud or strife. As usual, the only trouble _ was woman, who was either purchased, stolen, captured, or fought for. _ Another but occasional cause for discord was the status of the chief and _the medicine-man, offices often held in combination ; the latter however, like the priesthood in more advanced countries was a close corporation, jealously guarded, to which admittance was only allowed after years of 34 Timehri. hard training and the performance of a series of painful ordeals. Radical changes however took place upon the arrival of the European, and with him the introduction of fire-arms, spirits, the distribution of articles of trade, the wearing of clothes, and the institution of slavery. The Indian envied the white man, his skin, his possessions, his comforts, and his powers : his outlook upon life became enlarged, his ambitions were fired in wrong directions, and practically everything that had been previously regarded as beyond his reach and as a luxury, now became regarded and envied as a necessary. The real secret was that the Indian did not come into contact with the right kind of white man. In apeing his low-caste European and African model to perfection, the Indian became nature’s beast instead of nature’s gentleman. For civilization to prove beneficial it must be practised by the best of examples, and introduced progres- sively, not irruptively, truths which seem to have been woefully ignored by the Imperial as well as many Colonial Governments in their well- intentioned measures for the amelioration and preservation of the native races. Schomburgk struck the right note when he penned the follow- ing :— During my sojourn among these primitive people it struck me very forcibly that it all depends upon the European as to what he is going to make of them. The largest portion of them had never yet and, with few exceptions, had only occasionally met with Europeans. Heart and head still remained completely in childish harmony. Treat such an In- dian as a friend so as to let him feel through intercourse with you that — he is of the same flesh and blood that he honours and respects in your- self. Do not budge a single hair’s breadth from the truth; do not be guilty of any weaknesses he may feel inclined to commit; be circumspect in everything you do; do not repulse his friendly advances, however hard it may often prove, with severity or false pride; share his innocent pleasures ; let him see that you sympathise with his troubles and -with his sorrows, and truly you will get on better with these folk than with the outwardly brilliant companionship of Europe. Morality and virtue need not be brought from civilized HEurope—Indians have a far more tender regard for them than we have.” In pondering over this memorable pas- sage in the great traveller's story of his journeys in Guiana, I find great - eonsolation in knowing that though.the principle which governed my efforts on behalf of the North Queensland aboriginals could not be carried out in its entirety, owing to the scarcity of first-class upright conscientious missionary men and women, willing to sacrifice their lives for the benefit of the savage. | strained every point to secure immense Reserves where the natives are confined, where fire-arms, trade, clothes, and Europeans are not permitted, with the result that the race is allowed to work out its own destiny and suffered to live and die in peace. Perhaps the earliest reliable account to hand of fraud and imposture practised upon Europeans by what were now sophisticated Indians is con- nected with Mahanarva, the celebrated Carib Cazike who, as late as 1810, put the whole colony into a state of consternation and excitement. It was in this year that Mahanarva, now so notorious, came down the Esse- i ew Some Examples of Indian Mimicry, Fraud and Imposture. 35 quibo to Demerara, along with several of his dependents to pay the Gov- ernor a visit, and struck a note of alarm throughout the whole colony by his account of the extent of his tribe and the “unbridled courage of his innumerable warriors. The wily Indian’s plans answered admirably. The absolute ignorance of the interior of Guiana, and the dread of the depredations of the Caribs, whom the colonists had learnt to recog- nise as the most dangerous enemy to their progress, caused the Court of Policy to accept his empty brag as the truth, and to agree willingly to the conditions offered them by him to keep his wild hordes at peace with the Colony. As a matter of fact, Mahanarva punctually obeyed the invitation that was given him on his departure to return the following year and fetch the stipulated tribute again. The enhanced accounts of his power, to which he gave expression on his second visit, induced the Governor to send a Commission to the country of this proud and mighty Cazike, and satisfy itself by direct enquiry as to his alleged influence. At the head of the expedition which, at the same time, was to go up the Rupununi to Fort San Joaquim and enter into negotiations with the Commandant concerning trade on the Rio Branco, was Dr. Hancock, a physician practising in Georgetown. These were the English and Dutch colonists who visited the interior of British Guiana, and of whom Alexander von Humboldt makes mention in his Travels. The expedition fortunately afforded results quite different from what were feared. Mahanarva and his mighty crowd sank down to the level that they really were; gentlemen had allowed themselves to be fooled by a savage. The ‘‘Observations on Guiana” published by Dr. Hancock gave the first information concerning the interior of the country. The Amazons, the Golden City of Manoa, and similar Guiana fables hardly come under the category of fraud and imposture, because the “Indians were as firmly convinced of their actuality, as the foreign filibusters themselves. In the early forties Schomburgk was the victim of a curious trick played upon him by certain local Indians at ‘‘ Our Village,” his depdt on the Kukenaam. ‘The latter were very keen on several of his articles of trade and yet there was nothing more in the animal world that the illustrious traveller did not already possess. All bird-skins that they offered him for a comb or fora knife had to be refused, as he already possessed them-in larger quantity than necssary. They finally brought him birds with the most beautiful play of colours which the hunters wanted to make out they had shot in a distant mountain valley. - The wondrously lovely creatures belonged to the genus Tanagra or Pipra. On this particular occasion they obtained even more than they asked for because Schomburgk now believed himself in possession of new species. There was no doubt about its being a Tanagra when all of a sudden, on a more careful comparison of the feathers, it seemed to have a curious familiar appearance and Schomburgk recognised that, instead of something new, he had got hold of a fake put together with a skill so 36 Timenri. extraordinary that not even a Chinaman, as he says, would have been ashamed of it. The Tanagra had been doctored with all the kinds of Pipra and Euphone that were to be found locally, and so transformed into this extremely beautiful specimen. The same thing had been done with some Pipra and Fringilla skins. He readily forgave them this masterly deception, on the ground that they believed that the skirs they had tampered with must have the sume value to him as the other ones. During the spring of 1864, Appun, another traveller whom we should also be grateful for a knowledge of our country, barely escaped with his life as the result of a conspiracy hatched against him by Wapi- sianas on the upper Takutu to cover their theft of his goods having clandestinely hacked the warp attached to the boat conveying all his and provisions, and hidden the vessel, they reported its loss as having been sunk over the Falls. | Even at the present day in trading with the European, African or Chinese, the Indian will often succeed in getting the better of his pur- chaser by what practically amounts to fraud. For instance, there is a proper workmanlike method of plaiting the sifter and squeezer used in the preparation of cassava, so asto ensure not only extra strength but greater durability : the difference in the plait not being readily distin- guishable, the Indian can hardly be blamed for keeping the better articles for his own use, and putting the Brummagen ones on the market. Most interesting of all, however, are the notable frauds and impostures that have been practised by Indians upon Indians. The least harmful in its consequences of the three examples I propose quoting is that reported by Missionary Brett, in 1845, of an Indian who, pretending to be “the Lord,” went into the interior with some deluded followers, and established himself in the upper part of the Mazaruni. From this distant spot, he sent emissaries into the neighbourhood of all the Missions calling on the Indians to quit their homes and provision fields and go to him. They were told that they should possess lands which would yield a large crop of cassava froma single stick and various other absurdities very alluring to the indolent Indian. These tales joined to threats of horrible destruction which should come upon all who refused to go, had their influence on the minds of many and lured them away. The movement commenced with the Akawais near the Essequibo who had been observed providing them- selves with fire-arms for some time before they set out. They were anxious to get the Caribs to join them, and hundreds of Indians of different tribes went from all parts of the country—many even from the Moruca and Pomeroon—“ to see God” as they termed it, some of whom perished from sickness, and others found themselves in a state of destitution when they reached the spot. In the more remote districts some settlements were completely deserted. The inhabitants of others had been part of the way, and then returned famished and ashamed. The leading facts of the strange occurrence were said to have been well Some Examples of Indian Mimicry, Fraud and Imposture. 37 authenticated|by other evidence. I myself, however, am very much inclined to the opinion that what came to Brett’s ears was but a-whisper of the horrors that had been perpetrated just about the same time in the neighbourhood of Mount Roraima and which had been paralleled in the Brazils only a few years before The following is an account of what tock place in the Presidency according to an official report dated 25.5.1838 from Comarca as Flores, the original of course being in Portuguese. “It is now more than two years ago that a man by the name of Joao Antonio, living at Pedra Bonita which lies about 20 miles distant from this township, surrounded by forest and close to two huge rocks, called the inhabitants together and told them that enclosed in these crags was an enchanted Kingdom of which he proposed to break the spell, and that as soon as this was done King Don Sebastian would appear at the head of a large army. He thereupon busied himself clearing up the spot until November of last year when, at the bidding of the Missionary Francisco José Correa de Albuquerque he removed to the desert region of Inhamon, whence he despatched an individual Joao Pereira, who, on his arrival in Pedra Bonita proclaimed himself King, and filled the minds of the people with all sorts of superstitions. He told them that in order to restore the Kingdom it was necessary to sacrifice anumber of men, women and children, who, in a few days’ time would rise again and then remain immortal, that great riches would be distributed among all classes and that all those of a blacker, especially darker, colour would on a sudden become white like Europeans. He thus managed to obtain numerous adherents to carry out his evil orders and wicked doctrine, and there were not even wanting parents who delivered up their own children to the knife of the blond- thirsty monster. Ou the fourth of the present_month, the sacrifices commenced and in the course of a couple of days, not less than 42 people | had been slaughtered at his hands. But he came to a very miserable end. The most tragic imposture ever recorded in the annals of the Colony is that which took place in the valley of the Kukenam somewhere about 1845 and of which a special monograph has already been published in Germany : gs just mentioned, it is possibly the identical event of which an echo found its way in the occurrence mentioned by Brett. At any rate, the following would seem to be the actual story. At Ibirima-yeng, a settle- ment at the foot of Mt. Roraima there lived a certain medicine-man by the name of Awacaipu who, by his conspicuous cunning and charlatanism, had developed a great reputation amongst the superstitious Indians, and had become regarded by them generally as some superior Being. In his youth he had been in Georgetown, and had spent a considerable period in the service of Schomburgk during the latter’s travels in the interior, with the result that he obtained a slight knowledge of the English lan- guage, but also learnt all the tricks, dodges and vices of the negroes and coloured people with whom he came in contact. On his return to [birima- yeng, he accordingly knew at once how to inspire feelings of respect for himself amongst his people, but his ambitions, not satisfied with this, SN 38 Timehri. prompted him to make himself chief over all the Guiana Indian tribes. With this object in view he despatched messengers in every direction summoning all toa big meeting at the commencement of the dry season, when he would impart some extraordinary tidings and the means would be afforded them of being placed on an @jaality with the whites. The visitors had to engage to suspend all intér-tribal hostilities when they met, and to bring the powerful medicine-man presents as tribute. Awa- caipu’s reputation was so great amongst all the Indians that very many of them accepted the invitation. It thus came to pass that at the time appointed by him, about a thousand Indians of every tribe in Guiana — : found themselves gathered together in this valley of the Kukenam, where they built themselves houses and awaited the promised events. Every family that came along brought him presents of knives, scissors, mirrors, hooks, beads, salempores, ammunition, needles and many other of the articles prized by Indians, receiving in exchange therefor as amulets against the Evil Spirit, three small scraps of printed paper cut from the Times, etc, These were what Schomburgk had previously used as drying papers for the plants collected at Roraima, left behind on ac- count of their adding too much weight to the baggage, aud which the wily Indian knew only too well how to turn to account. To the big settle- ment that now housed all these people Awacaipu gave the name of Beckeranta, an Indianised form of the creole Dutch word Becke-land, the land of the Becke or whites, a term that would appear very apposite con- sidering what followed. Aaa got people to build for him a large mud-house at some distance away ; it was supplied with window openings and the partition walls were draped with salempores. Here he lived, unseen by the masses, in the upper story, while the lower contained his harem for which he had picked the most beautiful of the young girls whether they were betrothed or not, He very rarely let himself be seen in the general meeting houses, and then only when completely enveloped in salempores: his cunning eyes were alone exposed, and these threatened death and destruction on all who gazed on them. Under his instructions drinking feasts were held regularly night after night, commencing at sun- set and ending with sunrise! During the day the men lay drunk in their hammocks, the women, without intermission, manufacturing the beloved drink. While the Indians were thus spending week after week, the happiest times of their lives, Awacaipu was developing his plans to make - himself master. His idea was to put to death all the most powerful of the visitors including those able to bear arms; he was convinced that it would then be easy for him to gain the survivors over to his side. He determined upon executing this coup d’etat forthwith, in case any further delay might bring himself into trouble. Without warning, he put in an appearance at one of these drinking bouts just at that time of night when they were well obfuscated with the paiwarri. He told them that Makunaima, the Big Spirit, had instructed him to tell them: That he did not wish his brown children to be cursed by being driven out of their lands by the white man, to wander into the forests and wilderness with the wild animals, and live in Some Examples of Indian Mimicry, Fraud and Imposture. 89 poverty and nakedness: that he was very fond of them, and was deter- mined that they should be like the whites in every respect: that he would make them superior to the latter, that they should become rich, carry firearms instead of bows, have white women as wives, and that instead of possessing a brown colour, which only suited slaves, they should have a white one: that with this end in view the opportunity was offered them, during the interval between this very night, from now onwards, up to the day after the morrow, for all who wished it, to sacrifice their lives, but each at the hands of the other: and that on the morning of the next full moon, the bodies of the dead would rise again, come down from the heights of Roraima to their families just like white people in colour, ways, and doings, asrulers over all the darker races. _ With this, Awacaipa brought his sermon of Death to a conclusion, well _ convinced thatit would not fail to make a powerful impression on his audience. The latter, notwithstanding they had listened to the harangue with great approval, never expected so terrible a peroration. Awacaipu, on seeing them upset and undecided, incited them into action by calling them cowards, and swinging about him the club that he held, crashed it on the chiefs standing by, their smashed heads tumbling into the half- emptied paiwarri trough. Pouring some of the bloody mixture -into a calabash, he himself drank the horrible contents, and filling it over and over ayain handed it round to the assembled crowd. In place of Indians the meeting house was now filled with a mob of unchained devils, male and female, old and young : intoxicated with blood acd drink, they lost control of themselves. The hostile tribes now remembered their former feuds that the all-powerful Piai had hitherto prudently kept in check, but to which, on his instructions, his terrible example gave free expression : they tore down the clubs hanging on the beams, and crashed them upon their victims, when roars of rage, shrieks of agony, and the dull rattle of death replaced the monotonous sing-song that only a short while previously had accompanied their dancing. Having effected his purpose, Awacaipu, anxious for his own safety, hurriedly betook himself to his own quarters. The orgie of this human shambles continued until the end of the third night, Makunaima’s order was obeyed, close upon 400 people, adults and children, being sacrificed to the maddest ambitions of a savage. The survivors slunk awed and cowed into their houses to await the fulfilment of the prophecy. A fortnight had passed since the 3-days’ tragedy of Blood and now was the day of the Full-moon, the day proclaimed for the Ressurrection, the glorious triumph was to be celebrated. And yet those poor deluded people waited until sunset, they waited the whole night through, without the prophecy being fulfilled—no white-skinned Indian returned from down the slopes of Roraima to Beckeranta. In sad and solemn silence they went back to their quarters, after being soothed by Awacaipu who informed them that the Great Spirit had bidden him say that, within five days for certain, their slaughtered relatives would indeed rise again, and come amongst them as white people, some unforeseen cause having protracted the transformation scene. Notwithstanding all this explanation, the Indians began to lose their faith, their dissatisfaction 40 Timehri. being increased by the seizure of most of their beautiful women, and the cravings of hunger, due to the shortage of the cassava, immense quantities of which had been made into drink. Five days later, they assembled once more upon the hill awaiting the fulfilment of the prophecy, with Awacaipu seated in their midst: there, the whole night through, until sunrise, they stood in silence, alarmed and expectant, and nothing happened. They at last lost patience, as well as their faith: a subdued murmur became audible, it became louder and louder, and finally burst into a yell of ungovernable rage. The father of Wey-torre, a Herculean Indian, smashed his club on the skull of Awacaipu and felled him to the ground. The rest of the crowd witnessed the deed in surprise and awe, and every moment awaited the evil spirit’s anger to fall on Awacaipu’s mur- derer, but recognising now how they had been duped, uttered loud signs of agony and lamentation over their slaughtered fellow tribesmen. Awacaipu’s body was left as it was, a prey to the hungry dogs, the carrion crows feasting On what the latter disdained. All the survivors of the tragedy returned to their homes. Wey-torre and his father remained at the now abandoned spot which they set on fire, and soon the half-charred posts alone indicated the site of Beckeranta. In the early part of 1864 Appun met an old Arekuna on the Cako River who as a great treat showed him three sheets of printed matter that he had kept wrapt up most carefully in dried leaves. One was a page from an English Bible, another from the story of Aladdin, and the third an advertisement of Joyce’s Guncaps. While doing so, the old man led his visitor to the door of his hut, pointed to Roraima in the far distance, and then upon the yellowed papers, and uttered the words: “ Beckeranta! Beckeranta.” At that time, Appun knew nothing of the tragedy connected with the name, or with the three little scraps of paper. ATABARAU-WENA. Be I. ate S.J. It is now nearly a year ago since, in making my way to Roraima from the head waters of the Mazaruni, | came across the above-named great fall. A remark of mine about it ina letter #o Mr. Frere found its way into the public papers and apparently caused some excitement. But I practically never see auy papers, and sol heard nothing about it till I ,came recently to Georgetown. I have given a description of the fall in the account of my journey up the Mazaruni, in the ‘‘ Catholic Standard,” but the Editor of ‘‘ Timehri” is not satisfied, He says I must describe it in his periodical : and so 1am once more writing about it. Towards the head of the Mazaruni there are three big tributaries on the left bank, the ‘“ Kukui,” the ‘ Kako,” and the “Kamarang.” Any one going from the Mazaruni to Roraima would naturally go up the middle of these, the Kako, which I had orginally intended doing, but I had reasons for changing my plans, and going up the Kamarang instead. If my readers will look at the Government Map of the Colony they will see that this river, after flowing in a general northward direction, takes a sudden sweep to the Hast. A little below this bend in the river, on the right _ bank is the mouth of the Atabaraw River. There is an Indian trail along the right bank of this river, which they usually follow when they go to the Roraima Savannah from Kamarang River. They cross the Atabarau by aford above the great fall of the same name Atabarau-wena (wena meaning a fall.) But when they consider the river too high to be forded, they go up the river in a woodskin (it is the only kind of craft the natives use on the Mazaruni), land on the left bank, below the fal), and thence walk through the forest to the savannah. This is what we had to do. The rivers were very full. It is a day’s journey from the mouth of Atabarau River to Paruaz, as the landing is called. Long before we got there, the current became so strong that we had many times to use the ropes. At other times we could only force ourselves along by hauling on to the trees over-hanging the banks. The water was covered with foam. Besides my own Indians I had three local men with me who knew the country well. They told me that the fall ahead was of gigantic dimensions like Kaieteur. Though I did not believe this I was naturally curious to see the fall. But they told me we should not be going near it. If we had gone by the overland route along the right bank of the Atabarau, we should have passed near it, but even then we should only have seen the lower part of the fall. From the left bank where we were it cannot be seen at all. As I had to delay a day to allow the men time to hunt, | selected one man as a guide, and one of my boys, and started off along the left bank. After about three-quarters of an hour’s walk we start a stiff climb which soon becomes so steep that it requires the use of our hands as well as our —<_ 42, Timehri. feet to getup. After reaching the top we go up a gentle incline and then, leaving the trail, we turn into the pathless forest on our left, and after a short .walk pick up the overland trail, and go along it till we reach the ford across Atabaraw River. ‘The river here is about 100 yards wide, at the ford itself the water is only about four feet deep, but the current is tremendous, the bottom of the river very slippery, composed as it is of flat smooth slimy rocks, and only 30 or 40 yards to the left, the whole river disappears down a precipice. It is nota pleasant place to cross. No one who slipped over I fancy could ever recover his footing. To slip over means death. ' Having got over to the other bank, we proceed on our way through forest. Five minutes later we have tocross anotber branch of the same river, the current is much the same, but it is much narrower and there is no fall visible on our left. Beyond this there is another short walk through forest before we finally issue into a swampy savannah; and there, on our left, is the object of our expedition. The first thought that struck me as I reached the edge of the precipice was ‘This is glorious! The Indians have not exaggerated this time. This is indeed a rival of Kaieteur.’ We were viewing the fall from very much the same position as Kaieteur is first seen from, except that we were on the right bank of thé river instead of the left, and hence the fall was on our left instead of on our right. Butas the Indians had also truly told me, we could not see the whole fall from where we were. We spent an hour going up and down the edge of the precipice trying to find a spot from which we could get a satisfactory view, but without. success. To make things worse, most of the time it was raining, and even when it held up for a bit, there was a heavy mist rising from below which never completely cleared away. This made it practically impgssible to take a photo, but did not prevent our viewing what was to be seen. Unlike Kaieteur, Atabarau-wena is in three drops. The river comes rushing down from above, making a sweeping curve, down a steep slope between boulders, on to a ledge from which it takes a leap into space, dropping perpendicularly down, into a deep dark pool surrounded with shining green grass, thence once more it takes a dive over a sloping ledge, and disappears between two huge bolders only to appear again far below, one seething mass, foreing its way along the rocks in what appears from our enormous height to be narrow rapids, along the bottom of the gorge, in size and grandeur, in no way inferior to its now well-known rival in the Potaro. I had no instrument of any sort to measure the height. I might have made a rough estimate if I had been able to get a base line by pacing, but the rocky nature of the land made this impossible. Judging by the eye I should say the whole fall together is as high as Kaieteur. I saw it when the river was high. Even then, the Atabarau is notto be compared with the Potaro in size, but on the other hand, only a small portion of the waters of the Potaro fall over Kaieteur, most of the river is dammed up oO © Atabarau-wena. 43 by the ledge as by a lock. Hence it is that thereis so little current above the fall. A boat could go across the river afew yards above the fall. The Atabarau fallis different. Thereis no ridge todam the water. The whole river takes the precipice atarush, so that, during the rainy season at any rate, the volume of water is not far smaller than at Kaieteur. The second and middle portion of the fall, the perpendicular drop, is exactly like Kaieteur, only of course on a far smaller scale, a great portion of the water being turned into spray and rising up in mist, long before it reaches the pool below. The pool is surrounded with the same moss-like right green grass, as the pool at Kaieteur, and the surrounding amphi- theatre of perpendicular cliffs, is all so like the fall in the Potaro, that almost anyone would take a poto of this part of the fal! as a photo of Kaieteur. The same can be said of the rapids at the bottom of the gorge Curiously enough, almost opposite the giant fall, is a small water fall which drops from the top of the cliff into the gorge below called Tomureng-wend, very much like Sarika-wena which can be seen through the trees half-way up from Tukeit to Kaieteur top. If the Indians are right in saying that it is impossible to go to the foot of the fall, and equally impossible to get to the top of the opposite bank, i.e., the left bank, then the fall can never be seen properly. But if a full view of it can be otained, and I believe such would be possible either from the foot or the left bank, then I think Atabarau-wena can be said to be a formidable rival of Kaieteur. The surroundings are equally marvellous; if not more so, and the fall itself has more variety. But it will never be a popular place to visit as it is too much out of the way. It is worth while stating that the Indian boy, Marco Law, who was with me, when he saw Kaieteur for the first time eight months later, said spontaneously: ‘ Why this is not as high as Atabarau-wena.” Neither the fall nor the river Atabaraw is marked on the latest edition of the government map. I made a “ watch and compass survey ” of the Kamarang and the Atabarau, but have not yet had time to map it out. If I had been on a pleasure trip, or scientific expedition, I should have stayed several days at the fall and found out all about it. But I can only take these things on the road and have no time to tarry. THE FARME R’S PROGRESS. By inh; UE DENNY. President of the B.G. Farmer’s Gansta I am told that the keynote of this number of Timehri is ‘‘ progress” In other words it is to illustrate the great advance of the colony during the past few years. The colony is no longer stagnant. There is a suggestion of ‘something doing” as our American friends say. In every department of business we are going forward. Thisis anagricultural colony. We have valuable minerals it is true, but they are far away from us. Our greatest treasure is near at hand. It lies in the rich and wealthy soil of the coasts and rivers. It is the farmer and planter who are really the most important men in this community. They are the backbone of our pros- perity. Another pen than mine will deal with the planter and his work My subject is that of the farmer and his great calling. I say the farmer has a great calling. Viewed in the light of history we find his work to be the most natural and constant. In Palestine we read of a country rent by warfare, yet the farmer’s work still persisted. In the greatest of all wars the French peasant tilled his fields in the very smoke of German gun fire. Other figures may disappear from the scene. The agriculturist will still live on. His calling in this colony was for many years at a discount. It was thought a degradation to till the soil. This was due partly to the reaction against field labour after emancipation, and partly to the elusive but glittering attraction of the gold-fields. The gold industry, profitable though it may be, is responsible for the great disinclination of somany of the young men in our villages to settle on the land. Agriculture is not adventurous, neither does it appeal to the same instincts as the excitement ofa gold rush. For the reasons I have named, little by little farming fell into disrepute, The lands aback were deserted, and reverted to bush. The township property was neglected. In many cases it was mortgaged or sold to finance the expedition into the interior. Some of the young men too cultivated ambitions which drew them away from the land in other directions. A clerkship was their ideal, The pen they thought was a more honourable tool than a shovel or a hoe. The sphere of the teacher and the parson also, had greater attractions, than mother earth. In the meantime, however, a race of people were quietly cultivating the soil and bit by bit increasing their wealth. Perhaps the force of the silent example of the Hast Indian along with the revival in the sugar industry had not. a little to do with the revived interest in agriculture. Itis due to the farmer to say that itis only within recent years that he has been able to see the great advantages to be derived from the counsel and co-operation of other people. The lesson of unity has proved a hard one to learn. It is not quite learnt yet, but one is glad to think that the farmer in British Guiana has a juster appreciation of the value of co-operation than ever before. Two movements have done as much as anything during the last few years to stimulate the farmer’s interest in the soil and to convince him The Farmer's Progress. 45 of the profit and usefulness of his calling. I refer to the institution of the Co-operative Credit Banks and the formation of the Farmers’ Con- ference.. One of the biggest difficulties in the farmer’s way was that of finance. Agriculture even in a small way needs capital to improve and develop the area of cultivation. The farmer was generally impecunious, and being something of a fatalist thought it was God’s will that he should always be poor and of no account. The writer has often heard a man of this type say ‘‘ I am a poor man, sir,” when on inquiry I found the speaker had a house and a little land which if cultivated would soon repay his toil. I suppose that he meant he had no money available to put into the land, and so he was inclined to do nothing. The Credit Banks are helping to alter this attitude. It is indicative of the great difficulty of. getting the people to appreciate the value of any new idea that the actual institu- tion of these banks occurred several years after the scheme was initiated. The initiation of the movement was due to the labours of Mr. McFarlane Corry, a gentleman of exceedingly sound ideas on the progress of the people, but their actual] institution was the work of the enthusiastic and energetic propaganda of Mr. C. Shankland. By addressing meetings of farmers up and down the country, by much patient and exhaustive ex- planation of the scheme, and ready and pointed replies to criticisms, Mr. Shankland woke a very keen interest in the movement in the minds of the people. Experience has taught the latter the value of such an institution. There are now twenty-seven Co-operative banks in active operation with a membership of over seven thousand. These represent a capital of over forty thousand dollars. During the pre- sent year this has increased by forty-four per cent. The figures quoted sbove are taken from the last available report of the Banks Com- mittee. The majority of those enjoying the benefits of the banks are farmers belonging to both the East Indian and negroraces. The history of these banks reveals a story of progress. There is every reason to believe they have a future of very great development before them. The British Guiana Farmers’ Conference has been another great factor in revival of agriculture, In its present form this body dates from 1916. It had been felt for a long time that the existing agricultural associations needed he and direction and needed also some medium through which the opinions and wants of the small farmers might be made known to a wider audience, Thanks very largely to the Rev. EH. R. O. Robertson, who with a few helpers roused the farmers on the question, a Conference of farmers consisting of two or more delegates from each association was held for the first time in 1916. At this Conference the Attorney General and other leading citizens were present to show their sympathy with the farmers’ efforts. Since then the Conference has been held annually and is to-day a prime factor in the life of the agricultural community. Finding the Loan Banks too narrow in their range, and only able to advance com- paratively small amounts of money at one time to any indivicual, Mr. Robertson, for the encouragement of rice farming, looked about him for other sources of help. This he secured first of all from the Colonial Bank, and latterly from the Royal Bank of Canada. These corporations 46 Timehri. were able to advance large sums of money to the farmers, and the result is seen in the great impetus given to the rice industry among the black people of the Mahaicony and Abary Districts. In passing I might say that the chief obstacle to the further progress of this industry is the lack of irrigation, A few weeks from the time of writing it was my duty to visit a certain portion of the East Coast of Demerara and the West Coast of Berbice. In these districts of late years there has been a tremendous increase in the yield of rice. There should be no reason why this year’s harvest should be less than its predecessors. The farmer planted at theright time, but when the plants needed water most there was no rain. Although in the near neighbourhood of three creeks—the Mahaica, the Mahaicony and the Abary—the plants were gradually burnt up. Thousands of dollars have been lost all for the want of acanal and afew pumps. The writer believes, however, that the farmers themselves are determined to remedy this state of things. If they avail themselves of the ainendments of the Polder Ordinance they will be able to select an authority from among themselves to carry out such irrigation works as may be necessary. At last the farmer is growing discontented with his condition. His revival of interest in the land, the example of his East Indian neighbour, the new spirit born of association and co-operation with others, all unite in lending the farmer a new vision of his possibilities, and a new conception of his calling and his place in the community. This spirit of discontent with ‘ things as they are” is one of the truest signs of real progress. The self-complacent spirit never hears the call to advance, but sits wrapped round in easeful slumber. A genuine discontent is like to the faint stirrings belore the dawn when the darkness is breaking and the air is full of expectancy. It is the preparation for the vision. The spirit moved by a profound discontent is stumbling along the way which leads to the mount of vision. I believe the farmers of the colony are walking in that way. With patience and under intelligent as well as enthusiastic leadership they will yet prove their right to a certain position in the community. There is, I believe, a growing sense of esprit-de- corps among the small farmers. They are realising the force of the truth that we are ‘‘members one of another,” and hence little by little there is growing up a real sense of the strength and usefulness of unity. If the years have accomplished this all the efforts of the past will not have been made in vain, for given this sense of union the farmers of this colony will accomplish all and more than they have ever dreamed of. Intheir hand lies the colony’s future, for the day will dawn when the peasant proprietor will be indeed lord of the land, With the certain decline in the price of sugar, and the gradual centralization of sugar factories it is inevitable that unless the cane-farmer be encouraged for all he is worth, the staple industry of the colony will not be able to maintain its position. Along other lines also there isroom for the expansion and development of the ~ farmer’s calling. If the progress of the last few years is maintained that calling is assured. in that progress there is the promise ofa bright future. The p vist few years have been a time of sowing. The promise of harvest. is sure and abundant. CANE-BORERS IN 1879. PAST EFFORTS OF THE R. A. & C. SOCIETY. - ee By THE EDITOR. In connection with the work ofdealing with cane-pests, it may be well to draw attention to what we may call the awakening of the planters in 1879. Hitherto little notice had been taken in anything but a general way, borers were seen and looked upon as in the order of things, which could not beamended. Evenin England the old farmers once thought that man could do nothing and it would be interesting to note the gradual change from passive to active. Under the law of progress we gain more knowledge as we move on and are impelled to wake up. But some people are inclined to rush to extremes and this is probably the position to-day; the planter tries to kill the pests and upsets the natural fair balance by destroying friends and enemies at the same time. Fifty years ago there was little burning of canefields, little manuring, and probably fewer pests than we have now. Under natural conditions the cane trash was the best manure and the ants in the field the best pro- tection against borers. Borers were there and so were rats but their enemies were alsoin force to keep them down. It is plain that when we interfere with the proper balance we make trouble for ourselves, but we have to take pains with every effort. This ‘“ taking pains” seems to be a natural law ; we cannot do any good work without it. When we assume that nothing is a real evil, but good in its place we can say that ants and snakes are in place where there are borers and rats. The general idea is that canecutters will not work unless these supposed pests are driven out by firing, yet the old planter got his work done before the canes were burnt. It is no doubt startling to come upon a snake, but as so few are poisonous there is no reason for the common horror of them. As for ants the cane-cutter of to-day must be a weakling for his ancestors took little account of them. Now and then we have reports of wood-ants (termites) in our fields; these can be overcome by ants. It may be noted that the native Indians have to endure the most viru- lent stings of ants to make them brave; no Indian boy is afraid of ants Interference with the order of things often brings trouble, and yet we must try to deal with our pests. The point is to find out the better ways. It would not help us to use the method advocated by Hughes, ~ who took his idea from the “smother” then common in connection with mosquitoes. What might be useful in 4 house would not necessarily be effective outdoors. I think the suggestion made at the meeting of the Society to bring ants’-nests into the cane-fielda is worth considering to- day ; possibly the best ant may not be the most virulent to us. 48 Timehrs. Whether a pest or disease existed in old times is often a problem difficult to solve. Symptoms were mentioned but rarely can we say, e.g., what kind of a “fever” or “‘ borer” existed even a century ago. It there- fore becomes important to the historian to consider even negative evidence, which in this case points to the probability that Castnia licus had not appeared in 1879. My memory recalls Mr. Howell Jones pointing out specimens in the Museum somewhere in the nineties (perhaps 1893) when it was considered a new pest. It had been collected in the forest and was well figured as long ago as 1770 by Cramer, but it is not very common. Possibly the borers began to appear here at some time before 1870: we find no notice of them in early years of the century. About 1740 Gravesande spoke in favour of cane-growing in Essequebo and one point was the absence of borers which were known in some of the West Indian Islands. Complaints of the cost of sugar production were often made, but we cannot find any mention of insect pests. As, however, there was a ten- dency to look upon all plagues as in the nature of things and incapable of alteration we may presume that they were considered like drought and deluge, as things no man could alter. The names blast, blight, mildew, worms, and shrivel were applied to effects rather than causes; we can see from books on agriculture of one or two centuries ago that some religious people considered them as part of a system of Divine rewards and punishments. Famines might come through carelessness of the farmer, but he was always inclined to think he had done his duty. The change to the other idea that we may fight against them was very slow and gradual. The following extracts on “The Yellow Blast” are from Hughes’ Barbados, 1750, p. 245 :— “This destructive Blast . . . . proceeds from swarms of little insects at first invisible to the naked eye; and as the juice of the cane is their proper food, they in search of it, wound the tender blades of the cane and destroy the vessels. Hence the circulation being impeded, the growth of the plant is checked and soon after it withers, decays or dies, in propor- tion to their degree of ravage. * * * < ‘On Sickly Canes . . . . small protuberant knobs of a soft downy substance, often containing in them smal] white maggots, which, I believe, turn afterwards into small brownish moths, which are to be seen in great multitudes among the blades of infected canes. BPR er, ke “The Blast is observed to be most frequent in very dry years, there having been but little of it when seasonable rains have begun early and continued till the canes were ripe. oO ie “Tt is observable that the Blast usually appears successively in the game fields, and often in the very same spot of land . . . . the infection always spreads faster to the leeward, or with the wind. Cane-Borers in 1879. 4,9 ‘¢ This disease hath been hitherto of the number of those which are incurable .... a studious attempt to remove so creat an evil will, I daresay, meet with the approbation of every well-wisher to our West India Islands, especially since what I have to offer upon this eelee 18 attended with the strongest probability of success. * ++ * ‘Take an equal quantity of brimstone, aloes and the bark of bitter wood .... put in the middle of a bundle of wet straws in a cradle of wire. Being set on fire it is passed to windward of the canes for a few mornings and evenings to make a smother.” _ As late as 1819 Bryan Edwards in the fifth edition of his History of the West Indies (Vol. II. p. 252) said :— “The sugar-cane is subject to a disease which no foresight can obvi- ate, and for which human wisdom has hitherto, I fear, attempted in vain — to finda remedy. This calamity is called the blast; it is the aphis of Linnzus, and is distinguished into two kinds, the black and the yellow, of which the Jatter is the most destructive. It consists of myriads of little insects, invisible to the naked eye, whose proper food is the juice of the cane, in search of which they wound the tender blades, and conse- ~ quently destroy the vessels. Hence, the circulation being impeded, the growth of the plant is checked, until it withers or dies ia proportion to the degree of the ravage.” In a note he mentions the Borer :— “In some of the Windward Islands, the cane in very dry weather is liable to be destroyed also by a species of grub called the borer. This calamity is fortunately unknown, at least to any extent in Jamaica. . In Tobago they have another destructive insect called the Jumper Fly.” This last was probably the Frog-hopper. _ In 1879 there appears to have been something to rouse the sugar- planters ; produce was going down in price and every grower had to look for ways and means to get more sugar and reduce its cost. In a cane- field ‘‘ blighted canes” were often seen and the damage was attributed to one or more ‘ Borers.” On the 9th of May, 1879, at a general meeting of the R.A. and C.S., the President, Hon. J. E. Tine, moved that they consider the adoption of such united action as may appear to be best adapted for preventing the ravages caused by the ‘ Borer” and other - insects to the sugar-cane throughout the colony. Specimens were shown by Mr. im Thurn, then Curator of the Museum, and it is notable that the Castnia was not included ; we may safely state that it had not yet appeared. Three species of Borers were shown, the first Calandra palmarum and the second a smaller weevil, probably Sphenophorus. The third was a moth named Proceras sacchariphagus, probably Diatrcea. Some stir had been made in Mauritius and the name of the oe of that colony was adopted, © 50 : Timehri. Several members spoke on the matter, including Messrs. W. Russell, KE. Field, McCalman and Pitman ; all agreed that something should be done to find out whether remedies could be found. It was therefore agreed to write to Mauritius and meanwhile a Committee was appointed to draft a circular so that as much information as possible might be gained. The circular was printed and sent to every planter and it may be noted that it probably represented the knowledge of the time. The Committee knew little but were desirous of getting all the knowledge available. First, they wanted descriptions of the insects, and second, in- formation as to the means taken to get rid of them and the result of these measures. Suggestions were made as to what might be tried. If borers were present the canes should be cut as soon as possible, close to the ground. Don’t burn or bury the infected canes but pass them through the mill. Examine all tops before planting and if any show sions of borers, soak in warm water at 125° for 48 hours. A solution of 37 sulphate of ammonia could be poured into the axils of the leaves or the tops might be stripped and soaked. The trash should not be buried but burnt. All faulty canes should be cut out as soon as found and put through the mills, burying was not sufficient. Cane stumps should be examined two weeks after cutting and all suspicious ones removed. Birds and ants should be encouraged, strong manures probably injured the latter and in dry weather they poisoned both ants and canes. On the whole the planter will admit that useful precautions were already suggested and it can be seen that ants should not be destroyed as they now are when the fields are burnt. Probably, these insects could be fostered in a way to reduce the borers, but we must not burn the fields. The system of burning was not general forty years ago and _ possibly some of our trouble has come through interfering with the order of things. We may burn some borers, but we also destroy their enemies which are our friends. It may be good policy to burn an old house or the bedding of a small-pox patient, but we don’t burn our friends. Unfortunately, when a cane field is fired, friends and enemies are equally unsafe ; even birds are driven away. It has been thought desirable to publish the report of the meeting of the Society that probably woke up the planters and started the work now being done on every plantation. As it was only published in the newspaper it is hidden from our present-day planters, who may read it even now with interest, though they know more than the ‘Sugar Kings” of forty years ago. The point to be noted is that ‘burning was adopted ; borers might have been less or more under the old system but we have certainly lost much manure through burning the, trash. Perhaps the old natural way where ants and birds were encouraged might have been better, but of course we cannot undo the past though we may try a reversion to a more natural way. There is always much risk in interfering with the balance of life and probably the idea of burn- Cane-Borers in 1879 51 ing to clear land will be abolished in the near future. It seems plain that cane pests have become worse of late years, but it is hard to say that the spreading of Castnia licus was due to any measures that have been taken. Attention may however be called to the probability that most of the pests come from grasses and other weeds, all of which can be reduced by plant- ing parapets and dams with useful trees and shrubs. When dams were lined with fruit trees there were few weeds, and perhaps few borers. “The President said that the chief object of this meeting was to elicit information with rezard to the insects which were attacking the sugar- cane in different parts of the country. Some gentlemen took it easily and thought that we should live through this plague as we had done others ; others thought it was a disaster that they could not possibly survive. He was inclined to take a middle course and though he thought it was a Serious disaster yet he hoped that like mauy similar disasters they would be able to overcome it and keep the Colony alive for a long time to come. He thought the most satisfactory plan would be to obtain suggestions as to how the evil might be met, and seein what way they could carry out suggestions ; and perhaps the best way would be, first ofall to ask Mr. im Thurn what specimens of the borer and other insects he had seen in the Sugar canes that had been sent to him, and after that the meeting could express some opinions on the subject. ‘* Mr. im Thurn said he was afraid the specimens on the table were not in very good order: but there were three different kinds of borers there ; two beetles, both of them weevils, a large and a small kind and one moth which was said to be the Proceras. ‘Mr. Pitman said the moth came from Pln. Chateau Margot. Mr. im Thurn said there were also specimens of the caterpillar and cocoon. There was the little white caterpillar with black spots upon it and there was its little brown smooth, slim chrysalis. “The President said that some of their planter friends would no doubt be able to tell them which of those borers was doing most mischief and how to get rid of them. Mr. Field, he thought, had the most experience, and therefore he would ask him to open the discussion. ‘Mr. Field said that as far back as 1874 he found the attacks of the borer to be very serious. He then addressed a letter to the newspapers on the subject ; he sent for publication extracts from the ‘Sugar-Cane ” giving an account of the proceedings of the committee appointed in Mauritius, where the cane had been almost exterminated by this voracious insect, and acting in accordance with the recommendations of that com- mittee he took the proceeding of burning his fields; he supposed they had all read the extracts from the ‘ Sugar Cane,” which were printed not only in 1874 but again within a few weeks ago in the Royal Gazette ; he thought that the committee had so completely exhausted the subject that there was nothing for him to add to the theory of this insect. They would 52 Timehri. ~ notice that one of the recommendations was that fire should be put to the canes and that the canes that were left on the parapets should be des- troyed ; and so anxious were the committee that this should be done and So necessary was it considered that unity of action should be obtained that they recommended the Government to pass a law insisting upon the planters burning the fields and if the fields were not burnt within five days after they were cut the police were empowered to goin and burn them off. Here they adopted the fire system thinking that that might be of some assistance and there was no doubt it was of great assistance, but yet it was not sufficient to put an end to the insects. Since then from the burning of the fields and the fine seasons the canes grew more luxuriantly until 1878, but at the commencement of that year, he noticed that the insects were again doing serious injury to the canes. He did not think at first of cutting out the borer from the stoles, but now he was quite convinced that it was a very proper thing to do to exterminate the insect. The fieids should be searched, the borers cut out with a large knife and thrown into the water in the trenches. He tried © that experiment in one of his fields, and he found that in a field of five acres containing 299,511 cane stoles 1,763 cr 1.77 per cent. were found attacked the first time; the second time about a week afterwards 1,117 more, making a total of 2,880, or 2.88 per cent. and in some fields the number found had been much more numerous than that, all the fields were attacked more or less on the Diamond, and those four or five months old were beyond retrieving ; that was tosay, there were so many of the others which he had tried to eradicate this insect from, that he had not had the time to attend to them all but eighteen men were employed in going through all the young fields with large kitchen knives and cutting out the diseased sprouts, bringing them out of the field and throwing them into the side line canal. He hoped by that means to eradicate the insect from the young fields. The men went through about nine acres a day, and the cost was 45 cents an acre. Of course it was necessary that all the tops that were going to be planted should be examined, and he thought the best . plan was that all which were found with holes in them should be immersed in water for a sufficient time. He had tried this by soaking the tops in water for 24 hours and at the end of that time he found some of the insects dead but some of them still alive, so that water did not kill all of them in 24 hours. He should have kept them in water for 48 hours. 48 hours immersion in water would not injure the tops in any way, and therefore he should think that that would be certainly one plan of getting rid of the insects which infested the cane tops. His plan was to fill acane punt with water and throw the canes intoit and after four and twenty hours to examine them, He thought that all rotten canes should be taken out of the field and either burnt on the parapet if the weather was dry, or if the weather was wet, buried in the ground 24 feet deep between the row of canes. That was one plan he had to suggest but of course it was very necessary that all the planters should be unanimous in carrying out the suggestions that were agreed to, to ensure success it was no use one per- son attempting to doit, or even two or halfa dozen. It was well known —————<—— Cane-Borers in 1879, 58 that these insects were in the habit of flying from one field to another and therefore if he did it—and he had already gone to a great deal of expense and Jabour—and the same thing was not done on the next estate the insects of Farm would come over to Diamond and he should only be where he was before. But at any rate there was no doubt that the injury that those insects were doing was enormous and they were not only occasioning the destruction of the cane. but the deterioration of the juice, because every cane that wasattacked by the borer became acid. That acid mixed with the juice caused a very great increase of glucose to the ton of crystallizable sugar, and that was one of the reasons why they were getting so much more rum than formerly instead of sugar. He would suggest that the President should communicate with the society in Mauritius with a view to ascertain what was the result of the action taken there to exterminate the insects. What plans were adopted and with what success. Hethought thatthe President of the Society would gladly state what was their experience there, and he (Mr. Field) was sure it would be of very great value to the people of this colony. ‘Mr. Kelly said that in 1873 immense numbers of the smaller worms were found in the young canes on Pln. Albion. At first he was rather at a loss to find out what was to be done with them, but after a little con- sideration he decided to cut out the shoots an inch below the giound and place some lime over them to mark the place where they stood; he found that in two or three weeks very healthy shoots usually came up round the shoot that had been cut, and he did not believe that the attacks of the smaller worm, if taken in hand at once, were so very serious. When - the other kind attacked the canes he did not know what else could bedone except to cut them outimmediately. What Mr. Field suggested he hoped would have the desired effect. The object should be that as soon asa single shoot was seen attacked a few hands should be put into the field to cut them out. ‘The larger weevil he believed attacked the canes at the head and he did not know what was to be done; but the advice he had given to the manager of one of the ‘Colonial Company’s estates was to watch the advanced canes and to endeavour to cut them out at an early age. He believed that a great deal of assistance could be got from insects such as ants. In several ofthe rotten canes he had examined he had found insects, A piece of rotten cane was put into the box this morning with one of the larger worms in it; he had since found ants in it and he be- lieved that the insect was killed. ‘‘ Mr. Pitman said he had come to the meeting to learn and not to teach, but he could safely endorse the statements that had fallen from Mr. Field and Mr, Kelly. About four months ago an East Coast manager brought to his notice the serious damage which was being done by the borer among his canes. He did not take any notice of it at first, but on going to the es- tate he found that the remarks which he had heard about the borer were in no way exaggerated. On going into the fields he found that the ravages of the insects were so great that there were only a few sound shoots to be found, The manager of the estate had since informed him that the crop of the 54 Timehri. estate had been thrown back for three months, as the result of the damage which the cultivation had sustained. He regretted to say that in one field where the tops had been cut out the borers existed in the same numbers that they existed before. Finding this to be the case he wrote to his friend Mr. Field asking if he could come forward and give his advice and he (Mr. Field) had very kindly done so through the medium of this Society. On visiting other estates he made enquiries and was generally told that such a thing did not exist, or if it did exist that it was no worse than it ever had been. On one large estate they replanted lately 130 acres of canes; he had given orders that the tops should be most carefully picked but on going through the field he did not find one sound one; they were attacked by the borer, and he fancied that it would have been better if they had never been replanted. To use the words of the Mauritius committee they had simply perpetuated the evil. He had met with the three kinds of insects which had been shown by Mr. im Thurn but the big beetle was the one he had most experienced and be had found them in thousands in cane tops recently planted. Whether they had chosen those tops to deposit their eggs he was not sure but he rather thought that was the case because several gentlemen had told bim that they were very common in the megass logies. On some estates the small moth was the insect that was doing most harm ; on other estates it was a beetle. The estates with which he was connected suffered principally from the moth. With regard to what Mr. Field said about putting the cane tops into water and keeping them for 48 hours he thought the Commission in Mauritius stated that immersion was of no use unless the temperature of the water was brought up to 125 degrees. Cold water simply stupetied the insects, - and though apparently dead, as soon as they were taken out they came to life again. Withreference to drilling the fields and burying the trash he did not think it would be an effective way of getting rid of them as the soil cracked so muchin dry weather that he doubted very much whether they could have the trash buried deep enough to prevent the insects from escaping. He would like to know very much from gentle- men present if they burnt their canes once or twice; if they burnt the same on pegass lands as they did on heavy stiff soil, and whether they left the tops on the field or put them in the small drains or removed them from the field altogether. ‘Mr. McCalman said that since the change in the weather which was much desired set in in February last, he was very much surprised at the - small returns made from the canes, and that induced him and Mr. Russell © to visit some of the estates. To their great surprise, both in the cane carrier and in the fields they found the most fearful rayages going on. The canes instead of improving by the rains, appeared to be retarded in their growth; the quantity of juice required to the hogshead had risen from 1,800 to 3,000 gallons because the advantage to be derived frem high tillage supplemented by artificial manures was shut off from the plants and the canes were not benefiting at all. He was very much in- Cane-Borers in 1879. 55 terested in the subject and after going round several estates with Mr. Russell, he wrote to several managers of estates to the following effect :— From examination of the canes on estates in various parts of the coleny he found that much if not all of the decrease and disappointing yield of canes cut recently could be traced to the ravages of the borer and not, as had been supposed, to the prolonged drought though the sickly and impoverished state the canes were reduced to from that evil might have been the primary cause of the ruinous extent to which the borer had destroyed them. This ‘parasite in many instances rednced the yield to half of what the appearance of the canes would indicate. The canes had been attacked’ in all stages. of growth from the canes forming the first joint to those in every stage of growth towards ripeness and he urged upon those in charge of estates or the canes on the estate under their management by first examining the external appearance of the canes as the attack of the borer could be easily observed by the hole through the rind and the sort of white mouldy ap- pearance of the tender joints in which the ants attack (possibly to the saving of the canes). When the cane was split down the centre the extent of the injury could be ascertained. The next point to consider was what were the remedial measures to be adopted to check the ravages of this pest. He suggested the strictest attention should be paid to cutting them as closely to the ground as possible and all the rotten and decayed sprouts should be cut, at the same time the trash should be removed as quickly as possible from the stumps and carefully burnt with all the rotten canes and tops that were infested with the borer. If this were done before the stumps sprung they would not suffer or be retarded in their growth. Second—That no decayed or damaged tops should be planted nor stumps that had already jointed as that would be “perpetuating the evil.” Third—It had been found that if the tops were immersed in six inches of water mixed with two percent. of ammonia in a wooden punt or puncheon it destroyed the larva and chrysalis but further experiments and obser- vations must be continued with chemicals that might be found capable of destroying the worm. With the Colorado beetle Paris green had been found a successful remedy when diluted in a certain quantity of water; the proportions he could not remember just then. Kerosene oil might be tried by rubbing it slightly over the joint attacked. But he urged upon them that every effort must be made to check the evil and that it was the bounden duty of every manager to devote all his talent and energy to rub out an evil that threatened the very existence of the colony as a sugar-producing one. It was a matter of much surprise to him. that where so much loss had been sustained gentlemen in charge of estates had not traced out the cause earlier, and no one was in a position to give any reliable information as to the period when those worms first attacked the canes so seriously ; infact they had been living in a ‘‘fool’s paradise”; all the time and attributing all to the drought. He impressed on the staff of the estate to which he wrote the urgent necessity that existed for stamping out this calamitous pest, stating that the planter who could introduce a specific remedy for the 56 Timehr. evil would deserve well of the planters and the colony at large and would no doubt be liberally rewarded. He also pointed out that it would be desirable to ascertain, if possible, how far canes in all stages had been attacked, that it must be patent to all who had carefully examined the destruction of canes that had been allowed fair age, that it would be much to the advantage of estates if the canes had beencut at nine to ten months, as the juice of such canes had been found by experiment to be far richer in saccharine than canes of more advanced age that had been seriously attacked by the borer; and as it was an evil that required strong measures to check it, that he would be glad to receive any suggestions they might have to make that might be considered of advantage in gaining the ends they had in view. He had received several interesting letters, and it was surprising, although the question had been gone into with greater minuteness than before, how-very seriously the loss had extended. He had a letter from one manager who went into a minute calculation, showing how seriously the crop had been affected But it had not yet been seen whether the measurers that had been taken would be successful. One remedy was to burn the canes as much as possible which could not fail to destroy some of the insects, and another was to cut down the canes as soon as they were attacked. Another plan recommended by a planter was to cut the canes and throw all the tops into the small drains and buru the other parts of the field. Thathad been done and at the end of five days out of more than five hundred tops that were searched only two insects werefound alive. Insects that were im- mersed for 24 hours would after a time come out as lively as they were before. But with regard to suggestions of the Mauritius commission we were labouring under a great disadvantage. In all West India Colonies as well as in Mauritius there wasa crop season, and sometimes in the course of a hundred days they very nearly got rid of the whole of their crop ; but here they could not burn out everything completely, owing to the large area and the means of taking off the crop. It was a very fortunate thing, however, that in this country there was a Wild Bird’s Protection Ordinance because here, as in other countries, the birds would be found to be of service in destroying the insects. Another thing was the ants. He had a conversation with a high official here recently who told him that in some of the islands the attack of the borer was a very serious thing, “but that it was not so universal as in this colony; and in that island they used to convey ants from one district to another to destroy the young borer. Where the trash of the canes was peeled off, the borer was in a great many instances destroyed by the ants. So that those very disagreeable insects were sometimes of some advantage to us. But the success of their efforts to eradicate the evil would in a great measure depend upon the energy of the gentlemen who had charge of the estates. The evil was much greater than that which existed during the dry weather. That might have been the origin of the evil; but this colony was not different to some other countries, where the borer had attacked the coffee trees also. Cane-Borers in 1879. 57 ‘Mr. im Thurn said he thought it would be found that in those cases the insect made its appearance after the dry season. Here it was the same. It was the dry season which weakened the cane and enabled the insect to get into it. “Mr, Keliy said that in cases where the tops had been immersed in water for 48 hours, the worms taken out were found to be dead. “Mr. Pitman said they lived remarkably well in temper lime. ‘¢Mr. Russell said it was a great many years now since his attention had been directed to insects of that description. Mr. Jones, of the Hope, was good enough once to send him the chrysalis of what he took to be the Proceras of Mauritius. At all events it agreed so much with the species found in the sugar-cane that he was almost inclined to think it was the same. ‘I'he weevils were almost the same from the little fellow that attacked the rice, to the big groo-groo which found its way into the cabbage tree when it was cut down. He had known of the ravages that they made on the cane-tops ever since he was an overseer and the specimens before them were a fair representation of what they did. The little weevil he had had occasion to observe since he was an overseer, and he was sorry to say it was spreading toa great degree, because one could not go into a cane- field now without finding it in all stages of development, But the thing that they required to get rid of the most was the moth, that was the insect which was causing such alarm now. At first he was under the im- pression that they were confined to the young canes and he set people to werk-to cut them out on the same principle as that adopted by Mr. Field and other gentlemen, He found in nearly every part of the cane as well as the ground part that this, what he called the Proceras, had deposited eggs and had driven holes through the cane and that nature had endowed them with sufficient sense to make a double hole, so that when they parted with their chrysalis they got out and laid their eggs on fresh canes. He thought they confined themselves to the young canes, but now there was scarcely a cane in which the ravages of the moth could not be traced. He was inclined to think that the moth was followed by asmall weevil beetle because he had not found the beetle without finding traces of the moth having bored through the canes. It was a most persistent iusect and its power of penetrating through the pith of the cane was something remarkable. Having determined that it was this moth that was our great enemy the next thing was to recommend some means of getting rid of it and there they were ina terrible mess. As Mr. McCalman has said, the insect attacked canes in all stages of their growth. Some time ago he visited Rose Hall plantation in Berbice where the ravages of the insect in the canes were frightful. The sap of the canes had deteriorated, and he found sweet looking “ front” canes polarising 74, while “‘ back” canes on the same estate were polarising 94. He attributed the falling off in the quality of the juice entirely to the ravages of the insect and when he told them that that represented a difference of one-third of a pound of sugar per gallon of cane juice, they would realize the loss that they were 58 Timehri. now sustaining. On that estate Mr. McCalman and himself decided to burn the field, That was done and everything was carried out of the field. On his return to the estate after the fteld was replanted there was not a eane he could not find specimens of the borer, and in one instance it was in the chrysalis state. Now that seemed to put the question of burning almost entirely in defiance, unless it was possible to burn everything in one time ; burning single fields seemed to him to be of no avail. He had seen those small moths flying along the punt trenches on mornings when the dew had fallen but where they went to he could not say. It was the opinion of some planters that artificial manure was the means of driving away the ants from the cane-fields. He noticed himself that the ants to be found in the fields were very few compared with what they used to be when he was an overseer. He thought that the best thing to do would be to get boxes of ants and place them in the fields, and if need be stop the use of artificial manure. He had seen such little effects from the use of manure, and he had heard that without rain it was poison. He believedthat the money spent for manure last year was thrown away ; that the manure was of no use whatever, but was driving away the ants. Ithad been brought to his notice that the groo-groo worm was not only to be found in the old canes. Mr. Munro had found them digging in the bulb that sent up the fresh shoots. When the stumps were dug out as many as eight groo-groo worms were found in each stump. To get rid of them he proposed digging out all the stumps and burning the earth as the most effectual mode of cooking the goose. It was possible the insects would go away with the weather; but it was really a very serious matter for the planters of this colony and he was almost hopeless of suggesting any remedy on account of the peculiar nature of our cultivation. Cutting out the shoots might reduce the evil to a certain extent, but.he was afraid there was no one present who was prepared to name a radical cure for it. But there was another “ borer” which was a greater evil even than the cane-borer, of which he should not say anything there, as the Society did not discuss politics. He had given little attention to politics since his return from his own country, but certain speeches which he had read that were made in our Courts lately had made his flesh creep. He was precluded from entering into that question there, where politics were abjured, but he might take the opportunity to gointo the question at some other time. He thought there was a much greater existing evil than the sugar cane-borer. (Applause). ‘* Mr. Pitman said that the borer was not confined to the canefields and had been in a potato field. ‘* Mr. McCalman said that he had been informed by Mr. Jones (of Pln. Hope) that the practice on that estate was to carry all the defective canes to the mill and grind them on Saturday night, and to send all the juice, if any, to the distillery. By those means the borer in all its stages was totally destroyed. The decayed stumps that were not springing should be dug out of the ground and burnt in an earth heap. When the Cane-Borers an 1879. 59 tops were immersed in water, due care should be taken that the worms did not escape, as it was found that they escaped over the sides of the tub or small drain, in which they were immersed. ‘Mr. Field said he would ask the President whether he thought it desirable to form a committee for the purpose of investigating the matter more thoroughly with power to take evidence. “The President said he intended to suggest what Mr. Field had pro- posed. It seemed that although they had got favourable weather for a more vigorous growth of the canes, they should have to put their shoulders to the wheel to wipe out an evil which had been very destructive to the fields. There was a suggestion that they should communicate with the Society in Mauritius to ascertain what had beeg the results of the treat- ment of the canes in that colony; that, he had no doubt the Secretary would do. It was suggested, secondly, that they should send specimens of the insects to Mauritius and to England, because it was very evident that we had not the same borer to deal with, as they had in Mauritius, they should try and ascertain at what stage of the growth not only of the in- sects, but of the cane it was best to endeavour to check the evil. As far as calling in legislative aid went, he thought that they were far more capable of dealing with the matter themselves, and that they would pro- bably do it very much better. (Applause). His own suggestion would be that they should appoint a Committee of seven gentlemen to send out a circular to every manager in the colony giving the suggestions that they had heard to-day, such as cutting out the young canes when they were faulty soaking the cane-tops with holes for 48 hours in water heated to a temperature of 125 degrees and possibly mixed with ammonia or other substance ; burning all the trash; carrying out the stumps to the mill and grinding them, cutting the ripe canes at the earliest possible stage when they were found diseased and lastly throwing the tops into the small drains or into water whilst the fields were being burnt. He thought that if acommittee of seven gentlemen would draw up acircular and put those suggestions into shape and submit them to Mr. Campbell to have them printed and sent out to every manager in the country, andifthey could get any more experience on the subject from managers they might in the end be able to find an effectual remedy. He would name Mr. Field, Mr. McCalman, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Russell, Mr. Pitman, Mr. B. H. Jones, and Mr. im Thurn, as members of the committee. The suggestion was agreed to, and Mr. Tinne was appointed chairman of the committee and was asked to prepare the draft of the circular above re— ferred to. | The following is one of the replies :-— RECEIVED 9TH JUNE, 1879. | REPORT ON THE BORER FROM PLN. “GREAT DIAMOND.” 1, The cane-borers have been very destructive te the canes in all stages of growth on this estate, and continue to be so, although the trash, soon after the canes were cut, had been burnt off continuously for five years. Those fields which were severely burnt suffered less than the others. The conclusion come to is, that not many insects are destroyed by the fire, but less matter is left for them to feed on and breed in. 60 Timeh4. 2. Five species of the Borer have been found on this estate. ist. That which generates the moth. This has only been found in growing canes of all stages of growth, and always above ground. 2nd, 3rd and 4th, Those, which are all of the same species and only differ in size, generate the black beetles, and are to be found in rotten canes, cane-tops when they are old and when growing and in the stools below ground. The nests in which the insects lie in the chrysalis state are nearly always found at the extremity of the cane-tops deepest in the ground. 5th. That, which forms a beetle of adark brown with patches of a yellow ochre colour on the back. Its habits are the same as Nos. 2, 3 and 4. All these latter insects form avery intricate and strong nest about them when entering the chrysalis state. 3. Besides the burning alluded to previously, a gang of men have been employed cutting out such young canes as show signs of the attack of the insects, and these have been thrown into canals and sunk under water. A good many insects are killed in this way. but a great many escape. In dry Weather it might be preferable to make them into heaps on the dams, allowed to dry a little, and then covered with dry trash or grass and burnt This cutting out was commenced some six weeks ago, and during that time 246 acres have been gone over, and although experience is so short, it may be safely said that the young cane stumps look stronger than they have done for along time past, although we have had very dry weather on them lately. Fifty punt loads of tops ard water sprouts which had shown signs of the attack of the borers, have been brought home and ground, and the juice, showing a density of 10424 after being ueutralized by lime, was set up and distilled. Sufficient ram and megass were obtained to pay all expenses. Experiments have been made with sulphuric acid and it was found that the small borers could not be killed instantly with less than 10 of acid to 100 of water and the large tucumas with 30 of acid to 100 of water. This was tried onthe insects out of the cane. The use of chemicals seems quite impracticable for the-destruction of these insects, for the moth, which isthe most serious of the evils, breeds inside the canes, and the other species, chiefly below ground and when in a chrysalis form is ‘ina nest which the chemicals will not penetrate sufficiently to kill the insect. With the exception of what is mentioned under head 3, nothing practicable suggests itself. Ants are of very great service, and it is satisfactory to notice that they are on the increase. These devour the insects when in the chrysalis state. Itis thought that the continuous droughts have had more to do with the scarcity of ants than anything else, and with two consecutive wet seasons, no doubt they will be almost as numeroue as ever, but at the same time it is thought that for many years past they have not been seen in such quantities as formerly, which, however, may be put down to the fields having been burnt off for five consecutive years. Pln. ‘ Great Diamond,” June 3rd, 1879. EDMUND FIELD, Manager. GEO. PEARCE, Deputy Manager. THE PROGRESS OF SANITATION IN BRITISH GUIANA. By F. G. Rosz, Esq., M.B., (CANTAB.) Mr. Rodway has informed me that there are two reasons why this article should be written. x) The first is that the human organism stands in constant need of encouragement. Perpetual scoldings and upbraidings, I understand him to Say in effect, fail of their object without an occasional word or two of encour- agement to vary the monotony. . The second is that family squabbles should be kept private ; that is to say, while we may point out en famille as badly as we choose the defects in our sanitary practice and administration, we should refrain from adver- tising them indiscriminately before the outside world. With the validity of these contentions I am not here concerned; they are simply stated as an explanation of the title of this article, so as to make my own position clear. The progress of sanitation may be stated in terms, firstly, of the spread of sanitary enlightenment among the population, secondly, of sanitary legislation, and thirdly, of the results which have been achieved. The third method is, no doubt, by far the most valuable and the most impressive, but one must remember that, in the nature of things, results in these matters are slow to accrue, and it would be unfair to wait for practical results to demonstrate the real rate of sanitary progress in the community. To take first, then, the spread of interest and enlightenment among the public, It is becoming increasingly recognised among sanitary administra- tors that, in our political conditions, under a form of government which is largely democratic, legislation is useless where enlightenment lags behind. It is to the lasting credit of our late Surgeon General, Dr. Wise, that he firmly grasped this essential truth, and this grasp it was that im- pelled him to enlist the co-operation of a local journalist in that publicity campaign which brought down upon his head the wrath of some local patriots not long since. 62 Timehri. This campaign culminated in a Health Exhibition and Health Week in 1919, which was a remarkable demonstration of the way in which pub- lic interest and public enlightenment have increased in recent years. It is no exaggeration to say that owing to this campaign of publicity there are few persons in the colony now, and especially few children, who are not able to give an intelligent and coherent account of the life-cycles of. the malarial and filarial parasites and the habits of the mosquito-carriers. It is certain that these results carry with them some disadvantages. They tend to make of acertain percentage of the population what one may call Amateur Medical Officers of Health and so in some ways to im- pede progress. But the net result is to keep Public Health Departments always in the limelight, so to keep them in the focus of criticism, not always intel- ligent, as to keep them always vigilant, discriminating, efficient and pro- oressive. They cannot afford to be caught lagging behind public opinion. People are apt to dismiss all this publicity as “talk ” but they forget that, without public enlightenment, since we cannot adopt the Prussian method, the enforcement of sanitary ordinances becomes, in these demo- cratic communities, demonstrably difficult, if not impossible of achievement. Unfortunately, the credit of achievement goes often to the fortunate administrator who reaps the harvest long after the seed has been sown and the ground prepared by his predecessors. The temptation is, therefore, to endeavour to secure quick returns, to point to along line of ordinances and bye-laws as a substantial con- tribution to the never-ending sanitary campaign. And this brings us to our second criterion of progress, the criterion of sanitary legislation and administration. It is certain that in this mat- ter British Guiana is well nigh unrivalled in these latitudes. | The last decade or so has seen the creation of a Municipal Public Health Department for Georgetown, with a whole-time Medical Officer of Health and a staff of Sanitary Inspectors and Health Visitors, of a Gov- ernment Public Health Department with a similar organization, which grows and increases in importance from year to year, a Local Government Board, from whom the Government Medical Officer of Health derives authority, a Tuberculosis Society with a dispensary of its own and a staff of visitors, a Baby-Saving League with its own Medical Officer and staft of visitors and midwives. — — . rs The Progress of Sanitation in British Gurana. 63 With regard to legislation, we have the Local Government Board ordinances, mosquito bye-laws, milk bye-laws, compulsory notification of enteric, tuberculosis, diphtheria, birth registration and so forth, surely a record of achievement! When we come, however, to our third and most valuable criterion, that of results achieved, the task becomes more difficult, but the progress is there none the less. It is always a little difficult in these matters to apportion cause and effect, but, though our malarial-incidence, our enteric-incidence, and our incidence of dysentery and other intestinal diseases may show little or no reduction, we can point, at any rate, toa decrease in the incidence of tuberculosis, to a decrease in the rate of infantile mortality, and in the incidence of malaria in Georgetown. It must not be forgotten that our present-day figures are far more accurate on the right side than they were say twenty years ago; the older figures are more likely to be under-statements than the recent ones, It is true, of course, that the effect of the last census was to cause an apparent decrease in the mortality rates as compared with the figures based on the estimated population prior to this census. : Nevertheless, with compulsory notification of tuberculosis and en- teric, and modern improved methods of diagnosis, it cannot be doubted that, while the recent figures are fairly accurate, the older figures are probably far below the real truth, We cannot say, unfortunately, that all the publicity and legislation of recent years has so far led to any striking alteration in our statistics of disease and mortality. The fact is that our great problems of preventive disease are pro- blems of such magnitude that they demand large schemes involving con- siderable expenditure which are only to be undertaken by the Govern- ment or the Municipality, such, for instance, as drinking-water supply schemes, drainage schemes and schemes for sewage disposal. Rome was not built in a day, and though we may say that these things have now been talked of for more than ‘“‘a day,” yet talk is the necessary prelude to action and the day must surely be near when these big schemes will be well under way and we shall be able to demonstrate their effects on our birth and death-rate statistics. ‘ The claim, then, is that never before has there been so much accu- rate information with regard to the mode® of infection of the preventa- ble diseases placed at the disposal of our public, that this information is being, as a rule, well-digested and assimilated and used effectively. That in the region of administration and ievislation, we can point to a com- prehensive and efficient Public Health organisation, which, though in its 64 | Timehra, infancy and not yet strong enough to make any great impression on our problems, is yet virile, capable of and in process of expansion, and fired by enthusiasm. We have legislation in plenty which only awaits the full force of public opinion to render it possible of enforcement. We await only the solution of our three great problems, the problem | of drainage, of water supply and of sewage disposal. I, for one, am confident that, with the solution of these problems there will come for British Guiana an era when none can point at us the finger of scorn as the home of filariasis, of malaria and of anchylosto- miasis, when we shall have asserted our full right to the title of “‘ The Magnificent Province,’ and malicious islanders can no longer claim to distinguish, as they do row, by his unhealthy pallor of skin and dullness of eye the European from British Guiana. . Even now we suffer largely from our past illfame We need fear no comparison, so far as vital statistics are concerned, with any of the West Indian Islands, or with our neighbours of Dutch and French Guiana. THE BEGINNINGS OF OUR VILLAGES. By J. GRAHAM CRUICKSHANK. When the black people were emancipated on the Ist of August 1838, there were already three tiny villages or hamlets in the colony. The oldest of these—associated probably with the military fort— was situated at the Mahaica ferry. Twelve years before—in November, 1826—Dr. Michael McTurk, Deputy Fiscal of the Eastern District, reported that sugar, molasses and coffee was exposed for sale at the Mahaica ferry, contrary to law. He added that on Sunday nearly two hundred negroes collected there,—far more than were needed to supply the honest requirements of ‘a village so comparatively small.” Another hamlet—consisting for the most part of wattle-and-daub houses, with a little shop--was to be found at the Mahaicony ferry.* Lastly, there was a small village on the Aroabisce coast, Essequebo, which Governor Sir James Carmichael Smyth a short time before his death had named after King William LV, ‘‘ William’s Town.” But these were all,—if we except the plantations themselves, each of which with its great-house and sick-house and negro quarters: its wide grassy spaces where the pickaninies played, and its lonely burial- ground : was a village (big or little) by itself. Is The beginnings of the villages—practically without exception—are to be found in the land-purchases after emancipation by the ‘‘ Freedmen of the first of August.” These purchases—for the purpose of this paper—fall under two heads :— (a) Plantations bought as a whole in undivided shares by a number of people; (b) Front lots of land on plantations bought separately by individuals. | We will dwell first on (a),—the earliest and most ambitious form of _land-purchase. The first recorded transaction of the kind was the purchase from the executors of Hugh Rogers, deceased, of the plantation Northbrook, consisting of about five hundred acres (‘‘ situate in Courabana,” between Pln, Craig Milne and Pln. Belfield, on the East Coast, Demerara) by eighty-three freed Negroes in November, 1839. Fourteen years before, Pln. Northbrook had been a cotton estate with two hundred and eighty- five slaves, the property of Mr. James Stewart. Then cotton failed and afew cattle were grazed on the front lands. When the estate was *It is interesting in passing to note that although the Mahaica and the Mahaicony _ferries—with their punts and bateaux—gave way to bridges upwards of seventy years ago, the old name—‘‘ the ferry ”—survives. Perhaps it willbe evergreen. People, especially at Mahaicony, commonly say when they are going to the village near the bridge :—“ ’'m going to the ferry.” Ifone asked them:—‘‘ Which ferry?” all the answer one would get (I suppose) would be :—“ The ferry, of course 66 Timehr. bought by the black people it had nothing of any value on it except two or three tumbledown houses. The purchase-price was thirty thousand guilders. Two-thirds of this was paid down in hard cash,—‘ Spanish ”’ dollars, guilders, two-bits, bits and half-bits ‘“thrown-up” by the pur- chasers, the coins, some of them, black with the mud in which they had been buried. Transport was passed on January 4, 1841. In a petition to Governor Light the purchasers ask that they be allowed to ‘‘ name our plantation after our Good and Gracious Young Queen, Victoria,”— a request granted by Her Majesty. Pln. Northbrook therefore became Pln. Victoria,—and later Victoria Village. * The next estate to be bought outright was Pln. New Orange Nassau (about 880 acres), the property of Mr. James A. Holmes, also on the Kast Coast, Demerara. This changed hands in April, 1840, the pur- chasers being a hundred and twenty-eight Negroes, labourers on Plns. Annandale, Nonpareil, Lusignan, &c. The price paid was $50,000,— $28,000 at once and the remainder before the end of the year. Transport was passed on January 2, 1841. The estate had a few good buildings on it—a new logie (62’ x 22’) with a slate roof, supplying an iron tank hold- ing ten thousand gallons of water; a manager and overseer’s dwelling- houses ; a hospital, a stable, and three ranges of negro houses with accommodation for forty to fifty people. In addition an 18-ton schooner was taken over with the estate. *The transport of Pln. Northbrook is a curiously interesting document. It is one of the records lodged in the vault of the Registrar’s Office, Georgetown, and is typical of some other transports about that date. It is signed (on behalf of the estate of Hugh Rogers, decd.) by (Mrs.) Catharine Rogers, James Gordon and Alex. Wishart, as executors, and on behalf of the new proprietors by Samuel Burk, one of themselves. An authority to receive the transport is attached from his co-partners, all of whom sign in the presence ef Mr. Sholto — Douglas, J.P., by ‘‘ mark.” Opportunity may be taken to record the names of those fore- fathers of the (British Guiana) hamlet. They were :—William Lewis, John Sistenard, Cornwall Porter, Quamina Adam, Michael James, Simon King, Quashie Rodney, Rice Lewis, Hannah Porter, Welcome James, Ben Benjamin, Prince Edinboroush, John Robson, Wm. Gammell Reavy, James Handy, John Fiddell, Cupidore Hopkinson, Jack Mitchell, Primus Samuel, Bill Williams, Peter Hope, Wm. Negelly, Cassar Solomon, Bristow Barrett, Marlboro Sam, Cicero Hercules, Gamby James, Blackwall Lancaster, Belinda Hopkinson, Tom Andrew, Aaron Duke, Nat Williams, Nelson Jackson, John Lewis, Daniel Isaac, Dublin David, Thos. Colin, John Shakspear, John Wheeler, Romeo Isaac, Martin Invarara, Maria Grant, Adam Grant, Scipio Samuel, Ned Mackie, Moses Hopkinson, Pat Murphy, Simon Tate, Samuel Cooper, Thos. Hercules, Hamlet Cato, Quashy Porter, Alex. Porter, Melville Porter, Sammy Knight, Hall Porter, Valentine Glen, Wm. Smart, Thos. Baillie, Frank Laurence, John Allen, Charles Hamilton, Colin MacRae, James Mercury, Simon Hanover, Willis. Cummings, Simon Scott, John Lion, Cross Summer, John Longham, Kenric Jarrick, Harry James, Catherine Tom, Dorset Europe, Toby Jonas, Spencer Simon, Stephen Porter, Quashy Beard, Polidore Hutt, Isaac Chapman. Abel Cockfield, Philip Robson, and Samuel Burk, It is noteworthy that the purchasers include six women. Evidence of late African descent—perhaps the purchasers were Africans or African- Creoles—is to be found in such names as Quashie (Kwasi)—there are three ‘* Quashies ” and Quamina (Kwamina) ; and the names Cornwall, Europe and Lancaster, Cato, Hesenies and Mercury suggest the emancipated slave who had only recently found a ‘‘ Christian” name or a “‘ title’’ and put it before or after his one-name of the slave-days. Samuel Burk was deputed to go to town and receive the transport, obviously, because he alone among the purchasers could sign his name. He wrote it in the presence of the Judge, ‘ and called out ‘‘ Mother there is much fruit up here” and he shook the tree and all the fruit fell down. But the birds saw Kororomani’s brother and began to fly about and Wirimando called to her son to come down, but he said he could not come as there was so much fruit and proceeded to shake down more, but the brother was still unseen and he saw the man in the tree return to snake form and return whence he came. Whilst Wirimando gathered up the fruit her brother returned and reported to Kororomani that Wirimando had a fearful thing within her. As she went out almost daily Kororomani told his brother to make arrows, and they took a day to make them. And Wirimando asked her brothers why they made the arrows. The next day she went out again and both brothers followed. Again she went to the bullet tree and the same thing happened as before and the birds again gave warning and she called to the Snake man to come down. Itreturned to snake form and came down the tree,and as it came down the brothers shot it with arrows. As they shot it the mother ran away and the great snake, transfixed with arrows fell dead upon the ground. Then the people (Warao-people) took cutlasses and cut it up into fine pieces and scattered the pieces of flesh all ubout the country, aud, some they buried. But Warimando came and collected the pieces and covered them up with cassava leaves and other leaves and stayed there weeping night and day for three days, and then went home. Four days later she visited the remains and stayed six days returning home with her hair combed and dressed in her best clothes. But worms came forth from the stinking flesh of the serpent and the worms became people, whilst Wirimando slept in the bush. One of these wasa little baby boy who cried con- tinually for meat but when she gave him some he would not eat it. Now Kororomani had a son and Wirimando said “as Kororomani killed my son I will give his child to this child to eat, for it is always crying for meat.” Three days later she brought Kororomani’s baby into the bush and killed it and gave it to the little boy and he eat it. Warao Stories. 97 Three days after this Kororomani went to the house, where Wirimando was, to demand his baby but found all the hammocks empty and everyone gone, but he saw many big pots turned down under one of which he found a pepper-pot, and in it he found the head, hands and feet of his child and so he returned and made arrows to shoot these people (the men who came out of the worms) and with his brother he killed Wirimando and all the people who were there and then he went home. Kororomani Notes. (a) In Warao marriage the accepted suitor for a girl’s hand having arranged all preliminaries with the parents, arrives one evening with his hammock and slings it in the house and the parents tell the girl to take him food and water. The girlsleeps in her own hammock that night. In the morning she is told to take him a calabash of waterfor the guest to wash his teeth with and that completes the marriage ceremony. The girl being left alone that night seems to give her the only chance to make up her own mind and escape the ratification of the marriage. Polygamy still exists on the upper Wauno, but not on Akawabi. (c) The narrator of these stories is Catherine Mary, assisted by her husband Anthony, who as their names indicate were baptized at the Catholic Mission of Santa Rosa, Morucca or by Fr. Messini on one of his _ earlier missionary journeys in the N, W. D. But the surname of Williams which they claim in common with very many Waraos at Wauno and elsewhere points to contact of their ancestors with the Rev. Mr. Brett and his favourite patron Saint of citrous memory, Anthony, who would have been nearly 50in 1911, acquiesced and corroborated Catherine Mary’s relation of the above stories, and said he had learnt them from his father, John, a native of Wauno, who got these stories from his father, a very old man whom Anthony never saw. This grand father lived at Akawabi mouth on the mound excavated by Mr. Verrill recently. Catherine Mary says she was born at Mabaruma Hill and was about 45 in 1911; she heard the story from her mother Sarah, a Warao. Sarah was married in Morucca and I heard the story there. In 1908 I had Mr. Brett’s book of legends in my hands during an idle hour in Abram Zuil, and glanced through it. In taking down the story I saw that I had come across some of the matters he used, but my memory of his verses was too slight to influence my version and I have never since had the opportunity of collating them. The grandfather and father of Anthony had visited and known Mr. Brett, so they may be the original relators and Catherine Mary’s mother one of the hearers in Waramuri Mission. (b) In several places it seems as if some omissions have been made in the story, the sequel seems to imply that the stick was in reality a snake. JUVENAL’S PROVERBIAL PHILOSOPHY. By J. VAN SERTIMA, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever,” Keats crystallised a common saying, and the phrase lives. The poet has deftly given expression to what everyone feels, and thus are assured the life and quotability of the line. But what, pray, is beauty? I conceive thatit is as difficult to set up a standard of beauty av it is to formulate one for literary excellence. It is all a matter of taste. Yet there are two rough measures of the literary worth of authors. One is the sale of their works, the other the quotability of their sayings. Concerning this latter, it will be conceded that, on the whole, the authors most quoted are those who have had the most influence on their readers. It may be that the most quoted poet is not the best. Kipling’s quotability would place him too high, and create the inference that there is no living poet who can better some of the stuff which he has put out. And Stephen Phillips—he whom the ‘Saturday Review” some years ago cruelly dubbed ‘poet to the trade” —would fare ill indeed. Pope’s quotability would perhaps give him what he does not deserve—a place much higher than Dryden. It will be recalled that Johnson had no little difficulty in assessing the respective worth of these eighteenth century poets. (As a model of balanced periods and picturesque contrasts, I recommend the philosopher’s pronouncement to all lovers of prose). Over a long stretch of years, and before tribunals of every taste, ability and jurisdiction, Shakespeare, in a class by himself, far outstrips all competitors. By the aphorisms in Hamlet alone may he be judged. The test referred to can only apply to poetry—and of the kind which concerns itself with the common business of life. That is why the older poets will be remembered longer than the modern ones who prefer to sing to themselves. Ofall literatures, Latin has been incomparably the most quoted, partly, it is said, because Latin is still familiar to every educated man, and largely because of the practical bent of Latin genius. Horace is more quoted than any other Latin poet, but as a literary artist his rank is below that of the Mantuan bard. We remember, of course, Infandum, regina, jubes renovare dolorem and Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes and cannot forget Non ignara mala miseris succurrere disco. But what else is there that persists, save perhaps some of his similes ? On the other hand the applicability of Horace’s sentiments is universal. They are humorous, and not infrequently lapse into the platitudinous. Juvenals Proverbial Philosophy. 99 This colony is peculiarly indebted to the felicity of utterance of the Sabine bard. Its motto is taken from a line of ‘‘ Ars Poetica” :— Scimus et hance veniam petimusque damusque vicissim. Juvenal, too, is much quoted, not infrequently by those who have never heard of the name. For the most part, Juvenal’s satires are moral essays—just the kind of theatre where proverbial philosophy can give itself justice. Nothing much is known of the life of Juvenal, but we have it :—“‘ libertini locupletis incertum est filius an alumnus, ad mediam fere aetatem declamavit.” It must have been in the schools that he perfected - his gift or power of phrase-coining. On material the most drab he in- sinuates purple patches, and the most commonplace of ideas take on a new setting and a new life. His pithy sayings are nothing if not viable. If the colony takes its motto from Horace, the Georgetown Town Council is indebted to Juvenal for its own :— Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes ? In creolese this would be rendered: ‘‘Who gwine watch de watch- man ?” the sly inuendo being that it takes a thief to catch a thief. "Tis true, and pity ’tis ’tis true that Probitas laudatur et alget. Integrity is praised and left to starve, finding a creolese variant or analogue in ‘‘ Good name is nickname for a fool.” (Note the strength of the Latin clauses by reason of the absence of particles). The epigram is no less terse than true. So also, but not so obvious, is the reflection :-— Nil habet infelix paupertas durius in se quam quod ridiculos homines facit. Indignation waits not for fitting instruments wherewith to give itself justice. So | Si natura negat, facit indignatio versum, The late W. T. Stead used to call conscience the chief justice of God. Juvenal felicitously speaks of it as the torturer of the soul, brandishing a sharp scourge within :— : : Occultum quatiens animo tortore flagellum. Equally happy is the germane conceit :— Prima est haec ultio, quod se Judice nemo nocens absolvitur. In “ Civilisation in England,” Buckle notes that while there has been intellectual progress, the essentials of morals have been known for thou- 100 Timehri. sands of years, and not one jot or tittle has been added to them by all the sermons, homilies and text books which moralists and theologians have been able to produce. The poet had forestalled him :— Nil erit ulterius quod nostris moribus addat posteritas. In Juvenal’s day, as now, the dominance of money was all too con- spicuous. ‘ How many slaves does he keep? How many acres of land does he possess ? From how many and from what expensive dishes does he sup?” The last question will be with regard to his morals :— De moribus ultima fiet quaestio. A very common tag is Haud facile emergunt quorum virtutibus obstat res angustae domi Those do not easily emerge to whose merits domestic poverty is an obstacle. This reminds one of Becky Sharp’s cra du coeur :—“It must be very easy to be virtuous on four thousand a year.” It is worth risking any way ! The idea of the splendid pauper is caught in :— hic vivimus ambitiosa paupertate omnes And this obiter dictum is worth remembering :— Ventre nihil novi frugalius We have a proverb in creolese, ‘Stan’ easy is better dan beg pa’d’n. The following is something like it; at any rate there is no gainsaying its truth: Plurima sunt quae Non audent homines pertusa dicere laena. Whereof the English is: ‘‘ There are very many things which men in a threadbare coat do not dare to say.” The sixth satire is pregnant with good things. This one is very common. Rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno. The eternal mother-in-law comes in for some polite reference at the hands of Juvenal, who declares that you must despair of harmony while your mother-in-law is alive: : Desperanda tibi salva concordia socru The creole saying: “ Lime tree don’t bear orange” is exemplified in Scilicet expectas ut tradat mater honestas atque alios mores quam quos habet ? Juvenal’s Proverbial Philosophy. 101 Our poet does not set overmuch value upon glory, for be it as glori- ous as it may be, it is no more than glory: Gloria quantalibet quid erit, si gloria tantum est. The science of Political Keonomy was not born in his day, but he had perspicacity enough to venture the opinion that luxury is more pernicious than war: Et patimur longae pacis: saevior armis Luxuria incumbit. Speaking of his own childhood days, Gladstone recalls Juvenal. “ And what pains and shames me most of all is to remember that at most and at best I was like, the sailor in Juvenal Digitis a morte remotus Quatuor aut septem. Removed from death by four or maybe seven fingers’ breadth.” A seeming paradox is the advice that reverence should be paid to the young: Maxima debetur puero reverentia, But we must remember that Christ took children as the type of what people should try to become. He held them up as examples to their elders —the chief use of children, if what is perfect should have a use Enough, I think, has been shown to prove the quotability of the Prince of Roman satirists. It is his proverbial philosophy, and his genius for descriptive epigram that will keep him a favougite with all lovers of literature. THE CREOLE EAST INDIAN. By JOSEPH RUHOMAN. The request of the Editor for an article dealing with the progress of the Creole East Indian in British Guiana, has failed to evoke in me a sweetly responsive note. And simply because I am not at all satisfied with the measure of the progress made by this numerically preponderating section of the community. What occurs to my mind at once as I think of progress in relation to the East Indian creole is the great deal that could have been accomplished and the very little that has actually been achieved. Asfar back as a quarter of a century ago— a stretch of time in which marvels have been wrought in more wideawake communities—in a lecture in St. Leonard’s schoolroom, Georgetown, I spoke in regretful terms of the backwardness of my race in this colony in the things that make for racial advancement and solidity, and threw out some practical suggestions whichI thought might be helpful in this direction. A quarter of a century has gone by, and I do not see that the situation has improved to an extent reasonably proportionate to this length of time. The progress that should have been made has yet to be made. The race has been languidly marking time, more or less. The truth is, the average creole Kast Indian is not given to high as- pirations, nor is he stirred and enthused by great ideals. This may be due to heredity, to environment, or to the depressing effect of our tropical atmosphere; and there is also to be taken into account constitutional defects and temperamental leanings. Unless powerfully operated upon by some dominating influence, he is frigidly irresponsive to demands for action which has made heroes of individuals and turned the feeble stream of a struggling race out into the ocean of high endeavour. He isa curious specimen of his race—our British Guiana East Indian creole. Left alone to himself, he is a sadly helpless creature. His vacillaney reveals his lack of initiatory power. Easily capitulating to the enemy in a fight for liberty or for justice, he gives evidence of want of moral courage. And no wonder. He is the descendant of people who toiled in field and factory under conditions which denied them the opportunity of realising the full stature of a decent and upright manhood, but which rather vitiated their minds and prevented the free and full development of their moral being. Heisto a large extent the creature of circum- stance. And yet consider for a moment what might have been with a different order of things ! It is not difficult to tell, Had the “ man-shall- hold property-in-man” spirit not imbued so largely the policy of our sugar magnates in the past, and had a more humane and considerate : The Creole East Indian. 108 method of dealing with their labouring hands prevailed, the results to-day would have been vastly different. The virility, courage, self-reliance and initiative whose absence we now deplore would assuredly have been conspicuous in a race whose members in other parts of the world have, under better and more reasonable conditions of life, given evidence of in a very striking manner. But self-interest too largely prevailed in the minds of those who operated the energy of labour. The moral welfare of the labourer hardly counted in the policy of the employer. He was generally regarded as a machine capable of exerting only so much man- power for certain ends. With him it was only work, work, work—like the woman in Hood’s ‘‘ Song of the Shirt’’—“ Till the heart is sick, and the brain beaumbed as well as the weary hand,” Legal regulations for ensuring his general wellbeing certainly existed, but the machinery respon- sible for their due observance was miserably inadequate and unsatisfactory. The educational interests of his children received but scant attention—so seant indeed as to have implied culpability in a high degree on the part of our education authorities. I often referred to this vitally impor- tant matter in public speeches and press articles. What must we think of a so-called paternal Government which tolerates, if not actually encourages, a state of affairs in which we find that out of some twenty thousand children of Indian parentage who should be attending school, only about six thousand do so, and this despite the presence in the Education Ordinance of the compulsory attendance clause? The only reasonable explanation for this is that the Government does not wish to see a literate Indian population; or it may be that in the interest of a _ certain class of employers of labour it recognizes the expediency of keep- ing these people at such a mental standard as to make them practically incapable of extending their outlook beyond the field of agricultural labour. Even at the present moment many of us are painfully aware of an atrociously iniquitous movement on foot to conserve and utilise the Indian child life of the Colony for labour purposes on sugar plantations ; and a supine and conniving Government is supposed to be looking on quite complacently. Asa result of all this studied neglect of the varied interests of our Indian fellow colonists in the past, we have the sorry situation now con- fronting us. It is as true in things social as economic that whatsoever aman soweth that also shall he reap. At a time when the country wants population for all its manifold purposes—manual as well as skilled workers—men with grit and granite, with adequate animal efficiency, well muscled and sinewed, and with intellects trained enough to be able to operate intelligently and correctly in the many avenues of labour, what do we find on every hand? Enfeebled and demoralised constitutions, nerveless and thewless ; and a tremendous mass of illiteracy and ignorance that would be reproach enough to any decent and self-respecting com- munity. And amongst these, alas! are a large percentage of the creole element. 104 Timehri. In estimating the position of our creole Kast Indians, we have also to bear in mind that if they have not progressed and improved as much as we would have liked, they have not been afforded in any appreciable measure the advantages of the help of those of their own race who could have been of inestimable service to them, Itis the duty of the strong to help the weak, as much as it is the rightful moral demand of the weak to have the assistance of the strong. Those, however, who have got to the top of the ladder either through their own efforts or with the adven- titious aid of good fortune, have always been loath to recognize their obligations in this respect. Reluctantly, now and then, they have come forward, and in afeeble and half-hearted way have spoken up in support or in defence of the cause of an individual or of the race; but this has invariably been more or less in deference to public opinion or in obedience to popular demand. Icannot remember a single case where a creole member of the race has spontaneously responded to the crying needs of some intolerable situation by openly standing up and publicly denouncing a wrong, or in suggesting remedial measures. Many, on the other hand, armed with all the powerfor good represented by a superabundance of cash, have often been appealed to by well-meaning reformers for the where- withal to organize and operate for the general welfare, but to no avail. Appeals of this kind at once bring the idolised Self looming so largely before them that everything else on the horizon of a wider and nobler life is completely shut out from view. They see nothing in any great measure affecting the whole body. ‘‘ What am I to get for it?” is the question immediately asked by the party appealed to. Like the working man of nearly a hundred years ago in England (before the organization of industrial and social movements) of whom a great reformer wrote, ‘‘ He has not the heart to do anything even for his own advantage if that advantage be remote, and he has no desire to stir himself for the advantage of other persons.” Anditis precisely in this way that such people are virtually assisting the Government in a policy which seems to be aiming at keeping the labouring classes in a state which shall not permit the growth of independent thought and action in the economic life of the country. I am afraid that my remarks in one or two respects may not be in strict keeping with the traditional policy of Zimehri, but in no other way can I account for the progress which the creole East Indians have failed to make. I am glad to think, however, that in spite of the hindering elements at work, there is a good deal to the credit of the East Indian creoles. We find them in almost every sphere of lifein the colony. The majority of them—of the first generation, the immediate descendants of indentured immigrants from India—find their means of subsistence in agricultural pursuits, Many of them are stil] attached to sugar plantations, and many of them find inrice planting a lucrative occupation, though adverse weather conditions often bring them serious reverses in fortune. Those who have gone in for stock-farming have done exceedingly well on the whole; and = The Creole East: Indian 105 * not a few can boast of vast possessions in flocks and herds, and in landed property. In trade and commerce they find a profitable field for their industry and their natural shrewdness; and in these pursuits their plodding, persevering habits never fail to bring them their reward. As _ book- keepers, panboilers, chemists and dispensers on sugar estates they are always in demand, and on no account for either of these offices where an East Indian creole is available will the service of any other nationality be engaged,—so extremely careful and methodical are they and worthy of the confidence of their employers. As artisans and mechanics they can hold their own. They have proved their usefulness at works run by steam or electricity, and have shown a marked ability to master quickly the working of the most highly organised and intricate machinery. In the teaching profession they are thought well of by their managers and the Education authorities, and it is regrettable to think that in this impor- tant calling the pecuniary inducements are not such as to attract many more thereto, In the Public Service the Government have seen the wisdom and expediency of employing East Indian creoles in various departments, thereby not only recognizing merit, irrespective of nationality, but facilitating official business where illiterate Indians are concerned and eliminating the risk of possible misunderstanding and mistakes. The Judicial Establishment, the Treasury, the Medical Service, Postal Depart- ment the Official Receiver’ s Office, have all gained more or less by such appointments. _ In the professions, East Indian creoles are fairly well represented, and their number promises to be further augmented in the near future. Several of the youngsters have recently distinguished themselves in Queen’s College and the Berbice High School, one of them having actually carried off the Guiana Scholarship and is now at Oxford. The Berbice High School—of which the Rev. J. A. Scrimgeour is Principal—is proving more and more its immense usefulness and to an extent never anticipated when started as an ordinary primary school, and the exceptional ad- vantages it offers are eagerly availed of by a large and increasing number of East Indians all over the county of Berbice. Itis only to be hoped that the youngsters when out of training will think not so much of the two professions which in the eyes of East Indian parents constitute the summum bonwm in earthly aspirations, but of the general wide field of human operations for which their minds are being trained and fitted under a system which aims at turning out good and useful citizens. Believing that the future of the colony is largely in the hands of the East Indian ereole, I should like to see him taking a greater and more active part in public affairs. His varied interests demand this, It should not be all shopkeeping and money-making, while the higher interests of life are neglected. Efforts should be made ona well-organized and co-operative basis to work for all that would lift the race to a higher plane of thought and action. It was for just such a purpose that the 186 : Tumehri. British Guiana East Indian Association was started, though selfish interests and party feeling have since been allowed to come in and it is to-day as a house divided in itself. In a young community like ours and in such a narrow sphere of operations, I should not expect to see Gokhales and Gandhis and Filaks in our midst; but I should expect to see at least some of the patriotic and self-sacrificing spirit of these men directed towards ends that shall compass every possible good de- manding our attention and our efforts. % OUR FUTURE PEASANTRY. By P. M. DEWEEVER. A nation’s place in the world’s Commonwealth of the future entirely depends upon the present influences brought to bear upon its children. If these influences are coincident with the part to be played by the nation, its future position becomes assured. This principle was recog - nised from the earliest period of man’s existence ; and wherever it was made the guiding star of the leaders of the people, that country was pros- perous and wealthy and often gave birth to conquering heroes who led their armies in triumph over the prostrate bodies of senile communities. When other principles were adopted as the ruling passion of the State, that particular State fell from its pinnacle in ruin and disgrace, and in turn was trampled upon by other nations. Of such communities were Egypt and Dahomey, Greece and Rome. British Guiana is, comparatively speaking, a new or undeveloped country. Canada and Australia were also, in the same sense, new countries; but in Canada and Australia a large proportion of the Kuropeans, on landing, took to agricultural pursuits—wood-cutting, sheep-farming, and wheat-raising. In British Guiana, present-day colonists take to pen wielding, In Canada, the Aboriginal inhabitants had before their eyes object lessons of agricultural labour, strenuous and ° successful. In British Guiana, witha few marked exceptions, examples are not set to its people. The climate of British Guiana is not that of Canada or of Australia. Kuropeans cannot, day by day, and with impunity, as a rule, stand our tropical sun for long hours in the pursuit of agriculture. The attempt would be indeed heroic, but deadly. Hence, to work under the cool shade of a counting-house, or to labour in the dark and dust of a merchant’s store, came to be considered by our lads as the ideals of decency and respectability, and the ambitious father and the fond mother looked anxiously forward to the day when their beloved sons might become the proud messengers of lawyer’s offices, or cash boys of dry- goods stores. But stores and offices do not require messengers every day, and year by year the rural districts of the colony send forth hardy, healthy lads, either to swell the ranks of the unemployed, or to become recruits of the centipede brigades in the city. Some of these lads after a time, drift to the gold-fields or to the balata bush, while an increasing and an inconvenient percentage continues to exist in the city by disrepu- table means. One may justly enquire, “Is there no remedy ?” Certainly there is. It may not be possible to entirely stop the living stream from the country to the town. In allages and among every civilised race the city has always a great attraction for youth and ambition. The wonders and wealth of a nation are mainly concentrated in its large cities, where, also, are to be seen the pomp, the glitter, and the show of the idle rich; 108 Timehri. and these are always attractive to the young. But this attraction can be made to appear to the country boy just as a wild beast show is to the town lad,—a thing to be seen and wondered at, and no more. To the country lad, his cows and his sheep, his fresh air and his sunshine, should be made so dear to him, that he would refuse to barter them for the pageant of the town. This beneficial state of mind could only have its foundation laid bythe training received in the elementary school of his native village. The 1919 Code of Regulations is well adapted to lay this foundation of love for rural pursuits, if the area encompassed by its sections be ex- tended. The Code makes it compulsory for parents to send their chil- dren to school from 5 to 12 years of age, and they can do so up to the age of 16. Ohildren are given free books, free slates, free everything necessary to make elementary tuition a success, but this tuition is mainly directed to benefit the city lads. All the lads of the colony are not centred in the city, and provisions sbould be made for those that are not. A child goes to school, say from 5 or 6 years, and maybe in attendance until he is 16. Hence, for about 20 to 30 per cent. of his waking life he is under the influence of his school surroundings, and for this period he has been trained, both by precept and example, to look upon the penas the chief means of obtaining future success. Manual labour and physical dexterity are at a discount, and the robust lad who cannot recite the possessions of the British Empire without a mistake, or work correctly problems in Compound Proportion or advanced Simple Interest, is looked upon with contempt, while his weak class-mate- is petted and praised because he has secured a first place in the periodic test of his class. Every system of education should have some definite aim, and the aim of the country school should differ, in several respects, from that of the town. This is an agricultural country, and an agricultural bias should be a prominent feature of the curriculum of every rural school. In the past, our school codes followed in the train of those of English Elementary ‘Schools. and these catered more or less for such hives of commercial and industrial activity as are the distinguishing features of the British islands, The codes specifically framed to meet the needs of rural districts were en- tirely eschewed, with the disastrous results visible today. We have no efficiently trained native tradesmen, no progressive agriculturists. Money has been spent, teachers have been overworked, and managers have been solicitous for the welfare of their schools without beneficial results. But by the 1919 code, the necessary weapon has been thrown into the hands of those who can fight for the educational and material progress of British Guiana. Thus, the educational destiny of our rural population is now, for the first time, entirely in the hands of school managers. The curriculum intended for a country school should aim at developing those faculties of our youth which would make them good manual workers as well as correct thinkers. Hence there should be created in our rural seminaries, an enthusiasm, amounting almost to a passion, for agricultural Our Future Peasantry. 109 pursuits on the lines of nature study. Higher arithmetic should take a secondary place. It is true that Arithmetic, as one of the fundamental subjects of mathematics, teaches, to some extent, the certainties of life. But lifeis not all certainties. 1t consists also of probabilities, and Nature study, teaches these. Apart from the necessary three R’s, gardening should be taught systematically. Rural carpentry, basket- -making, net, or broom-making should find a place in every school curriculum. Girls of the upper standards may give some of the time they now devote to arithmetic to becoming acquainted with the principles underlying washing clothes and cooking food, and to learning something about the care of the sick, without interfering with their needlework. Girls, when they leave school, may not be required to work problems in compound proportion, but they will certainly have todo clothes washing and to prepare food, and they will have to attend to the sick some time or other during the course of their lives. Very few of our farmers have improved in the method of cultivating the various food substances grown inthe colony. Often sweet potatoes from Barbados undersell those grown in British Guiana. Our farmers have been marking time for lack of efficient direction, whilst those of other countries have been marching in the van of industrial pro- gress. But who is to teach this Nature Knowledge with this leaning to- wards agriculture? Certainly not the majority of the elementary school teachers. They cannot, The visible features of the ordinary school ‘gardens attached to country schools proclaim this fact, the few prominent exceptions only exhibiting this general failure in a more glaring light. There should be other teachers as district agricultural instructors, who are enthusiasts, men who have been specially trained for their work, whose duty should be to gather the children of various schools at con- venient centres, and teach them. This is now done, to a limited extent, at the various district gardens established by the Board of Agriculture, but in the whole county of Essequebo there is but one such garden. There should also be evening continuation schools, and every effort should be made to make these schools attractive to lads too old to attend the day school. ‘he teaching should also be oi amar to that given in the day school as far as is possible. It should be constantly borne in mind that rural schools should not be supported by Government money to train village children to become book-keepers and clerks, however desirable this training may be. There are schools established by private enterprise, and efficiently conducted, where these subjects are being taught. The purpose of the elementary school in the country should be to begin the training of efficient workers of the future. If the friends of ourrural population do not look after the children now, and give them the necessary bias so as to fit them to take their place in the future life of the colony, we may have the melan- choly satisfaction of seeing strangers enter into our country, elbowing aside its people, climbing on their backs, and with impunity, plucking the industrial plums which are to be had for the gathering. THE NEOTROPICAL RESEARCH STATION OF THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, By WILLIAM BEEBE, DIRECTOR. At the request of the Editor of Timehri I take pleasure in present- ing a brief resumé of the activities during the year 1920 of the Station which the Zoological Society has established in British Guiana for the investigation of wild life in jungle and air and water. This laboratory has found what I hope is its permanent home, at Kartabo, on the point of land at the junction of the Mazaruni and Cuyuni Rivers. This is the fourth year of the work of the Station, beginning at Kalacoon in 1916, and from the present point of view, the choice of location could hardly have been better. So exactly balanced between civilization and the jungle is our chosen site, that within a half hour down river at H.M. Penal Settlement, we have the facilities of telegraph, cable and post office, and the tri-weekly service of the Government steamers, bringing us ice, fresh fruit and vegetables, and all the comforts and luxuries which long residence in one place demands. On the other hand, red, baboons, pecearies and all the varied life of the jungle, sometimes come within afew yards of the op- posite side of our laboratory. Historically, the site of the Research Station is probably the most interesting in the colony. Four hundred yards away is the little island of Kyk-over-al, which for over a century was the capital of Guiana. In the Hakluyt volumes on British Guiana and in Rodway’s History are many interesting allusions to ‘‘ Catharbo.” In the course of our residence at Kartabo, we have learned that it is possible for persons wholly unused to the tropics and who have never camped out before, to live in comfort and health in double roofed tents, sleeping with the entrance flaps open, without mosquito nets, at the very edge of the jungle and a few feet distant from theriver. And this not for a few weeks merely, but fora year ata time, throughout all four seasons——the two rainy and the two dry, which are so remark- ably distinct in this district. The success of these regulation United States army tents has been greater than I could have expected. To go through the heaviest of long rainy seasons without leaking a drop, or to have one’s clothing without mould during that period is a record better than many Georgetown houses can boast. A single lantern keeps vampires at a distance, and mosquitoes and flies are unknown, while itis a radical refutation of the generalidea of the tropics to have to sleep under a blanket every night. In spite of the presence of perai, electric eels and poisonous sting rays, all of which are found near by, the entire staff bathes daily, often Neotropical Research Statton—New York Zoological Society. 111 swimming far out into the river, and we believe that this exercise does much toward keeping us fit. We have learned that the most delicious meat of the Colony is bushmeat, and two Indians provide the accourie, labba, maam, monkeys, marudis, warracabras, bushpigs and deer which make up most of our bill of fare. As far as actual exploration goes, we can add little of value to the general knowledge of the district, The area in which we work we have carefully mapped, and divided into numbered, one-hundred-foot squares. But the life of the jungle is so omnipresent and abundant at our very door, we have seldom gone beyond a radius of three miles, while nine- tenths of our investigations are carried on within a half-mile of our laboratory bungalow. During the seven months from/June to December, 1920, we have welcomed about seventy visitors at the Station, while actual workers on the staff have numbered seventeen. Some of these investigators with their special problems, are as follows :— BaitEY— Harvard University : Relation of Ants to certain Plants. BEEBE— Oolumbia University and Zoological Society : General Evo- lutionary Problems in Ornithology and Ecology. CoopER— Bryn Mawr: Artist. EMERSON— Cornell University : Life History of Kartabo Termites. FLroyD— University of Glasgow : Parasites of Vertebrata. ForsEs— Cornell University : Organs of Hearing in Lepidoptera. GIFFORD— University of Nebraska : Comparative Ophthalmology. HARTLEY— Cornell University : Relationships of certain non-oscine Birds. PoPE— University of Virginia : Life Histories of Kartabo Fish. SATTERLEE—Columbia Oollege : Coloration of Ameiva and the painting of Optical Fundi. SMoLUCcHA— New Jersey : Photography and pen-and-ink-drawing. TAYLOR— South Carolina : Botanical Painting. TrE-Van— Zoological Society : Ecology of certain Lepidoptera. WHEELER— Harvard University : Ants of Kartabo. Woop— Stanford University : Optical Fundi of Birds and other Vertebrates. Twenty or thirty papers are in course of preparation and will be published, beginning with the autumn of 1921. Only the barest outlines can be given of some of the researches at present being carried on. In the field of biology, the three aspects to which most attention hag been paid, have been colour, its occurrence, development and use ; breed- ing, with especial attention toseason, courtships and nests ; and food, with detailed examinations of stomachs of all classes of vertebrates, 112 Temehrr. About sixty species of mammals have been recorded from the district ranging from Mouse Opossums to Dolphins. One of the rarest is the Two-toed Anteater or Silky, of which three have been seen, the last individual in the Colony House at the Penal Settlement. The mammals of British Guiana possess a unique historical interest, from a taxonomic point of view, for most of Linnzus’ original collections game from this region, and thus we find that the most of the forms are the types of their respective genera. Nearly four hundred and fifty species of birds have been recorded, of which breeding notes have been made on one hundred and thirty-five species. This is probably the largest number ever recorded from so limited an area, Elaborate food notes have been made, and dissections of characters, hitherto little studied in fresh specimens, such as turbinals, the tail muscles, syrinx, tongue and fundus oculi. Over one hundred species of reptiles and amphibians have been col- lected, their brilliant but evanescent colouring painted, and the embryology and life history of many worked out. Only the fishes which have been taken inshore in weir and nets have been studied. These number about seventy-five, and in diversity and strangeness of form, food and habits, are an assurance of intensely interesting future work in this field, Collections have been made of the land travelling forms of study of their adaptive swim bladders. Among the insects, ants, and termites or wood ants, are the only groups which have been studied with any thoroughness. Professor William M. Wheeler, who is the acknowledged authority on ants, collected over two hundred forms in two months, within a short distance of the labora- tory, and actually secured sixty-four species from a single tree of medium size, In the cleared compound of the laboratory, he found every genus of fungus-growing apt known in the world. During two seasons’ work, Mr. Alfred Emerson has discovered seventy species of wood ants, within a half-mile of the Station. Fifty of these are new to science. A most remarkable series of one hundred kinds of guest insects were collected, some modified to an astounding extent. The castes of soldiers, workers, kings and queens, the nests, fungus disease and parasites, wing development and general habits of many of these species have been recorded in notes, drawings and photographs. Although the interest is primarily purely scientific, yet investigations such as this may ultimately prove to be of considerable economic interest. Although no work has been completed in other groups of inverti- brates, yet a hasty resumé of butterflies and moths shows that out of a possible forty-four families, representatives of thirty-nine have already been secured. Besides the research work carried on by members of the Staff, speci- mens have been gathered in particular cases for immediate study else- Neotropical Research Station—New York Zoological Society. 118 where. Usually, however, reyuests for indefinite collections, desired for study at some future time, have been refused, for this is intended more eSpecially as a Station for workers in the field, and not a collecting “medium, Dr. Schultz of John’s Hopkins is working on the embryology of ‘Red Howling Monkeys; Dr. Reese of the University of West Virginia on Alligators, and young Hlectric Hels have been sought for Dr, Dahlgren of Princeton. ~ Several collections of live animals and birds have been sent to the New York Zoological Park, including a Two-toed Sloth, several Cocks-of-the- Rock, a Hacka, Electric Eels, Bushmasters, Fer-de-Lance and a young Red “ Baboon.” : We have already delved more deeply into the wild life of Kartabo, than corresponding work carried on in any tropical area of equal size, and yet the more we study the living things about us, the more we realize what a vast labour confronts us and our successors. We have hundreds of sheets of manuscript, thousands of photographs, coloured plates and moving pictures, but only the satisfaction of a little thorough and truthful work accomplished, keeps us from discouragement at the immense fields of investigation still lying ahead, y While most of the work of the Station will be brought out in scienti- fic publications of the New York Zoological Society, yet the Director has felt it an equal duty to set forth some of the more popular aspects in magazines and books, such as the essays in “Jungle Peace” and in the later series in the ‘‘ Atlantic Monthly,” beginning with “A Tropic Garden” waich deals with the Georgetown Botanical Gardens, Highty-six con- tributions from the Station, both technical and popular, have already been published. There are two vital sources of satisfaction to the Director. First that scientists of Great Britain and other countries are beginning to be interested, and to join the staff of workers, thus emphasizing the inter- national character of scientific research, and refuting any consideration of _the Station as solely an Atnerican undertaking. And second, the cordial relations which have always existed between the British Guiana Govern- ment officials and the Director and his Staff, relations direct, generous and altogether satisfactory. : \ These, then, are some of the serious activities of the Station, its raison d’étre, present and future. But it is impossible to convey in words the joy of life in such a place as this ; the wonderful sunrises and the in- describable sunsets, the full moon glowing through bamboo filigree, re- calling Japan, and the wandering little storms, each with its rainbow or sometimes two; the hard work and the hard play—the evenings of violent scientific argument, others of the reading of poetry, or to tales of travel or war. The nights—dreamless and of absolute healthy repose, in preparation for days all too short. : 114 Timehri. The only regret, always present, ever more real, is the hopelessness of understanding more than a fraction of the problems which confront us. Kach strange habit or character, song or colour is no sooner studied and interpreted, than a hundred others rise to take its place. If after all our labours we can add a single stone to the edifice of human understanding of the great world of Nature about us, if we can bring any cf our fellow human beings in the world to a greater apprecia- tion of the beauties and wonders of this splendid country, I, and the generous gentlemen of the Zoological Society who are making our Laboratory possible, will feel that we have been more than repaid. SHOOTING NOTES. By G. E. Bopkin ayp C. T. MATTHEY. “ Dem Bakra dem come, dem shoot charion krow, chicken hawk, fisherman, gaulding, an so. Den dema trow bottle and shoot "pon em. Dey fire two—t’ree hundred load and when dem a go dem does say “ a-we got too much a spoat.”—Natwe Observation. We make no apologies for this article—what it contains or what it does not contain. We can at least lay claim to a fairly wide experience of shooting in this country and the paucity of previous literature has stimulated us to set down our combined experiences of shooting game birds. We hope that the contribution may arouse discussion and from this the older and more experienced sportsmen may be tempted to give us the benefit of their knowledge which will be both good and interesting. However, we digress, Climatic and other conditions which exist in British Guiana render a comparison between shooting in England and in this country a diffi- cult matter. Sport such as grouse, pheasant or partridge shooting is frequently a highly organised and specialized business enjoining the expenditure of much time andmoney. Fora civilized country, highly cultivated and thickly populated, this must necessarily be the case. The man who, in England enjoys his annual pheasant or partridge shooting; looks forward to several days of excellent sport carried out under ideal conditions with a minimum of personal discomfort—if such exists at all. The sportsman in British Guiana knows that, as often as not, he has to make an intimate acquaintance with tropical sun and rain, mosquitoes, sandflies and, as often as not, mud such as only Demerara can produce, tenacious and evil smelling—eminently nasty, before he can hope to get within sight of the game. There are, however, compensations. Magnificent sport is to be secured, at times merely at the cost of powder and shot ; in passing it may be noted that much of the game is correspondingly excellent from a gastronomic view-point. : Curiously enough, shooting, for sport’s sake is not extraordinarily popular. Opportunity, expenses of equipment and travel are insur- mountable barriers to many. Of course the pseudo-sportsman exists—he who talks mueh and performeth not! Game, too, to judge from the remarks “ of those who have gone before us” is not so plentiful as it used to be. Itis not uncommon to hear an ‘old-time’ sportsman re- counting doughty deeds of duck destruction where the birds flew in 116 Timehr. clouds—not flocks, and where it was impossible to discharge one’s mus- ket without accidently slaying at least twenty birds. A reduction has undoubtedly taken place but anyone who has witnessed the immense flocks of duck which visit the coast-lands during a favourable season ean hardly subscribe to the statement that birds are getting scarce. The introduction of cheap guns into the country (‘‘pi-booms ” of the worse description !) and the increasing number of men in the country districts who shoot solely for the pot have done much to spoil the chances of the bona fide sportsmen. Shooters in British Guiana, as elsewhere, belong to several classes — sportsmen, those who have a family to feed, and people who let off guns indiscriminately, The aboriginal Indian—the ' Buck ’—belongs to the second class. His knowledge of forest game and methods of pursuing it is quite unique. His experience is very largely derived from the very forceful and ele- mental fact that existence without nourishment is not possible, Indians invariably hunt in a condition of semi or almost entire nudity. Their copper-coloured skins match their surroundings in the forest in a most wonderful manner which secures them a big advantage over the game. The most successful Indian is the most expert hunts- man ; through his prowess with gun, blowpipe or bow and arrow he acquires the simple luxuries of his kind. - An Indian never takes a shot at a bird or animal whilst flying or moving ; he relies upon his powers of approaching the game silently and inconspicuously till the success of the ‘brown’ is sure. Gun-traps appeal to him as a pretty sure method of obtaining food which, oe all, is what ~ he is after. Apart from this, however, he takes a real pride in his skill. Some East Indians take naturally to hunting and attain proficiency ; a few real sportsmen of this race may be met with every here and there but on the whole these people shoot exclu8ively for the pot or to sell. On the Courantyne Coast, during the duck season, an Hast Indian will sit hidden in a swamp for hours until he can be quite certain of procur- ing, with one shot, not less than twenty ducks. There is money in it of course. Negroes make fair sportsmen and are often genuinely fond of shoot- ing but he, too, is far too fond of the irresistible attraction to “‘ mek a load.” The shooting proclivities of the majority of the upper classes are well defined by the ‘“‘ Native Observation ” which appears at the com- rmencement of this article, Shooting Notes, 117 A well organized shoot, be it for duck, pigeon, parrots, plover or other birds usually proves most successful if time and place are carefully studied. By ‘time’ is meant the hours during which the birds may be most favourably sought and shot. By ‘ place’ is meant the exact locality where it is certain that the birds will be found. Sucha place must, of course, afford cover of some kind and convenient spots for the disposal of the shooters. All this is most necessary in a country like British Guiana where the birds have an immense area in which they can feed and rest. Such knowledge can only be obtained from people living in the locality and who thus have a chance of regularly studying their habits. Itis a very easy matter (how easy !) for a shooting party to meet with few or no birds at all owing to misleading information having been given either accidentally or on purpose. When givenon purpose the ‘motives of some selfish sportsman (?) may be traced or else the desire to obtain recompense for information given—be it correct or the reverse— is evident. It is, therefore, a sine qua non for a shooting party to meet with sport, that accurate information be previously obtained as to the birds and their doings. Of course it is quite possible to accompany a shooting party without obtaining any real shooting; such occasions need not necessarily be either slow or sad, in fact both writers can recall parties which, despite bad luck and no sport, were the reverse of slow. After all an empty beer bottle or gin flask flung high in the air is not at all a poor representation of a flying bird. Chicken hawks have been known to succumb to a load of No. 8 shot whilst a volplaning carrion crow makes an interesting target and the satisfaction of slaying the fowl is heightened should its carcase drop on a fellow sportsman in the middle of a meal. The regurgitative habits of carrion crows at expiration are too well known to need description here ! _ However, we digress. British Guiana is a museum of cheap guns. The old muzzle-loader is still used by the Indians in the far interior. Such weapons have earned the nickname of “ pi-booms.” The term is alliterative and represents the sound created by the discharge. First is heard the explosion of the cap on the anvil and, perceptibly later, the explosion of the charge in the barrel. They are marvellous engines of destruction and appear to be able to withstand wondrous charges of black powder The aboriginees make wonderful practice with them and continue in their use as long as they will hold together. Breech-loading guns of all ages, bores, makes, stages of rust and decay exist. Itis a rare thing to meet with a high-class gun. Hammer- less guns are few and far between. Gun accidents are not common, which is strange. For bush work the siugle- ha pelted 16-bore or even the double-barrelled 20-bore is favoured ; both are light and kill at a distance—two necessities 118 Timehri. for these conditions. Asa matter of fact for all round work a sound 12-bore gun is hard to beat. A strongly made, medium priced weapon is the best. The rough work which guns must necessarily encounter whilst shooting in British Guiana soon wears out the best gun; it is cheaper, in the long run, to use a gun for some years and then retail it to some un- © suspecting person. A new gun can then be purchased. In Georgetown a number of signboards demonstrate the fact that ‘ouns are repaired here.’ Such shops should, if possible, be avoided. It is a strange fact that these people who profess to repair guns are, as often © as not, sharks of the worse description, and unblushingly demand fabu- lous sums of money for the smallest and simplest repair. A word about 20-bores. Many experienced bushmen treasure such weapons and swear by their capabilities. They are correct in so doing. Such a gun is light to carry—one very strong point in its favour, while for a shot under bush conditions, which means stalking your prey and shamelessly ‘browning’ it, the killing powers of this weapon when generously loaded with black powder are wonderful. It is often used for the larger game suchas bush-cow, deer, water-haas, labba, etc. It is also cheap to use—no mean consideration, particularly in these days ot high prices, with the generally penurious bushman. Paper-case cartridges are very expensive, The Customs Department sees to that. It becomes infinitely cheaper to load one’s own cases. With care paper cases can be loaded several times. Solid drawn brass cases are popular among bushmen and are undoubtedly the best under such conditions. They can be loaded many times and are practically proof against the extremely humid conditions of the forest. On the other hand they are heavy and awkward to carry. Paper cases during wet weather have a bad habit of swelling and consequently sticking in the gun—at a critical moment of course. Cases that have been reloaded too often will do the same thing. Black powder is universally used. The flat, oval flasks of a_post office red colour are familiar to most of us. The brand known as F.F.F. is popular. Smokeless ‘‘ Diamond” powder is also used but the altitude of its price is a distinct bar to its popularity. Paper cases, when loaded at home with black powder, must be used within a few weeks, otherwise the powder causes the cases to swell at contact surface and renders them useless, Smokeless powder does not do this. Ready-made smokeless or black powder cartridges can, of course, be obtained but they are very expensive by comparison. With regard to clothing. Only novices sally forth to shoot in white sun helmets, coats of white drill, black ties and patent leather shoes ! a en Shooting Notes. 119 Most sportsmen cherish an antique shirt, an ancient pair of trousers, old socks and asenile pair of boots or shoes all of a neutral tint. A battered felt hat completes the equipment. Arrayed in these the worst swamp can give no qualms of conscience as to one’sclothes, 1tisatip to pull the socks up over the trouser ends and tightly secure them in that position. People who have an affinity for béte-rouge take note! Eschew shorts, they expose too much of the anatomy for the delectation of sandflies and mosquitoes ! A good. strong knife, cartridge extractor, roomy bag or haversack for cartridges aud possibly game, complete the outtit. The most highly esteemed game birds in this country (from the sportsman’s as well as other people’s view-point) are the various kinds of duck. These may, for our purpose, be divided into three species, the Muscovy, the Teal Duck and the Wicissi, The Muscovy,---Presumably the domesticated species of this bird ig the same as the wild species, though a close comparison does not seem to establish the fact. There are several points of difference one being the superior length of feet possessed by the wild variety. The plumage, too, is different, and there are other points which distinguish the wild bird from its congener of the wayside trench. The muscovy seems to occur all over the colony. Travellers in the interior savannahs speak and write commonly of it. On the coastlands it is fairly common and would be seen more often were it not perpetually persecuted, pursued and shotall the year round. At certain times of the year the water savannahs some miles inland from the coast hold quite Jarge flocks of these birds, The Abary Creek and the savannahs in that district are favourite resorts of the muscovy. During dry weather their habits become more localized owing to the drying up of the savannahs and consequent scarcity of the swamps. Muscovy nest during April and May and the young may be seen on the wing in August. Not many people realize the arboreal habits of this duck ; a number of them may sometimes be seen perched on the limbs of a dead tree, generally in a conspicuous position where they get a good view of the surrounding country anda timely warning of the approach of danger. It is not an easy matter for the ordinary individual to get a shot at muscovy ; in fact the average sportsman can number on the fingers of his two hands the occasions when he has had a fair chance (and a success- ful one !) at these birds. To go out and get a couple of brace of muscovy duck constitutes a red-letter day in the diary of most shooters. People who live in the districts where it is possible to get tired of shooting muscovy may not agree with this. Differences of opinion exist as to the correct size of shot to use for muscovy duck. Some sportsmen assert that No, 5 shot is unrivalled ; on 120 Timehri. the other hand we know of one shooter who uses nothing but slugs in his cartridges. We might add that this gentleman is known as a particularly successful shot. The most commonly used shot is undoubtedly that known as B.B, The ftight of muscovy is, in our experience, most deceptive. The almost slow, steady beat of their powerful pinions propels them through the air at an infinitely greater rate than the ordinary individual would estimate. They will also carry away a lot of shotand have a disquieting habit, if winged and fallen into a trench, of at once diving and conceal- ing themselves amongst the vegetation, Many birds are lost in this way. Finally, having secured your birds, they make splendid eating, For delicacy of flavour, Huanily and quality they are second to none. Rumours of the presence of muscovy duck form asplendid basis for the formation of a shooting party. A terse, condensed account of such a party and its doings, reads something like this :—Rise 3.30 a.m. to 4.30 a.m; proceed to destination via Toroue, mules, boats, on foot, or a combination of several of these (heavy rain generally falls); arrive at destination ; gin and bitters ; await ducks ; continue to await duck ; decide - duck probably aren’t coming; they don’t come; chicken hawks and carrion crows in vicinity receive a severe strafing ; return home! Perhaps the best method of shooting muscovy is to obtain quite accurate information as to their whereabouts and movements in the early morning or late afternoon, At such times muscovy have a habit of going either to or from their feeding grounds. We know of one spot on the coastlands where, during several months of the year, it is possible to stand on the public road and get excellent sport both at dawn and late afternoon, the birds flying low in small flocks of five or Six. Small boys belonging to the district can be very helpful both in retrieving the birds and in giving information. Dogs can be trained to retrieve here as elsewhere but alligators get them sooner or later, and it is consequently not worth while. Teal Duck give excellent sport at certain times of the year—usually about June and July. The Courantyne Coast in Berbice, which abounds in suitable swamps, generally contains large numbers. But few are found nowadays on the lower Hast Coast of Demerara as sea defence works have driven many of themaway. Flocks are to be found in the area between Mahaica and Rosignol both on the front lands and also in the swamps behind. We have had our best sport, however, on the Courantyne Coast. Early morning and evening are the best times. Three guns in a fair-sized swamp can perform ‘considerable slaughter, as, at high tide the birds desert the shore and fly inland to feed. Better results are Shooting Notes. 121 obtained if a rough shelter is made for each gun with brushwood, as the ducks are then less likely to observe the presence of the shooters. Teal duck ffy surprisingly fast and when arriving at a swamp often fly in pairs ; they do not appear to conform to the same methods of flying in formation as Wicissi duck do. Shooting in such swamps is apt to be an uncomfortable occupation, especially if few or no birds put in an appearance, Sandflies and mosquitoes generally abound as the evening draws in and squatting in an ill-smelling mixture of adhesive mud and stagnant water becomes a trifle irksome, Pleasanter memories obtain under such conditions if each shooter has with him a boy belonging to the district who has some knowledge of the birds. Such lads are extremely useful in retrieving birds and borrowing cigarettes from one’s companions (!) whilst their observations on life in general—the accuracy of your aim and that of your fellow shooters, couched in apt Creolese and of an engaging frankness prove invariably interesting. _ The blue-winged teal is sometimes met with especially on the East Coast of Demerara. History hath it that this species once~ predominated ; now itis almost rare. Specimens that we have seen were distinctly smaller than the ordinary, now common, metallic green winged teal. Teal duck prove good eating and are invariably appreciated. Wicisst Duck (known also as ‘ Wissi-wissi’’) are to be met with most of the year but they are more prevalent during the heavy wet season. Noone who has ever heard the peculiar whistling call of these duck is ever likely to forget it. It is apt to be an eerie sound for sometimes at dead ‘of night a flockmay be heard passing over high up in the heavens and their call is heard in rising and falling cadences according to the wind. They invariably fly in the well-known V. formation peculiar to ducks the world over. At the point of this V. there is usually a leader—a veteran who controls the movements of the flock. ? tis an exciting moment for the shooter when, crouching in some | swamp, 4 flock of Wicissi appear, and, being attracted by the imitative calls of the sportsmen they circle slowly overhead and gradually approach with- inrange, Everything then depends on concealment and a clever imitation of the call for the circling flock answers vigorously and any discrepancies will quickly be detected. On such occasions the leader may actually be observed craning his neck earthwards in search of friends, for ‘‘ somewhere a voice is calling.” In 1918 during the exceptionally heavy wet season that prevailed an unusual sight was witnessed in Georgetown. For some three evenings in succession, just before dusk, an immense flock of Wicissi passed over Georgetown flying in a long strung-out line reaching nearly from one horizon to the other. The chorus of their cries filled the air and great 122 Timehrr. interest and excitement pervaded the worthy citizens of Georgetown. Bridge and poker tables were suddenly deserted and drinks arrested half way to their destination—-everyone rushed out to gaze at the rare spectacle. Unfortunately the ducks flew just out of range so that on the second and third nights the fusilade which the birds then encountered proved of very little avail. This species of duck is very fond of recently sown padi and great damage is done to the rice-fields every year. When feeding in the rice- fields unrivalled opportunities present themselves for local gunners to perform remunerative ‘browning.’ A successful shot under such condi- tious is reckoned at several dozen birds. Wicissi ducks on the whole give first-rate sport and are by no means hard to hit as they have a habit of wheeling overhead in answer to an imitation of their call and particu- larly when their companion or mate has been shot. They have an evasive habit of diving under water if only lightly wounded and brought to earth or rather to fall into a trench or swamp. A bird under such circum- stances is often impossible to find. There are several varieties of Wicissi. The Canvas-Back which is not common and is often found up creeks and such places, the ordinary red Wicissi which is the common kind and the Bat-Wing Wicissi which has a white bar on the wing; this bird is somewhat larger than the ordi- nary variety. The Wicissi makes good eating and it is a larger bird than the Teal Duck. Pigeon are found in most parts of the colony and good sport is ob- tainable with them when opportunities occur. Time and place have to be carefully studied however. The Blue coast-land pigeon is a very fair- sized bird and particularly nimble on the wing. Its vision is quick, also, and it has a habit of dodging the zuns in a wonderful manner. Best sport is to be had with them when certain wild trees and bushes bear fruit on which they feed. The so-called ‘‘clammy cherry’ is favoured in this respect. When paddy is being beaten pigeons are often to be found in numbers in the vicinity. These birds are perpetually on the qui vive and itis no easy matter to approach them without their being aware of the fact. Their call is typical of pigeon the world over and when heard at eventide, particularly across water, in a restful setting of peaceful evening scenery, is apt to linger long in the memory. The so-called Speckle-Breast Pigeon which seems to abound especially in Essequebo isa really fine bird. With this species, owing to its habit of frequenting high bush it is difficult to obtain a flying shot. Sport is obtainable, however, by marking the trees to which they come during the cooler hours of the day to feed and concealing oneself nearby. This bird is atits best in October and appears in large numbers during that month. At other times of the year few or none are seen. The vicinity of the freshwater lakes immediately aback of the Essequebo Coast is par excellence their locality. It is alarger bird than the blue pigeon and makes Shooting Notes. 1238 supericr eating. In the North Western District there is a reddish coloured pigeon which gives good sport. Near the clearings which are made by the farmers and particularly in the abandoned ones these birds are often ‘numerous. When the Sapium Kubber trees bear fruit it is possible to secure quite a larye bag but the local pot-hunters are also ‘ wise’ to the habits of these pigeons and spoil the chances of the sportsman. By paddling slowly and quietly down the river in a light corial it is always possible to get a shot and the early morning is the best time for this performance. Plover.—The various kinds of plover such as ‘ Pika,’ Longlegs, Suriname plover and Cotton tree plover give good sport during a number of months in the year. In fact when nothing much else is doing it is generally possible to go out and get a decent bag of ‘ Longlegs’ or Pika. The swamps about the coastlands abound in these birds, pastures when flooded are also a favourite feeding place. Suriname plover are not at all common and Cotton tree are not nearly so numerous as they used to be Pika and Longlegs answer well to an imitation of their somewhat plaintive cry but it has to be well executed. Cotton tree plovers are much sought after by sportsmen as they have a rapid tricky flight which tries the ‘skill of the shooter and they are alsoa distinct table delicacy They are to be found more in the dry pastures—especially those contain- ing sage bush. Parrots.—Along the upper east bank of the Demerara River, ceriain parts of Essequebo, the Pomeroon and North West District are places where, at certain times of the year, it is possible to experience splendid sport with these birds. Of course there are other localities but those mentioned are known to us personally. The early evening hours are best for shooting parrots. For some places it is possible to stand on the public road and shoot them as they cross on the way to their roosting places. They invariably fly in pairs and when one is brought down its mate will often fly back over the spot a number of times in search of its companion which gives ample opportunity of bagging both. Sometimes these birds fly far out of range but when they do fly within range they seem to choose that which, from the point of view-of the sportsman, is as near perfection as possible. Novices at this form of sport should be care- ful about retrieving their birds. It is not an unusual event for a person who is ignorant of the powers of retaliation possessed by a parrot to carelessly seize.a bird that has been merely winged and is fluttering on the ground, the yell of pained surprise as the fowl ‘gets home’ with its powerful beak on a tender finger rivals the screechings of the creature itself ! Parrots are, seemingly, hard birds and take some bringing down. No, 4 shot is the best while for long shots we have seen good results with B.B. ; Parrot shooting seems to be associated with still, clear, evening scenery, expanses of water and forest. The Raucons call of the birds ag ~ 124 Timehrr. they approach is like no other sound and is apt to conjure up in the mind even when heard many thousands of miles away from British Guiana—in London for instance—many pleasant memories of other scenes, people and places. Parrot pie, we have heard, is very good. It has not been our fortune, however, ever to experience it. Curri-Curri.—lt is not often possible to obtain a shot at these birds. Apparently they are getting scarcer than they used to be owing to con- tinual persecution, They are certainly not so common on the inhabited parts of the coastlands as formerly. ; The young birds—before they attain the scarlet plumage—occa- sionally give sport but to shoot them in any number it is necessary to go to out of the way places like the mouth of the Pomeroon River, Dauntless, or the mouth of the Waini River in the North Western District—most of them fearsome, mosquito-ridden spots. A long line of curri-curri in mid-air is a wondrous sight, the undulating flight and occasional glimpse of their scarlet plumage is quite beyond description. Negro Cop and Heert.—The first named bird is not often met with as it prefers the lonely swamps and savannahs far away from civilized and inhabited areas. A large negro cop was shot in the vicinity of the Demerara Golf Club some years ago. Itis a problem what the bird was doing so near Georgetown. It made excellent curry however! Heeri have a majestic, wheeling flight and a flock of them in mid air is not at all unlike a squadron of circling aeroplanes. They can usually be successfully dealt with with B.B. shot. There is a good story about a certain sportsman, who, after an unsuccessful afternoon in pursuit of duck, was sorrowtully and wearily trudging his way home. The going was heavy as much rain had fallen. Suddenly his depresssed spirits were raised by the sight of a lonely Negro-cop standing in a swamp; a careful stalk ensued fraught with many perspirations and peregrinations. A satisfactory range was: accomplished; up went the gun; down went the bird. The spoils of sport were gathered up and the shooter continued on his way well pleased and looking forward to a satisfactory reception by his fellow sportsmen. Alas! to the utter chagrin and disgust of this gentleman this same bird was later identified as being the tame pet of the owner of the land over which he had been shooting! ‘Twas in Berbice it happened. Wounded Negro-cop can deliver a nasty stabbing blow with their pick-axe beaks. They also have the reputation of being distinctly edible. In conclusion we can very fully commend shooting as a form of sport in British Guiana. In this article we have only touched on those i —_—— i Shooting Notes. 125 game birds with which we have some acquaintance and which are to be found on or near the coastlands, Still greater possibilities exist in the great forests and savannahs of the vast hinterland. Apart from the actual sport of shooting itself there is much to be said for a day in the open ‘“‘neath God’s boundless blue” especially to those whose daily round brings them into amonotonous contact with the atmosphere of offices, edges of desks, pens and paper. There are other aspects ; memories can be pleasant things and in the years to come, when our joints stiffen and arteries thicken, we shall have the retrospect of many joyous parties and days with boon companions when sport was good and—when we were young. # FEATHERED FRIENDSHIPS. By L, D. cuales JNR., F.E.S. Most people seem to be attracted by and interested in birds, although their interest is sometimes shown in ways that are more or less deterimental to the birds themselves, such as keeping them in cages, either on account of the pretty notes which they utter or for their brilliant colouring, or by the less humane habit of killing them to adorn hats or other pieces of female apparel. Large numbers of persons, however, find great pleasure in observing the ways and habits of these “ most beautiful of God’s creatures,” wlile the majority of people seem to derive some pleasure from merely hearing about them, It isfor this reason thatit is _here proposed to tell of afew of the habits of some of our commoner and better known birds. On the question of the value of birds to man it is not here proposed to touch—a few of the observations will speak for themselves. It must, however, be mentioned that apart from any esthetic feelings we may have on the subject, it is matter of good business to protect the majority of birds, for although a few cause a small amount of damage to our crops, it will usually be found that even they are not entirely harmful, while the majority are decidedly beneficial. We may well begin with the Kiskadees, for they are perhaps our most familiar birds. Everywhere, in towns and villages, along our coastlands and rivers, one finds the kiskadee—and by kisxadee I meau the common yellow-breasted form, with white band around its head, Pitangus sulphu- ratus—and wherever he ii met with he seems to be holding his own. They apparently fear nothing, and never miss an opportunity of attack- ing hawks, against which they seem. to have an ancient feud. Often one may see a Chima-chima, Milvago chiiia-chima, or other hawk, being pursued by kiskadees making vicious attacks on it, and even when it comes to rest on some tall tree the kiskadees continue their attacks, rising several feet above and swooping down and past it, at the same time making violent stabs at its head with their beaks. Occasionally an unfortunate Carrion-Crow, Catharista atratus, comes in for one of these attacks through being mistaken for a hawk, but whenever I have observ- ed this the mistake was apparently soon discovered and the attack withheld. Kiskadees exhibit little concern at the presence of man, and for sheer cheekiness may be compared to the English sparrow. Some years ago we possessed a large fox-terrier which had his meals served on the open plat- form atthe head of the kitchen stair. As often as not some of his break- fast would he left in his plate, a fact that became known to a kiskadee. Regularly every morning this bird would turn up to feed on the remains of cooked rice, and only when the dog came quite close would it fly off. . This particular kiskadee, however, had a somewhat unusual taste, for they Nest of Tricoloured Heron, showing three nestlings. (Original). Nestlings of Tricoloured Heron, Hydranassa tricolor. (Original). inal). oO" tan) i (Or Nest of Blue Gaulding, /lorida coerulea. inal). or dn wla pica. (Ori UU st of Cotton-bird, /7 N Feathered Friendships. 127 much prefer to make a meal off ripe ‘Baby Cucumbers” (Coccinea Indica) and insects. Unfortunate is the lizard thata kiskadee espies, for they never seem to pass these tit-bits, and we may often see one of these birds with a lizard almost its own length in its bill, viciously striking it against its perch to kill it. When all signs of life are extinct, the lizard is swallowed head-first, often not without some difficulty. Kis kadees may often be seen in the process of reourgitating, and one may observe that it is a small seed that they eject. The bird covers the seed with a sticky saliva so that it readily adheres to any object on which it falls, and one often finds the seeds sticking to the backs of benches in gardens. A large number, however, fall on the more fruitful surroundings of the branches of tr ees, and soon develop into that trouble- some parasitic plant which we know as “ Bird Vine,” Loranthus sp. The name kiskadee is popularly applied to a number of different though closely related birds, all of which more or less resemble one -another in habits and coloration; the name is thus applied to some seven different species. The most striking of these kiskadees is the one commonly known as the ‘‘scissors-tail,” though a better name would probably be “swallow-tailed ” kiskadees. In coloration it is somewhat like some of the other kiskadees—black head, no white band, dark grey back and greyish underside—but it can at once be recognised by its peculiar long swallow-shaped tail. This bird can often be seenin certain parts, but I have only occasionally seen it about Georgetown. They always move about in small flocks, and on one occasion I saw one of these flocks flying over the town in an easterly direction about 6.15 in the afternoon, at which time it was still quite light. Another evening, just about the same time too, in the Botanic Gardens, my attention was drawn to a number of these birds flying about a clump of trees, it was obvious that they were catching ‘something, so I gradually approached near enough to see what they were up to. A short distance from the trees on which they were perched grew a thick tangled mass of vines, it covered the ~ decayed stump of another tree, and from this clump of vegetation a large number of winged ants were emerging, Hardly did one of the ants make the open before a kiskadee would leave its perch with a great swoop, and in a couple of seconds return with an antin its bill and immediately swallow it. A close relation to the kiskadee is the little black and white *‘ Cotton- Bird,” Fluvicola pica, though its habits are somewhat different. This pretty little bird may invariably be seen flitting about trenches, evenin the vicinity of Georgetown, catching the insects that frequent such places. Some months ago I found one of their nests in the country ; it was built on ahead of a sedge, ‘‘ bizzy-bizzy grass” ina small trench which at the time contained several inches of water. The nest was spherical in shape, and was made of the same kind of grass on which it stood, the interior et 128 Tumehrr. being lined with feathers. The entrance, which was at the side, faced away from the prevailing winds and rain. There were three eggs in it— white with some small brown spots at the broader end. Most adorable of all our birds is the little ‘‘God-bird ” or Wren, Troglodytes musculus, and its cheery little voice—three notes and a thrill—inspires a homely feeling not produced by other birds. It may be because the God-bird is always to be found around man’s habitations, for they may often be seen perched on some window singing to their heart’s content, the liquid notes just pouring forth in the most delightful man- ner, producing that glad-to-be-alive feeling which is worth so much; or scurrying about the rafters and eaves, dodging into nooks and corners, catching spiders and insects. | Wrens build their nests in all sorts of peculiar places, and invariably in very exposed positions. For the last reason it is no wonder then that these little birds at times fall victims to the Lazy Bird. The Lazy Bird has, in common with the cuckoo of temperate climates, — the peculiar habit of laying its eggs in some other bird’s nest, leaving them for the other bird to hatch, and, what is still worse, to bring up the youngsters. The little God-birds often suffer in this way. On one occasion] saw a pair of wrens endeavouring to satisfy one of these foster- children, and it was really a most pathetic sight. From place to place, wherever the birds would go, they would be followed by their big baby, quite twice their own size, forever shouting to be fed. The many different kinds of Sackis or Tanagers are familiar birds about our towns, and they are some of the most beautiful of our common birds. The rich wine coloured Cashew, Sacki Rhamphocoelus Jacapa, or the beautiful cobalt Blue Sacki Tanagra episcopus are really “things of beauty "especially when seen in strong lights. The Blue Sackis may often be seen in cages, but much of their beautiful blue colour is dulled under these unnatural conditions. The Palm Sacki, Yanagra palmarwm, although nothing like as striking as the two former birds, — is nevertheless quite handsome, and its alert manner together with its olive-green colour give it quite a smart appearance, perhaps it is the service-kakhi ! Occasionally one sees the pretty yellow-vented sacki, but itis not common ; its metallic blue and black colouring makes it a striking bird, easy torecognise. Except for the last named all these sackis are abundant during the mango season. Sackis seem to be particularly fond of kathing, and in our garden a fountain left running during the heat of the day never failed to attract these birds, while a pair of yellow-vented tanagers could often be seen bathing in the gutters around the gallery roof. I have seen the same thing in New Amsterdam, but in this case there were Blue, Cashew, and Palm sackis, besides an occasional yellow- vented one. Very often the ‘Tom Pitcher” Saltator magnus, may be heard, if not seen, for he shouts out his vindictive call “ If you trouble me I shall pick you” at the top of his voice. Just the opposite is the song of the Thrush, Merula phecopygia, for its delicate cheerulp, cheerulp, cheep— cheep—cheep—, is one of the most pleasing of our bird songs. Early in the morning when day is just break- ) —— Feathered Friendships. 129 ing, and again latein the evening, they may be heard at their best, along with the kiskadees, swelling the wealth of sound that occurs at such times. The familiar ‘‘ Old Witches are common birds of our countryside, and even in Georgetown they are often to be seen. There are two kinds of old witches, one somewhat larger than the other and not as often seen. This large witch, C, major, is, however, the more handsome bird, the beau- tiful iridescence of its feathers and pale green eyes making a lovely con- trast. In the pastures it is the small dull coloured witch, Crotophaga ant, with scale-like neck-feathers that one sees following the cattle, pick- ing up grasshoppers and other insects which they disturb, as well as a number of ticks from the cattle themselves. In the Botanic Gardens both kinds may often be seen, scrambling over the branches of Saman trees, eagerly devouring the dainty little flesh pink insects which are a veritable pest on these trees. The larger old witches also have a habit of collecting in numbers in the shade and uttering a peculiar long-sustained noise which may only be likened to a person gargling, or the sound made by drawing a small empty tobacco tin along a pavement by a small boy. The old witches have anear relative in the ‘‘ Wife Sick,” Dzp- lopterus neevius, its eerie whistle pi—pi—may often be heard in the country, and frequently in the Botanic Gardens and cemetery in Georgetown. It is not so often, however, that one sees the bird, for its colouring is quite protective, and when hidden amongst the grass it is not easily detected. But the Wife Sick is a simple bird and can easily be brought to within close range by imitating its call, and many atime have I practised this dodge with unfailing success. There is one thing, however, peculiarly interesting in the Wife Sick which [ have not observed in any other bird. It is a development that may perhaps be likened to the remarkable development of “fingers” on the wings of the Hoatzin or Canje Pheasant, Opisthocomus cristatus, but in this instance the wings are not used for locomotion. What really is the case is that the Wife Sick is capable of moving its “fingers,” and does so frequently. It was several months ago during a week-end in the country, in a locality where the Wife Sick is common, that I observed this peculiar habit. A pair of these birds were working about some grassy land in search of insects, and it was then I made the observation. Here and there either of the birds would suddenly stop, and lowering itself slightly would erect the feathers on the top of its head, at the same time spreading its wings, then suddenly, with a sort of shrugging of its shoulders, a little tuft of black feathers would come forth from the angle of its wing. Time after time I noticed this singular characteristic, for the birds did it frequently. Some days after, on my return to town, I examined the cabinet specimens* of these birds in the collection of our local museum and found that the little black tufts were what is known as the ‘“ bastard wing ” in birds, and which correspond to the thumb on our own hands, and the claws on the wings of the Hoatzin. , 130 Timehri. Hawks arecommon on the coastlands, but the majority are of five or six species. By far the most common of these different hawks, however, is the snail-eating Rostrhamus sociabilis. It is a distinctive bird, and can hardly be mistaken ; it isa dark slate colour, andin flight shows a broad white band at the base of its tail, the legs being a bright orange-yellow. One of its characteristics is its very hooked bill, and it must be of great use to it in extracting snails from their shells, for snails seem to be its sole food, I have seen a collection of a few dozen snail shells at the base of a telephone post which was a favourite resting place for these hawks on a sugar estate where there was no other perch for many yards around. These hawks abound on the pastures of the coastlands, and it is notice- able that none of the smaller birds seem to fear them, while they themselves go unmolested even by the pugnacious kiskadee—indeed sociabilis seems to be a very appropriate name ! The common Chima-chima hawks, Milvago chima-chima, on the other hand, do not seem to be welcomed anywhere, and kiskadees never lose an opportunity of attacking them, while even swallows join in. But perhaps there is a good reason for this at least so I concluded after witnessing the following incident. It occurred about 3 o'clock one afternoon while walking along the railway line between Golden Grove and Belfield on the East Coast. It was the noise of the kiskadees that first attracted me, for they were. shouting iu that excited manner which they do when attacking some- thing, and in a courida tree a short distance away I found their objective, Suspended in the usual manner from the end of a branch was a yellow plantain bird’s nest, and hanging on to the nest by its claws, almost in an upside down position, was a chima-chima hawk. The hawk had apparently a few minutes earlier attacked the nest, with the object of obtaining the young birds or the eggs it contained, and when I arrived on the scene it was then being vigorously attacked by several birds—kiskadees, swallows and yellow plantain birds, the latter un- doubtedly the owners of the nest. In spite of this sharp attack the hawk held on for several minutes, and during periods of a few seconds when the attack subsided from time to time, it made an effort to get at the contents of the nest. After about tive minutes of this it let go the nest end flew away, followed by several of the birds vigorously attacking it. Just before the first chima-chima took flight, another one arrived in the tree though when the first one took flight this one also made off, but the birds had already commenced to attack it. There is, however, another side to the chima-chima’s character—sometimes he is decidedly beneficial. Last August there was an outbreak of the Coconut Butterfly (Brassolis sophorae L.)in a certain district in Georgetown, and many of the palms were a most completely defoliated. Suddenly one day, after the attack had been in progress for several weeks, a number ofjchima-chima hawks turned up in the locality, and their cries could be heard incessantly. It was unusual to have such a number of these birds in the locality sol made observations as to what they were after. It was not a difficult a eee —$$_—_— ——— % Feathered Friendships. 131 — undertaking ; as many of them were seen feeding on both the caterpillars and chrysalids of the butterfly. The hawks had apparently only then got the news, but they turned out in good numbers to the feast, and in a few days they were gone again. I will not go so far as to say that these hawks stopped an attack of this pest, which looked as ifit might spread over the entire city, but it can safely be said that they accounted for a large number. It sometimes happens that one runs across peculiar little incidents in bird life, and one such incident which I witnessed a few months ago was a contest between two hawks. About six o'clock one evening in the Botanic Gardens while going along the central avenue, I noticed a large hawk across the trench on the southern side of the avenue, and as it ap- peared to be Urubitinga, a bird I had seldom seen in the Gardens, I stopped to look at it. Atthe time it was feeding on something it had on the grass but what it was I was unable to see, and immediately the bird observed me it stopped. After a few minutes it made an attempt to fly off with its prey, but dropped it, and continued its flight to a lilac tree nearby ; but I could then see that the prey was small and looked as if it might be a bird or rat. After the hawk had settled in the tree it emitted a weird cry, a sort of plaintive note, and somewhat like the sound made by the whistles attached to children’s rubber balloons. While I watched to see what would next happen, there was sudden flash of something, and asmall hawk not half its size swooped down at it, but missing its mark rose to a higher branch on the same tree. Then there was a little manceuvring for places. First the Urwbitingua went up a bit higher, then the small hawk; this was repeated two or three times. I now got a chance to observe the small hawk—it was about 12 inches long, of a dull smoke-grey colour with two white bars on its tail, while its legs were a bright salmon-pink. After afew minutes of this waiting, and two further unsuccessful attempts at the Urubitingua, the small hawk flew up to a Saman tree which adjoined the lilac, flapping its wings most audibly as if to let its opponent know it was leaving. The ruse was successful, for the Urubitingua, which up to the present had been facing its opponent and keeping watch, now began to get careless, turning its back and seeking to descend. Like a flash came another attempt at the Urubitingua, but again it was unsuccessful, and the small hawk made off to another tree, but still nearby. For several minutes nothing further happened and gradually the Urubitingua descended, and when quite near the ground another attack was made on it. This time after missing the Urubitingua the smal] hawk was less swift in his flight, and flew to another tree a little further away, making a conspicuous mark as it went. The Urubi- tingua then descended to a small tree about six feet above the ground, when still another attack was made onit. The Urubitingua now came to earth about the spot where it had been when first disturbed by my presence and commenced looking for the morsel it had dropped. Very carefully it searched over the ground, walking somewhat awkwardly ; this it con- tinued for several minutes. Then there was a most violent attack by the 132 3 Timehri. small hawk, and this time it came so near its mark that the Urubitingua was obliged to lower itself almost to the ground to escape its talons, at the same time scrambling away ; but for this manceuvre the Urubitingua would have been struck. This apparently was too close a shave for the Urubitingua, and it flew up to a small tree nearby, again uttering its plaintive cry. It continued to move about amongst the small trees for some time after, but the light by then had almost gone, and further ob- servations were impossible, so I left, with a regret that I could not see a more decisive termination of the episode. A few days later I identified the small hawk, it was Ictinia plumbea, and it was the first record I had of it from the Botanic Gardens. The name “‘ Grass Bird,” like that of Kiskadee, is popularly applied to several small birds, but all of them Finches, the majority of which are kept as cage-birds on account of their songs. The best known of these grass birds are the yellow grass bird or ‘‘ canary,” Sycalis arvensis, the lesser grass bird, S. minor, the chestnut-breasted, Sporophila castanei- veniris, more often called the ‘‘blue-back,” and the little red-browu Sporophila minuta. The ‘‘black and white” or ring-necked grass bird, S, uneata, is not so common, while his first cousin, ‘‘ the moustache” finch, S, loneola, is usually much sought after as a cage bird. The most peculiar of all our small finches is the little black finch, or “ Beezing,” Volatini jacarmi, as it is sometimes called locally. He is quite a small ehap, hardly more than a couple of inches long, and of a shining raven- black colour ; but it is his antics that are attractive. Sitting on the top of some shrub he will suddenly rise almost perpendicularly from his perch a couple of feet into the air, then, with a rapid sort of half somer- sault almost on the exact spot from which he rose, at the same time uttering the explosive little note from which he gets his creole name ‘‘Beezing.” Very different both in size and note is the ‘ Twa-twa,” Oryzoborus crassirostris, for he is quite double the size of the latter, though of the same colour, and this with his powerful bill has suggested the name of ‘‘ black silver-billed grosbeak” ; while the magnificent song of ~ the males make them much sought after and prized as cage-birds. An interesting group of birds are the Bunyahs or Mocking Birds, which with the Tropials, Zcterus spp., the Caduris, /cterus chrysocephalus, the Yellow-headed reed bird, Agelacvs icterocephalus, the Corn bird, or Rudder-tail, Hologuiscalus Inguteris, the Yellow-plantain bird, Jcierus canthornus, and our Robin, Liestes guiananensis, belong to the great family of tropical orioles. The Yellow-plantain can often be seen about towns, and is often kept as a cage-bird as also may occasionally the Tropials and the Caduris. The black Corn-bird or boat-tail is a striking bird, and its metallic black colouring and pale green eyes contrast well. These birds move about in flocks, and recently I have observed a flock of some forty of these birds about New Amsterdam, Every afternoon about six o'clock they can be found collected on a mango tree in the yard of the Municipal stables, where they keep up an incessant whistling until it becomes dark, The birds apparently remain here during the night, for in the morning, Feathered Friendships. 133 about six o’clock too, when it has become light, they may again be heard in chorus just before they start out for the day. If one cares to watch for them they may be seen every afternoon between 5.30 and 6, flying across the town on their way home; they first rest on the roofs of some houses in the vicinity of their tree and then go over toit. When in flight the centre tail feathers droop, forming a V-shaped tail, which from the side has the appearance of a sort of rudder, and itis from this feature that they have derived the name of ‘“‘boat-tails” or ‘ rudder-tails.” Robins may often be seen about the pastures of the coastlands, the beautiful scarlet-brested male doing stunts for the ladies of his harem. He will rise almost perpendicularly for about fifteen feet, then half closing his wings swoop down with a great rush, at the same time uttering a long shrill note. The Mocking-birds or Bunyahs are perhaps the most interesting of the group, and much amusement can be obtained by watching a colony of these birds. One does not usually associate mocking-birds with towns, yet a colony of Yellow-backed Mocking-birds, Cassicus persicus, have taken up permanent residence in New Amsterdam and inhabit a large sandbox tree in the compound of the Central Police Station—possibly they feel a greater sense of security there !—and their long nests can be seen suspended from many of the branches, while their peculiar chatter gives one the impres- sion they were carrying ona regular conversation, perhaps somewhat querulous. The common yellow bunyah, Ostinops decwmanus, is more often seen about the coastlands than the other species, while | have on occa- sions seen them in the Botanic Gardens, even in the Nursery, when the mangoes were in fruit. Their long pendant nests, quite three feet in length, may often be seen suspended from the tip of some branch, half-a- dozen or more in one tree, and when these birds select a coconut palm for their building site it assumes a peculiar grotesque appearance with one of the nests dangling, lantern-like, from the tip of each branch. Ostinops is a large and striking bird, about 12 inches long and its green- ish yellow tail-feathers and bill go well with the bright chocolate brown of the rest of its body. However, by far the most interesting character- istic of Ostinops is the contortions of the males while singing. In the distance one will hear the peculiar cry of the bird—hru-r-r-r-r-r-r !— starting ona high note and gradually descending, at the same time slack- ening in speed, rather like the running down of an alarm clock, though of course in a much shriller tone, and when one comes upon him he will usually be found perched upon one of the highest branches of some tall tree carrying on his antics. On the uttering of the first note he throws his head forward, and with his body gradually describing an arc, at the same time spreading his tail and lifting his wings high above his back, swings under his perch, then with a vigorous flapping of his wings utters a last explosive note and returns to his original position. The little Beezing may perform and the Robin do stunts, but one must witness a dis- play by Ostinops to see one of the highest developments in bird-stunting, PROGRESS ? By EpGar Beckett, F.L.S. It is due to The Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society that progress has been made in many directions. We must never forget that it was this Society which introduced into the colony the first Agricultural Chemist, Dr. Shier. It is this Society which suggested the formation of a Botanic Station. There is agreat and mighty leap between the intro- duction of the first agricultural chemist and the agricultural and geologi- eal work of Professor Harrison. The suggestion that the wild ‘‘ Bush” containing the remnants of an old “‘ Middle Walk” dam marked by majestic Erythrinas, might be converted into a Botanic Station, we may be confident, never conjured up anything so beautiful as our present Botanic Gardens. The Committees of various kinds formed by The Agricultural and Commercial Society became incourse of time, so swollen with importance, that, at last they have burst out into such highly technical and scientific bodies, as The Board of Agriculture and The Chamber of Commerce. It was due to the work done by the splendid men the Society boast- ed as Curators of the Museum, we need but mention the names of im Thurn and Quelch, that scientific light was thrown upon our animal and insect life, until, to-day, we have not only a Museum in our midst, which is an institution of historical interest that we can be proud of, but we have a Government Biological Officer of the Department of Science and Agriculture, with a staff of assistants anda collection of his own, in a finely-appointed laboratory—a collection growing more in importance every day, and one which will be invaluable to future students of biology. It is to the Society’s discussions on sugar that, on the discovery of the fact by Professor Harrison and Mr. Bovell, that sugar cane could be propagated by means of seed, the question was taken up by Jenman, Ward and others, until to-day we have Professor Harrison’s experiments and his enormous work on seedlings at the disposal of the Sugar World. A ‘little leaven leaveneth the whole lump,” and though we have not yet altogether been quite successful in substituting mechanical for hand ~ Jabour in our staple industry, yet that we have made progress, the well- equipped factories, which the colony now boasts of, is ‘a proof. It is true our mechanical tillage problem is not altogether solved, but our leading planters are still experimenting and the spirit is there. No longer are schemes “‘ turned down” as in the bad old days. On the contrary many are keenly alive to the possibilities that exist. Often it has been thought that our progress in this direction has been very feeble, but we have to remember that all these schemes involve heavy expenditure, and it is the careful and cautious man who eventually wins through. ete ttrmmemn, aa ser ee — ° a - z Progress ? “i 135 In British Guiana the problems to be faced by planter and farmer are not simple. Itis a country where, in spite of the fertility of our alluvial clays, man brings forth the fruit of the earth, truly by the sweat of his brow. We find considerable progress has been made in connexion with in- sect and fungoid pests. At one time the ordinary planter took not the slightest interest in matters of this sort, and the attitude was often one of oftence, if the subject were broached. Nowadays, not only do we find trained entomologists employed on sugar estates, but managers and over- seers are for the most part keenly alive to the importance of such work and willingly give the technical or scientific man what help he requires. We find the Planters’ Association, with the leading members of the profession taking the keenest interest in seedling cane experiments, so much so that now the planters possess their own extensive station, witn Professor Har- rison as chairman of the Committee, and with a highly trained scientist of repute—Professor Crabtree—in charge of this, and other sub-stations, | which are to be established throughout various parts of the colony. The Government Experiment Station will still continue. With Mr. Crabtree starting with all the work done by Professor Harrison—work only those who understand it can ap preciate—it will be seen that scientific breeding of canes will, in course of time, in this colony, be far in advance of most tropical countries. The negative given to many schemes by persons in high authority has often been put down to want of initiative and progress. Time has proved that, in many cases, this attitude has been one arising from cau- tion and well-balanced business ability. We often hear that our forests abound with palms furnishing vege- table oils, that the other numerous forest products which could be exploit- ed are neglected through want of enterprise. Many readers may be surprised to learn that experiments of various kinds have, from time to time, been carried out in connexion with various forest industries, when proof has not been wanting to show that, with the present labour force available, it. would not be a business proposition to embark on such schemes. ‘‘ Wild cat” schemes must not be confounded with sober, busi- ness propositions. In this colony there are numbers of industries that could be worked at a profit, if the labour supply was available. The want of labour and the high prices that have to be paid to attract Jabour into our forests, must be considered by any practical man, before he identifies himself with any elaborate scheme. We have to our credit the work done by Sprostons’ Limited, in connec- tion with our greenheart industry, The difficulties which this firm, and others engaged in this forest industry, have met and overcome, can only be realised by those who know something of a business of this nature. The balata companies have also much to their credit in their winning of this latex from the distant interior. 186 Timehr2. We find in matters of an agricultural nature that the spirit of co- operation is becoming spread amongst our farming class. True, it is only a beginning, but it is there. The satisfactory work being carried on by the Loan Banks, of which Mr. Luke M. Hill may be said to have been the ploneer, points to what can be done if co-operation of this sort is guided wisely and is under sympathetic management. If we allow for circumstances, fluctuations in market prices, want of labour, etc., we do not think we need be ashamed of the results achieved. Our principal agricultural industries consist of sugar, rice, coconuts, limes, coftee, rubber, cacao and provisions, while our export tables still show that we export sugar, rum, molasses, rice, balata, coconuts, citrate of lime, concentrated and raw lime juice, distilled oil of limes, gold, diamonds, coconut oil, coffee, cattle, charcoal, timber and firewood. When one remembers how the importance of these is hampered by want of population, the history of the colonization scheme makes somewhat sad reading, The most important industry is, of course, our staple—sugar. The fact that over 30 per cent. of our wage-earners are directly connected with this industry, while over 50 per cent. of our population is indirectly connected, gives one some idea as to how dependent the whole colony is upon sugar. The enormous amount of capital invested in the sugar indus- try proves that proprietors have never been backward in doing their . share to develop the colony. Unfortunately, sugar cultivation demands a large supply of reliable labour. Had there existed an available labour supply, our acreage returns in connection with this crop would have shown very different reading from what is actually the case. With the cessation of immigration, the sugar industry, unless cane-farming is taken up by peasant proprietors, cannot expand. The seriousness of the situa- tion will soon force itself upon the whole community. We are told by Professor Harrison that, given an ample supply of labour, the returns from the empoldered areas of the present sugar estates could be increased to 228,000 tons per annum. This authority further points out that, exclusive of empoldered areas on sugar estates, and those areas already under crops other than sugar, there remains 467,000 acres available for the extension of sugar cultivation ; it certainly seems appal- ling that more has not been done towards populating this country. Acsord- ing to Professor Harrison’s figures we should be producing 1,000,000 tons of sugar per annum. Our output in 1917 was 114,000 tons exported, from an area of 77,828 acres. Sugar then has not been able to make further progress in the way of expansion of area owing to the want of an adequate labour force. This labour force, however, has not been idle, for we have but to turn to the splendid strides made by the rice industry—strides made without help of any kind—to see what progress has been made by this industry. Rice, in- troduced into this colony about 1740, was grown chiefly by runaway slaves or ‘“‘ bush negroes,” and it is well known that the expeditions sent to cap- Progress ? 137 ture these slaves and destroy their strongholds, iavariably destroyed their rice and provisions. We have most of us read of the expedition up the Mahaicony in 1810, where the quantity of rice grown by these unfortu- nate runaways was reported to be considerable, and explicit instructions were given that it should all be destroyed; one hundred and seven years after this date, we find 63,580 acres under rice, yielding a sufficiency for our own needs and anexport of 32,182,000 lbs, In the early eighties we ~ used to import rice to the amount of some 40,000,000 lbs. per annum. When schemes of irrigation and drainage are established (and we would here point out that no irrigation scheme can be considered as such without its complement, drainage, since saturation is not irrigation) the progress that this industry will make will be such that it ought to prove one of the chief attractions in any scheme of colonisation that may be brought forward. An industry which can grow fiom a couple of thou- sand acres in cultivation in 1884-1888 to some 65,000 acres, entirely un- aided, is one which should appeal to the Government for help. We have a country particularly well-watered, and irrigation schemes are matters of no very great difficulty, and yet the industry is one which is still stamped asa hazard one, since rice-growers depend entirely on the rains from le bon Diew. The “ good God” has, however, placed a bountiful supply in our fresh water creeks and rivers and yet so far as the peasants are con- . cerned we have made no use of this supply, though all sugar estates in the neighbourhood of these rice areas have a most complete water supply. There is no reason why we should not be reaping over 100,000 tons of cleaned rice per annum. Our coastal and some of our river lands, are particularly suited to rice growing. Progress ther on the part of the people ean be claimed in connection with the development of the rice industry. Other industries also during the last decade have come gradually to be recognised. We find that lime growing is now on a commercial scale, one small factory dealing with over 7,500 barrels of fruit in 1920. We refer to the lime factory in Berbice. This crop was converted into eal- cium citrate, concentrated lime juice, essential or distilled oil of limes and lime juice cordial. The recovery account shows an average over the year's working of 15.3 oz. citric acid per gallon of juice of a specific gravity of 1.040. ‘The yield in raw juice was 8,06 gallons per barrel of _ limes, while the yield in essential or distilled oils was as high as 5 lbs. 2 oz. per 100 gallons of raw juice. These figures are particularly good and are valuable, inasmuch as they prove that, in Berbice at any rate, not only can limes be erown but that the recovery in citric acid and oils is higher than that of the lime producing islands in the West Indies. Fortunately there has been no sign of the ‘‘ Wither tip’ disease, due to the fungus Gloeosporiwm limettifolum so far as Berbice is concerned. At some future date we may hear of ‘‘ Berbice Lime Juice Cordial,” being as much a household phrase as Montserrat Lime Juice Cordial. Here then is a new industry gradually taking its place in the history of the colony. Then as to coconuts, though the lack of cultivation and even the simplest care of the palm, whose beauty one would have thought would act 138 Timehri. as a powerful plea for protection, is deplorable indeed, yet there has been an enormous increase in the area under cultivation, viz., from 3,500 acres in 1896 to 23,870 acres in 1918. It is to be hoped that the disgusting habit of treating the stately stems of these palms as resting places for ‘ cut- lasses,” will die out as our young people begin to learn something about vegetable life. With respect to coffee, we find an increase from 700 acres in 1903 to 5,000 in 1917. Cacao shows little increase—the presence of Witch Broom probably has had a great deal to do with this. Para rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) attracted great attention at one time but unfortunately the colony started too late, so that when trees were fit to be exploited, the market had dropped to such au extent as to make this industry a failure. The leaf disease, which ruined the industry in Surinam, likewise gave the finishing touch to what, at one time, was looked upon as being the possible salvation of the colony. There are still some fine estates “ mark- ing time’ and being maintained in the hopes that the market may change and make the industry a paying one. The greatest sympathy should be felt for those who have fought the disease, only to find that the cost of production is higher than the market price in London. The yield of the Hevea trees here compare favourably with that in the East and the quality of the rubber is excellent. - It is true we grow little or no tobacco, but the product made in the Rupununi district by the Makuchi Indians shows what could be done if this district were ‘‘opened up.” From an agricultural point of view, therefore, we can boast of the fact that if our staple crop has stagnated through want of a labour force, on the whole there has been marked pro- gress, which under existing circumstances is something to be thankful for. We may now turn to the question of our health conditions and pro- blems concerning population, that earnestly await solution. Gradually there has been built up in addition to our medical staff, consisting of the Surgeon General and some thirty-five medical officers, a Municipal Medi- cal staff with a Medical Officer of Health, Chief Sanitary Inspector and several sanitary officers, and also a Public Health Department under a Government Medical Officer, with a staff of Sanitary Inspectors—and these work in connexion with the Local Government Board, but are still under the Surgeon General’s control. And indeed we need all the help that these departments and officers can ‘afford. In dealing with health conditions we must treat Georgetown and New Amsterdam as apart from the country districts. With the magnificent climatic conditions which this colony affords, this land of perpetual sunshine, swept by health- giving north-east trades all the year round, itis something approaching a disgrace to read what Dr. K. S, Wise, at one time our Surgeon General, — has to say concerning Georgetown. ‘‘ The midden pits,” he says, “are repulsive and hardly approachable, the night-soil remaining open to the air in a semi-fluid state; they are the hunting ground of rats and the breeding places of flies and other vermin, The rise of ground water in Progress ? 139 wet weather brings all the foul gases to the surface, polluting the atmos- phere ; and ultimately it drifts the contents of the midden-pits out on the surface of the premises, where it floats, settles and finally dries. The cess tanks are perhaps not so obvious, but equally insanitary and danger- ous. These tanks are constructed so that one side or bottom is knocked away and the ground water has free access to the accumulation of sewage. This sewage mixes freely with the sub-soil water throughout the length and breadth of Georgetown, and it is no exaggeration to repeat that the city veritably floats on sewage.” We need not quote more. If the attempts at the erection of a few septic tanks here and there are considered to mark some progress, well then progress has been made but it seems to us that unless the sewage question is faced by the Munici- pal Authorities, that we can expect nothing else but that filth-borne diseases should abound, and enteric become every year a still more dread- ful menace to the population. Children are but a reflection of their parents. We turn to our schools and what do we findin Georgetown? Dr, Rose, the Government Bacteriologist,in a report furnished the Government in 1918, tells us in absolutely plain English. Cut of 882 schoolchildren found to be infested with intestinal parasites, no less than 865 suffered from certain protozoa which can only be contracted by swallowing the germs contained in hwman excrement and in no other way. [Report on the Condition of the Colony during the War, by Hon. Cecil Clementi, C.M.G., M.A, (Oxon.)] In one small school examined, of 100 children, 5 had had typhoid, while 5 gave histories of typhoid in their families. Dr. Rose found the children dirty, nay, six per cent. actually verminous, and 49.1 per cent. suffering from skin diseases. This furnishes a fitting proof of the filthy and uncleanly habits of the unfortunate children’s parents. The extent of filaria that is present in the city of Georgetown is appalling. Indeed one medical man told the writer he believed that 90 per cent. of the population of George- town was infected in one way or the other. And yet the winged messen- gers of death—the culex fatigans (to retain its old name) and the anopheles —the filarial-carrying mosquito and the malarial mosquito, respectively, are allowed to breed and ‘‘carry on” in their own sweet way. It is horrible to paint the picture of the health conditions of the city of Georgetown. If a snake appears in a garden in Georgetown (and they are always harm- less species that are seen in the town) the alarm of mistress and maid is great ; if a jaguar oras this animal is termed locally “tiger,” is seen in either of our towns, the excitement and alarm must be witnessed to be understood. But mosquitoes ! they are taken as a matter of course ! They do not appear to cause any alarm—and yet they are bringing death with them, far surer and far more widespread than all the damage done by tigers or snakes ever since British Guiana has been known. Dr. Rose examined some 3,800 children, and one can easily imagine that should he examine the whole population of Georgetown, his report would be a revelation of the true condition of affairs With regard to filaria, we find Dalton in his History of British Guiana, 1855, stating that: “ Rose is an inflammatory 140 Temehrr. affection of the lymphatic vessels, which frequently attacks creoles and others of this colony. It occasions pain, redness, and swelling on tbe arms and legs, and occurs like erysipelas after wounds, bites and other injuries. If neglected, it leads to that formidable disorder of the tropics known as elephantiasis” . . . . and he refers his readers to an essay on this subject by Hicaele which appeared in the ‘“ Lancet” of October 24th and November 7th, 1846. It will be seen, therefore, that filaria has been long with us and has, as time has gone on, and our city and town allowed to become overcrowded, developed by means of the mosquito to an alarming extent. Dr. Dalton points out that the colony was free from stone in the bladder, and affections of the kidney, he declared, were rare, including Brights. ‘‘ Diabetes,” he states, ‘so frequent in England has never been met with here to my knowledge.” He also refers to the absence of goitre, scrofula, gout and syphilitic affections!! Disease amongst the troops appear, in those distant days, to have been brought on mainly by intemperance. The ratio of deaths amongst the white troops was about 8 per cent. The mortality amongst the slave population of all ages was 3 per cent. from 1816 to 1832. To quote Dr. Dalton again. He says: ‘‘ Phthisis is a disease which rarely originates in an individual born and reared in British Guiana. By a reference to the hospital reports it will be“iound that the majority of persons admitted to that institution on account of this disease were born out of the colony; and even of those born in the colony, many will be found to have contracted the disease in other climates. It has been denied by Dr. Hancock that such a disease as tubercular phthisis was ever generated on the coasts of Guiana. The climate (the doctor adds), I may say, is not only prophylactic, but cura- tive of this disorder (pulmonary consumption) of which I have known various instances.” After quoting Dr. Hancock, Dr. Dalton continues: “As regards immunity from phthisis, there is, therefore, a prominent advantage possessed by the inhabitants of this country, especially when we reflect that in Great Britain about one-fifth of the whole annual mortality is ascribable to that fatal malady alone.” He points out that pleurisy, pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma are commonly met with in the colony, but that such inflammations are seldom of a very acute form, and if early and promptly treated, are rarely fatal. He points out that the creole labourers are not so liable to such attacks as are the immigrants from India, Africa and Madeira. What has happened in connection with this disease ? We find the Surgeon General writing in 1915 that tuberculosis is ‘‘ most prevalent and most fatal in the city of Georgetown and town of New Amster- dam,” ani he adds further, ‘‘ every estate, village and small hamlet also records deaths from this disease.” Contrast this with Dr. Hancock’s statement in 1846, that ‘‘he never met with an instance of genuine Progress ? 141 tubercular phthisis.” We have thus allowed this Great Wite Scourge to gradually creep in, until in 1915, the awful words of the Surgeon General, quoted above, reveal the present ‘condition of affairs. Again take malaria. The question, as Dr. Wise truly states, is not only one of health, it is an economic question, since malaria has so sapped the community as to make it inefficient, physically unfit, and subnormal in every respect, The damning indictment Dr. Wise drew up against inalaria in 1919 should still be fresh in our minds. The ruthless part played by this disease he shows us in the most forceful language. ‘‘ The crucial danger of malaria is usually unseen—a rapid and extensive destruction of the blood, ultimately a deadly anaemia.” Fever is ‘ the outward and visible effect of an inward dangerous change.” He continues: “‘ Repeated attacks in successive periods merely multiply the damage. At first only microscopic, the changes become plain to the naked eye, later symptoms of physical distress arise, calling for medical care and attention. Alas! too late for any remedy, structural changes have occurred, which nothing can alter, for all life these disabilities are fixed. What pathetic confidence then in a doctor’s mixture a bottle of which is expected to undo the results of weeks, months or even years of sickness and neglect.” A pathetic picture cedcod ! Grief-stricken relatives, postponing because of the slenderness of their purse the calling in of the doctor. The receipt ofa prescription, the delay at the chemists, often the difficulty of getting the ready money to pay both doctor and chemist, at last, after hours of worry, the bottle and powder are brought triumphantly home— to cure the patient !! “Recurrent attacks of fever,” says Dr, Wise, ‘“ especially in early life gradually erode and distort the active parts until the organs can no longer support even the facile, sheltered life of the tropics, until patheti- cally early in life mental activity becomes dull and slow, muscular action inert and effortless, while a feeling of handicap and injustice tends to resentment and dissatisfaction.” Are we not all familiar with that resentful, sullen attitude? But do we always attribute it to the right cause? Malaria unfortunately does not wipe out the unfit, it is not a case of the survival of the fittest, It allows its victim to crawl] through life until, to quote Wise again—“‘ a slight chill becomes double pneumonia, a catarrh becomes gangrenous dysentery, a scratch an intractable ulcer, while congested kidneys go on to Bright’s disease and death,” “In truth,” to further quote Wise, ‘‘a reed shaken by the wind to whom the slightest change becomes unfavourable weather. .... . The excessive mortality is not the effect of changing weather on healthy people, it is the eftect of changing weather on a people whose resistance to disease has been destroyed, whose physical stamina has been under- mined, whose vital organs are damaged beyond repair, in fact, on a people saturated with malaria.” ‘ Bathed in malaria and saturated with its 142 Tumehr2. poison the people are handicapped at birth, live an infancy and childhood with a millstone round their neck, while those who survive resent an influence they do not understand.” To us the tragedy of it all lies in the fact that Dr. Wise, and other eminent doctors in our midst, have from time to time shewn how the disease may be controlled. It is not that our medical men have been callous—far from it. We have only to point to the work done by Dr. Rowland, Dr. Ozzard, Dr. Ferguson, Dr. Kennard and numbers of others. And yet the appalling fact remains that, so far from having successiully combated preventible diseases such as malaria and filaria, these diseases are gaining such an ascendancy as to call forth so terrifying an indictment as furnished by Dr. Wise a few shoré years ago. Is this progress? We think not, We know that to tackle the problem of our health conditions is an enormous one—but we know also that the question of our keeping out ‘the Atlantic was a gigantic one, but it was faced, because it was obvious that unless the mighty ocean were kept out we should have been washed away. Itis equally important to sweep malaria away from our midst, to control such diseases as filaria, tubercular consumption, &c., it is not the slightest use playing with the question. Our vital statistics, if we get an epidemic of influenza, or any other disease, become so appallingly bad that one is alarmed at quoting them. The effect of the 1918 influenza epidemic would startle the most in- different, into shocked amazement, at the damage that can be done to a people weakened and tormented by malaria, We are not yet “ past all surgery’ and the priceless gift of good health, if we were to control mosquito-borne diseases, and if we should remedy our sewage and drink- ing water supply systems and prevent overcrowding in our towns, would yet once more be ours. We cannot emphasise too strongly the fact that it is not our climate that is the responsible agent for the lamentable state of health and sanitary conditions. If our people have made the progress that they have under such conditions as we know o!, we can justly imagine that, were these condi- tions removed, we should hear little of stagnation anywhere. Disgust and dismay faces one when one realises that in most of our villages there is no water supply for drinking purposes. A few barrels, empty receptacles and old Dutch jars are kept, the water in the rainy season being conducted by an old piece of tin gutter, from the roofs of the thatched cottages. These abominable receptacles are veritable death traps, forming as they do admirable breeding places for mosquitoes. When the dry weather comes this small storage of water supply is soon used. The canals are then resorted to. These are never, at any time, fit for drinking purposes and in dry seasons they are still more filthy and unfit. The partial success attending our artesian wells should encourage the authorities to continue sinking these. Before the well at Lichfield on the West Coast of Berbice was drilled, the villagers in and around this ~ LEE A NLR 5 ea pat no a Progress ? 143 district used to walk from the public road to the Abary river for their supply. All manner of utensils were employed and whole families would set out in the early hours just before the break of dawn. Hence it can be seen that in places where there is no well, the fate of our peasantry in dry weather is far from pleasant. The nasty trench water is responsible for numerous deaths from intestinal troubles. And yet we have extended our artesian wells so slowly that from 1915 to the present date, we doubt whether we have fifty wells throughout the whole of our coastal fringe. On our sugar estates conditions are different. Here money has been spent and ankylostomiasis, at least, has been controlled. Our sugar estates are, however, severely handicapped by constant re-infection from villages contiguous. Here then is the picture: Georgetown with a drinking water supply collected in vats from polluted house-tops and no sewage system, is ‘‘ floating on sewage,’ and so over-crowded that tubercular consumption in this sunny city has become “‘ most prevalent”; our school children are dirty and diseased, chiefly through a defective sewage system. Malaria and filaria have so riddled ovr population that still-births, infantile mortality and defective nutrition, stare at us in figures of the most horrible dimen- sions. General neglect of children is seen on all sides. In our country districts, though filaria is not so prevalent as in our towns, we have the malignant hand of malaria gripping slowly but surely the life out of our people, its ravages can be _ proved by the Surgeon General’s figures. The anopheles is allowed to reign supreme in most of our country districts) The water supply is putrid and in certain seasons the difficulty of vetting sufficient for cook- ing or drinking purposes must be seen to be realised—under such cir- cumstances how can our people, at times of drought, keep their bodies sweet and clean? Ankylostomiasis (thanks to the International Health Commission of the Rockefeller Foundation’s good work at alleviation, and even eradication, has been done in various country districts) is found in some 50% of our village people. Baby-Saving Leagues and Tuberculosis Societies with a few thousand dollars at their disposal, mainly collected from various charitable people, are mere palliatives, and though these are doing excellent work, thanks to brave-hearted ladies and men, yet ey are but cloaking the real problem we have to face. A country’s progress may often be gauged by its work in the extension of railways and roads. We have established a cattle trail to the Rupununi savannahs, connected the Pomeroon with the Coast, and opened up old roads on the Berbice and the Demerara rivers. Nothing to boast of, but still something. The possibilities of communicating with the Rupununi district by motor are within sight. ‘ We must confess at feeling disappointed at the little that has been accomplished in connexion with road extension, in these days of motor 144 Timehri. traffic. We should feel more hopeful too, were we to witness the starting of the bridging of the Berbice river and so connect the Skeldon District direct with Georgetown. Educational matters like that of sanitation open a very large ques- tion. We are in deep sympathy with our schoolmasters, but we should like to hear less of their grievances and something more about the children who were being educated: After all the word education is not derived from educere to “ lead out,” but from educare, to “rear, to bring up.” How are we bringing up and rearing our children? It is true that a large sum of money is spent annually on education, but do we get value for this expenditure ? It seems to us that our children are not being educated atall. We are not teaching them ‘‘to behave as they do not behave,” even if we are ‘‘ teaching them to know what they do not know.” Bodily, we do not seem to attempt to educate our children, few of our schools have play- grounds attached to them where decent, manly English games might be taught. A wild, disorderly “scuffling”’ and bullying seems to take the place of games. The attitude assumed is the ‘‘ 1am as good as anyone else” air. The rude retort, the ready le, the filthy word are all in evidence. Thrashed unmercifully in the poor paltry places that serve for home, half-starved and manacled by malaria, they grow up from childhood to manhood and quickly and selfishly seize upon pleasure as their god. The idea of duty is non-existent, it is a scramble to get the most for himself or herself, Naturally they turn to sexual matters and give oe up to unchaste delights as only the undisciplined can, Severely handicapped they also are by the pernicious habit of their parents (who themselves give rein to their passions) of sacrificing almost anything to keep up appearances. Few realize how many are doomed to perpetual bickerings and unhappiness through this habit. The younger generation, with its smattering of knowledge gleaned at our various — schools, is coxy and conceited ; with, what Mr. Macdorald Aiken termed, an ‘‘expensive taste in haberdashery” which may be good for trade but certainly not for their morals. We should have more hope for the future of our poorer classes if our schools were less ambitious ; all of our children should be taught to write well and read intelligently and count correctly —after these accomplishments we should like to see more attention paid to their physical well-being. Industrial and agricultural training on sound lines would be far more useful, both mentally and morally, in teaching children to use their native wit —of which they have an abundance. Too often is perception in childhood blunted and mental growth stunted, by an irresponsible or brutal schoolmaster. The remedy points to spending money on the training of our teachers, and in making some attempt to im- prove the homes of our children. Few realize the unhappy childhood through which so many of our children pass. We should like to see that danger- ous habit of quarrelling considered as deadly attributes of childhood ; lying, selfishness, immodesty and unkindness too often mark the rising Progress ? 145 generation. As our young men grow up, frequently they think more of local politics and poor puerile questions as to the pigment of a man’s skin, than of the things that matter—the weightier matters, Unless then we look to it we shall find that our educational matters will drift from bad to worse. If we could bend the thoughts of our more intelligent young men away from political quackery and rubbish of a like nature, and direct them to discerning the importance of doing their duty in that sphere of life in which they have been placed, we are confident they would be far happier and wealthier. Too busy to worry about such mat- ters the East Indian is amassing wealth. There is, however, a tendency in the young East Indian to mix himself up with local polities. Perhaps one of the most disastrous of recent happenings has been the disestablishment of the Church. It has been argued that if people want religion they must pay for it. One might just as well say that if people want police protection they must pay for it. It is just and equitable that all should be taxed, Hindu, Mohammedan, or what not, to support the religion of the State. Our clergy are our moral police force. In a young colony such as this, religion should be kept up as something sacred, and the priest should be independent of the alms dish for his daily bread. If we are to get true-hearted Englishmen to come out here as ministers of religion we must pay them for their services, since amongst a more or less ignorant mass of people a pauper parson is looked down upor as of no importance in the community, consequently his advice is not considered worth taking, and though other persons in positions which command high salaries may be rogues or may be heartless libertines, they are often treated with far greater respect than the unfortunate clergyman, because they may be blessed with this world’s goods. A wealthy priest may be a paradox, but it is just as paradoxical to find a parson reduced to penury, unable to keep his wife and children as they should be, stricken by mis- fortune and eventually laden with debt, and carping cares forever ham- pering his work, Already there is a tendency to belittle the parson, and if he is brought to penury, this tendency will, at no distant date, stretch into indifferent contempt. We like sturdy John’s remark, in Lorna Doone: ‘‘ For who,” he says, ‘‘ can stick to the church like the man whose father stuck to it before him, and who knows the little ins and the great outs which he must come across,” If we can remedy some of the glaring faults of our educational sys- tem ; if we can introduce a rational colonization scheme; if we can take it asa matter, not only of humanity but of economy, to face boldly,the question of our health conditions and sanitation; if we can see the wis- dom of extending our road communications for motor traffic and even- tually rail, and can link up with the interior; we shall have made such progress that-there will be no necessity to write the word with so large a query after it. At present we are mostly in a fool’s paradise. The outside may appear fair but inwardly if we scratch the surface we find the “ gilt rotten pill.” 146 Timehri.. Many are apt to think that our medical men are prone to overdoing the question of malaria. ‘ He jests at scars that never felt a wound.” We would remind our young men that a man’s greatness does not depend on his station in life or even his “ intellectual capacity,” as Mar- cus Aurelius points out, but ‘‘a man’s true greatness lies in the con- sciousness of an honest purpose in life, founded on a just estimate of himself and everything else, on frequent self-examination, and a steady obedience to the rule which he knows to be right, without troubling him- self, x x x x x x about what others may think or say.” ‘‘ Conceit,” says Ruskin, ‘‘may puff up a man but never prop himup.” A little more of muscular Christianity amongst us would make for progress. We are too prone in this colony to drift along and allow roguery and villainy to reion where it should be whipped out of our path; we tolerate actions that would point to a low public opinion or to no public opinion at all. ‘Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness ; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” Falstaff said many things but none so true as this: ‘ Virtue is of so little regard in these costermonger times that true valour is turned bear- herd.” We have to face our problems; the laissez-faire policy, so typical of this part of the world, has been our curse. ‘‘ Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore So do our minutes hasten to their end.” With respect to our timber resources and beautiful furniture woods, owing probably to the fact that transport is difficult, labour expensive, and most of our trees non-gregarious in habit, we have not made very much progress in this direction, when we bear in mind that in a despatch to Earl Bathurst, dated 22nd June, 1818, the then Governor, Brigadier-Gener- al Murray, called special attention to the importance of our furniture woods and timber trees, and forwarded specimens to England. In short, with- out population our hands are tied. The history of immigration is well known. After emancipation several prominent planters approached Governor Light to permit of-their sending a vessel to the Bahamas to obtain immigrants from the islands, The success of these introductions was doubtful. Apart from introducing a few families of Dutch and Ger- man and even English, most of whom died or went back to Europe, the project was not seriously launched until 1835, when under the “ Colonial Indenture Act,” several thousand labourers were introduced from the islands of Montserrat, Nevis and Barbados. Then we find in 1842 bounties offered on immigrants from Sierra Leone, St, Helena, Kio Janeiro, and the United States and Madeira. Immigrants arrived from the last named place in 1840, 41 and ’42, in considerable numbers, but the mortality amongst them was cruel. We find in 1844 immigrants coming from Calcutta, Madras and Madeira in large quantities. How the Portuguese fared is well known, and in turning from field labour to the keeping of petty shops, they have acquired wealth and independence. hppa, roa Progress ? 147 The importation of Chinese was begun in 1853, for various reasons their introduction proved a failure, so far as field labour was concerned. Those who did not die, like the Portuguese turned to shopkeeping and in time became important merchants. Their descendants have proved themselves law-abiding and most desirable citizens, | With the history of East Indian immigration we are all familiar, both with its advantages and the mistakes that were made. Indentured immigration from India ceased in 1917. From the first introduction of these people in 1838 to the cessation of the system in 1917, Mr. Clementi tells us a total of 238,979 souls were introduced, but at the end of 1918 only 134,670 East Indians were in thecolony. Mr. Clementi points out that 65,538 East Indians were repatriated, leaving us with an Hast Indian population of 38,711 souls less than the number of immigrants introduced ! The decrease in all our immigrants is a deplorable comment on our health conditions. If we intend to introduce a colonisation scheme we are morally bound to pay attention to our health and sanitary problems. There can be no question about that, it is a moral obligation. We cannot introduce people here to die. Our immigration schemes of the past when the census figures are studied prove a damnable indictment against the public health measures of those times. A free immigration system pursued as a colonization scheme is the panacea for our evils. Unless we have cheap communication with the emigrant country from which we are to secure colonists, we shall never get a natural influx of people. Without a steady flow of desirable colonists we can do nothing, we can never progress and all attempts at developing the colony are doomed to dismal failure. The old system of indenture was far removed from colonization and will, of course, never be renewed—and rightly so. We can claim some progress—painful progress—mistakes were abundant but some attempt at peopling an empty land was made, but we are still just as far from colonisation as we were seventy years ago, In conclusion we would say to our young men if they want to help in the progress of this colony they might take to heart the saying of Mr. Deane in George Elliot’s Mill on the Floss. ‘‘ You youngsters nowadays think you are to begin with living well and working easy: you have no notion of running afoot before you can get on horseback,” OCCASIONAL NOTES. eee ee CS ree Dr. William Fraser and Waterton.—In a letter to Sir Benjamin D'Urban, dated 27th September, 1830, Dr. Fraser said :—‘In the year 1820 it so happened, as good fortune would have it, that I met in the Bushy Wilds of the interior of this Colony, with the far famed Mr. Waterton, who at that period was applying his theory of preserving objects of Natural History without the aid of wire, upon strict seientific principles to the actual test of practical experiment, the result of which proved to demonstrate the correctness as well as the efficiency of his speculation as aman of Science. I at once admired the originality, not less than the simplicity and extreme degree of elegance which characterised in ‘a supereminent degree his new improved methods, particularly when brought on a line of comparison with the stiff, formal, unexpressive and caricature performance of those, who like myself, had been taught and practised the whole unscientific mode of mounting pre- served specimens by means of Wires and the still more unscientific “method pursued of attempting to preserve /nsects.” Dr. Fraser offered his collection of birds, etc., for sale, all were mounted on the strict principle of ‘ the celebrated Mr. Waterton’s much approved of method”. J.R. Cattle-farming.—In a paper in this number it is mentioned that upon the abandonment of cotton-growing on Pln. Northbrook (now Victoria village), ‘‘a few cattle were grazed on the front lands.” It would appear, from other evidence, that the big failure of cotton as a profitable industry, which occurred after 1812, practically gave the start to cattle-farming on the coast, The abandoned cotton-fields provided pasture. A petition to the Court of Policy in 1834 rehearses the facts. Twenty years before (the petitiofiers state) there had been five hundred cultivated estates in Demerara and Essequebo alone; now there were not half that number. In consequence of the abandonment of cotton cultivation, by reason of low prices and the withdrawal of the discriminating duty on foreign cotton imported into Great Britain, upwards of two hundred plantations had been thrown out of cultivation, and many managers (most of them too old to become sugar planters) had been thrown out of employment, Proprietors had sold their slaves, wholly or in part, leaving large districts nearly or wholly depopulated, with the lands which, generally, had cost £5,000 per lot of 500 acres in a state of nature and reduced at least nine- tenthsin value. The petitioners had utilised the abandoned fields, now pasture, for cattle-farming, had sunk wells, etc., and estimated that not less than £250,000 was now invested in the industry. There were upwards of 30,000 cattle in the colony, and meat had fallen in price from 60 cents to 17 cents a pound. They asked that a protective duty be imposed on cattle imported from Spanish America and the Spanish Islands. The Court, agreeing that it was important to foster the in- dustry, put a tax of 36 guilders each on cattle imported from abroad, a Occasional Notes. 149 It may be taken for granted, therefore, that the failure of the old cotton plantations, which on a hot, sultry day in August—“ perfect cotton weather’ —whitened long stretches of the Demerara and Berbice coasts, gave the start to cattle-farming, now an important industry which is pushing its way into the far interior. J. GC. Discovery of the Kareteur Falls, 1870.—The ‘ Marabunta,” the Demerara satirical paper, gave the following verses as a paraphrase on Mr. C. B, Brown’s report :— ‘‘T stood beneath the mighty Kaieteur, Upon a rough and ragged rock, an island In the pool below ; and awe-struck gazed On uature’s noble handiwork. Spell-bound I looked, and looking lost identity, Till I myself seemed swallowed up in chaos, - Alesson on the nothingness of MAN, I trod upon this rock below, with look Uplifted. Wonderingly I saw the waters Seething and roaring in their mad career, Break from restraint to spend their pent-up power In one grand headlong leap, and with a roar Ten thousands cannons make, Bound o’er the sheer descent eight hundred feet, A glistening sheet of flashing splendour, Which e’er it reached its cavern home below Is dashed to myriads of fleecy nothings. While all the colours of the rainbow seemed Reflected back from this bright liquid mirror, A silver curtain sloped in golden sheen Which hung uplifted in eternal fall. Sublime and grand it was beyond all true Conception—beyond all true Description Yor what can describe the indescribable ? Ages shall leave their footprints On time’s record—Empires rise and fall, Kingdoms leave but a name on history’s pave, Science exhaust her store for man’s behoof ; And yet, Oh mighty Fall! resistlessly Thou still shalt roll thy prouder course along, Till all things change to that whence all things came, And THEN, Creator and created meeting The one shall yield which knows no other sway.” The serio-comic aspect is shown in the following :— “In reply to numerous enquiries in regard to charges for families, single persons and pet poodles at the Great Kaieteur Hotel, we beg to refer the writers to the proprietors, whom ‘when found take note of, 150 i Timehre. As to the getting there, there will not be the slightest difficulty in the world, as the vile local newspapers have insinuated. Immediately on the arrival of Sir C,.B. Brown’s telegram announcing his great discovery, His Excellency sent to England for two monster Balloons such as are at present used by France and Prussia. One is for the conveyance of illus- trious strangers and unillustrious colonists to the seat of the Great Fall and the other for use (when not used as a return, or tow balloon) at the Colonial Hospital for the benefit of patients requiring a cold climate.” pigs Saw J. RB. Homage To A Scottish Doctor In. Surinam In 1816.—When the Independence of the Netherlands was restored in 1814 after the fall of Napoleon, a squadron of 4 ships set sail for Surinam on December 21st, 1815, and one ship set sail for St. Eustatius, St. Martin and Curacao, in order to take over the colonies from the English. The Governor General, Willem Benjamin van Panhuys, appointed by King Willem I., was on board one of these ships the ‘ Euridice,’ which arrived off the Suriname River on January 15th, 1816. Butit was February 27th of that year before he took over the Government from the Governor ad interim, Pinson Bonham, and released all the inhabitants from their oath of allegiance to the English Sovereign. Among the military to leave the colony was a Scottish Surgeon, James Sharpe of the 16th Regiment, in the service of his Great Brittanic Majesty. He was born in 1781 in Scotland, in the county of Moray and came to Suriname under English rule (1804-1816) as surgeon to the land troops, where he made -many friends, Hollanders as well as Englishman. On 25th October, 1811, at Paramaribo, he married a Dutch Lady, Sophia Cornelia Maria van der Tuuk, daughter of Jan van der Tuuk, Treasurer of Surinam, and Maria Helena Geertruida van Liesveld, widow of Mr. Meurs, Attorney General, and President of the Court of Justice. The following address, presented to him on his leaving Surinam, is a proof of how highly he was respected. Suriname, 15th March, 1816. Sir,—As a_proof of our friendship and a token of the respect with which we have so long honoured your. character in our community, permit us before you leave this colony of Suriname, to beg you to accept a piece of silver to the value of a hundred guineas ; it will be given into your hand by Messrs. Rundel & Bridge, Jewellers to His Majesty, Ludgate Hill, London. To this token of our respect we add our best wishes for your health and a pleasant voyage with your family to England. We are, Sir, Your true Friends and humble Servants, J. Friderici, Edw. Conolly, H. W. deMey, Nicholas Herbert, John van der Tuuk, Wm. Leckie, John Black, Alexr. Cameron, A. W. White, George Cruden, Adam Cameron. James Sharpe, Esquire, Surgeon to the Land troops. , hear Occasional Notes, 151 A present to the value of £105, in those days no insignificant sum, was truly appreciated by him as can be seen from the following polite reply :— Paramaribo, 16th March, 1816. Sirs,—I have received the kind and friendly presentation with which you have just been pleased to honour me, with the deepest feelings of thankfulness and respect. | Undeserved and surprising as is this proof of your friendship, I accept it in the same frank and friendly manner in which you have presented it to me, I shall always preserve it with pride and gratitude, as a worthy proof of your kindness and generosity. : I heartily wish you all health, happiness and the best of fortune in all your undertakings in this Colony and I have the honour, with thankfulness and respect to be, Gentlemen, Your respected Friend and faithful Servant, Jas. Sharpe, Surgeon to the Troops. To the Gentlemen, Friderici, Edw. Conoliy, H. W. deMey, Nicholas Herbert, John van der Tuuk, Wm. Leckie, John Black, Alexr. Cameron, A. W. White, George Cruden, Adam Cameron. : i Sharpe was afterwards transferred to Demerara, where he died in 1825 at the age of 44. His widow outlived him a long time, and died at the age Of ninety-five in 1887 in Mira, near Venice, where she lived with her sister Werndine, Jacqueline van der Tuuk, who died in Haarlem in 1910 (*) at the age of one hundred and four. She was the widow of an officer of the Hussars, L, A. L. Vemasen, and before that the widow of her brother-in-law, Mr. Charles Francois Mirandolle, member of the Court of Civil Justice in the Colony of Suriname and Military Auditor, who had married her sister Georgine Louise Charlotte Antoinette on 29th September, 1822, She was the oldest inhabitant of Haarlem (Holland). FRED OUuDScHANS DENTz, Paramaribo, February, 1919. - (*) With regard to her death Mr. J, W. Enschede published in the 9th annual book of the Society of Amstelodamun, 1911, the history of her father, under the title of <‘The Emigration of an Amsterdam Merchant in 1808,”—taken from an extract from his diary * A short account of my journey to France and Suriname in the year 1808,” From this it can be seen that he, being strongly pro-English, was speedily promoted to the highest offices in the colony ; his good fortune ceased when the English handed over the Government to van Panhuys, 152 Timehrs. The First Trading Factory in Essequebo.—Much stress has been laid upon Kyk-over-al as the pioneer Dutch trading station in Guiana, but we must look a little closer into the matter before deciding. We find evidence for casual trading with our Indians long before there could have been even block-houses. This trade was precarious for we know that our abori- gines keep no stores of goods for exchange, even when there is an assured market. Something had to be done by the traders to induce them to get enough to make a cargo when the vessel arrived and this required a few traders in one place. Of course the party must have a stock of such tools and trinkets as would be required and some storehouse in which they could be safe. The evidence points to the probable establishment as a trial of such a station on Cartabo Point, where we may say that an Indian village existed. ‘Traders always went to the settlements and we can safely state that the nucleus of a trading factory was the Indian town. On the results of several years’ pioneer work would depend the continuance as well as the expansion of the factory. It would not be in accordance with our know- ledge of the cautious Dutchman to suppose that he went up the Essequebo aud built a fort before there was any assurance of success. On the contrary Kyk-over-al was a natural consequence of an already existent trading factory, of sufficient importance to be secured by a fort that could not be easily burnt or sacked. From the broadest standpoints we can say that, as no other trading factory in Guiana had such a strong fort, no other was of so much importance. Although we have.no records of an early wooden fort at Cartabo Point we can conclude— 1. That Indian trade required a palisaded store-house. 2, That white men were stationed there and provision grounds were cultivated continuously before and after the brick fort was erected. 3. That Cartabo is the oldest historic site in Guiana and the pioneer Dutch trading factory in America. 4. That Kyk-over-al could not have been built in a year or two, nor could it accommodate builders before it was well advanced; here also Cartabo was obviously the residence of the people. concerned and necessarily came first. It may be noted that the West India Company was under considera- tion tor twenty years before it got a Charter and from what we know of other projects we can say that in some cases much was secretly discussed before any project was made known. I told someone a few years ago not to get the idea that a law could be enforced because it appeared in our records, and we may be sure that projects were made and carried out without any official notice. The early history of Essequebo cannot be found, probably the merchants concerned were afraid of competition; even now a business man does not tell what he is doing. Caution is prominent in the Dutch and those who assume that any merchant would suddenly start to build a fort in an unknown river ignore the character of traders generally and the Dutchman in particular. JR. Occasional Notes. 153 | The Indian Town Maburesa, 1596.—Captain Keymis in his list of Guiana rivers calls the Demerara Lemerare and mentions that. there was an Acawoio town named Maburesa. We have a creek named Maboelissa near Dalgin and it is possible that the site of that village may have been occupied in early times by Acawoios for that neighbourhood teems with names in their language. One of the Indian trails that connect with the Berbice River is marked on Berckeyck’s chart and possibly the Indian settlement was the starting point of the trail. We have evidence of regular communication with Berbice at this point in early times. J.R. . Father Cary-EHlwes’ Discovery (see p. 41).—When notice first _ appeared of the fall come across by Fr, Cary-Elwes, letters appeared in the press suggesting it might be one of those spoken of by Carl F. Appun, in ‘‘ Unter den Tropen.” Later some one wrote words to the effect that the Ataburauwena mentioned by Fr. Cary-Elwes may be the same as the Arabarw fall discovered by Appun and described in his book 60 years ago. We have just been through the whole book and comparing it with the Father’s diary we find that the fall spoken of by Mr. Appun is ata distance of 16 days’ journey by land and water from the fall described by the Jesuit Father. Towards the head of the Mazaruni River there is a large tributary on the left bank called the Kamarang, as broad at its mouth as the Maza- runi itself. As far as the Kamarang mouth the two travellers follow practically the same route, but at that point they part company, the priest goes up the Kamarang and after five days actual paddling turns into the Ataburau River, where after two days he comes across the great fall Ataburauwena; the naturalist, on the contrary, does not go up the Kamarang, but continues his way, twenty miles or so further up the Mazaruii, and, after some delay, goes up the Kako, another tributary of the Mazaruni, as big as Kamarang, also on the left bank of the Mazaruni. He goes for two days up the Kako, then turns into the Arabaru, which becoming uunavigable after one day and a half, he lands and_ proceeds on foot, following closely the general direction of the river. Three days walk brings him to the foot of Maringma mountain, down which he had seen the head of Arabaru-—tall some days previously. The distance of this fall from Atabwrawwena as the aeroplane flies is as near as possible 50 miles. From this onwards Mr. Appun followed the ordinary Indian trail to the south-end of Roraima, crossing and re-crossing the Cotinga River on the northern slopes of Weitipu. ‘The same route was followed by Messrs. Anderson and Melville when marking the boundary. After two fruitless attempts at reaching the top of Roraima, Mr. Appun walked through Brazil to the Rupununi savannah, which he joined at the Pirara. Writers have been misled probably by the similarity between the names Ataburauwena and Arabaru. But on analysis we shall find there 154 Timehri. is little or no resemblance. Arabaru, or Ara-paru, as it is usually written, means Ara stream. The fall therefore i is Arawenaor Ara fall which no one could possibly mistake for Ataburavw fall. 3 Other interesting falls are mentioned by Mr. Appun. The Shinakro River he tells us “ falls from a wall 400 feet high and mixes its erystal waters with the yellow waters of the Kako.” Then, two days before reaching the head of Ara river, he goes to see a fall in the Awtaro river, which he tells us is 30 feet broad and 600 feet high, but he could not get to its foot. J.R. [Note By Fr. Cary-ELwEes.—I have been asked to comment on the above. It is quite correct. Ataburauwena, the fall I speak of in my article, is on the northern slopes of Tulameng mountain, about 5° 41’ N. by 61° 1’ W. Avra fall is on the northern side of Maringma, about 5° 15’ N. by 61° 35’ W. Apparently Ara fall cannot be seen from the point where the trail goes up Maringma mountain, for I never saw it, though I have passed that way, and Mr. Appun only saw it several days before reaching the foot of the mountain. From Mr. Appun’s description I fancy it resembles the head of the Cotinga, falling over Roraima, a sheer drop, not of 400 feet, but 2,000 feet, which I say a word about in my article in the next num- ber of the “ Catholic Standard,” and which Barrington Brown mentions in his ‘‘ Canoe and Camp Life in British Guiana.” These kinds of falls are very picturesque, but cannot be classed in the same category as falls like Kaicteur, Ataburau, Muretuik, Kulutuik, &c. The fall Mr. Appun saw in the Autaro river (Afaro as it is correctly spelt in the Government map) is evidently Mazarayeng fall, which I saw four years ago. Only the top can be seen from the trail, but a quarter of an hour’s walk takes you to the foot. [tis worth visiting. It isin a confined spot in the midst of dense forest. | Treaty with Manariwaw.—Referring to Dr. Roth’s article, and Waterton’s statement that the temid Court of Policy was duped by the savage, itis as well to give the following from the Court of Policy Minutes :— On the 29th of October, 1810, the Governor reported to the Court that a Carib Chief named Manariwau had lately arrived, accompanied by a numerous following and offered to sell his Indian prisoners as slaves. This of course could not be allowed and as he had threatened to attack the tribes in the neighbourhood of the plantations and murder the prisoners, if presents were not given, it was necessary to devise some means of satisfying him, as it was well-known that the Caribs hated the other tribes and were ferocious enough to carry out their threats. The Governor did not think it desirable to encourage the Chief and his followers to settle near the estates, nor that their alliance should be courted for internal defence, as their restless dispositions could not but make them yy Oecasional Notes, 155 troublesome neighbours, while the Indians on the back lands were always ready to give what help was really needed. The Chief stated that his nation had formerly been of great use to the Colony ; this certainly was the case when it was lawful to hold Indian slaves, but things were different now when the trade was prohibited. The Court thought it desirable to hear what Manariwau had to say ; he was accordingly sent for and called in. The Chief then entered, accompanied by several of his relations, some musicians and attendants, as well as the interpreter Hendrich Simon, through whom he was informed that it was impossible that he could sell his Indian prisoners in the colony. It was finally agreed between him and the Court thatin the first place he and his people should be given such articles as he had demanded and that similar presents should be made annually at the end of the year when called for; and further that a person should be sent with him to see his nation, so that the articles might be distributed in proportion to the number of the people. In con- sideration for these concessions Manariwau most solemnly promised and pledged himself not to make war upon the Indians residing on the back lands, or connected with the colony, that he would spare the lives of his prisoners and use them as domestic servants, and finally, that he and his people would behave themselves peaceably and amicably towards the whites and those who lived under their protection, expecting in case of his being molested by any of them, such redress from the Government as should justly be due. J. RB. ~Beenas in 1596.—In Keymis’ list of rivers, etc., we find names of poisonous barks; Curari, Carassi, Apareepo, and Parapara, also herbs good against poison: Turara, Cularapama, Wapo, and Macatto, There is no difficulty in identifying Ourari the arrow-poison, and Turara is— Carib for the Arawak Beena (spelt also Toelala) ; 1 should-like to find out what the other six names represent to-day. I presume they are Carib and perhaps Macushi. I should also like to know whether the Beena eult is found outside Guiana. . J. R. British Guiana Proverbs.—Some of the following may possibly be unpublished :— . Monkey knows on what limb to climb. . All fools got their own sense. . Dog burst my liver (an asseveration), Hand go, hand come. . Scornful dog eat dirty pudding. . A hint to Baneeba makes Quasheba limp. . [ll-will speaks no good of himself. } . Cat gone out, rat take over place. . You saucy like chigoe nid. 10, Sue poor fellow and catch a louse. 156 Timehr. 11. Who put out konkontay look for rain. 12. ‘“‘ Never mind.” make Best no got back dam. 13. Niggah forget, bacra remember. 14. One finger can’t catch louse. 15, Satisfied, tell hungry man keep heart. 16. A fool may shut he mattee koker and lef’ he own open. 17. No make one belly-full fool you. 18. Two cents man can’t change half bit silver. 19. What in you belly you own, but not what in you jaw. 20, Love so no do so. (Fable). Crab go back dam and ask deer if water wash. Deer say ‘‘What kind story dis ? You come for carry news? Mr. Welcome come fo’ shoot a’ wee.” “ Tiger say gun man, he come, yes.” ‘Tiyer talking, gun man fire ’pon em, and he holloa for distress. Jaypook say ‘“‘ What me bin tell a you about crab come to carry news.” J.R. De West-Indische Gids.—This magazine is in its second year and is very interesting to the historian. There have been articles on Timehri rocks, the Moravian Brethren, Chinese in Surinam, Immigration, Agricul- ture and Travel all dealt with in an interesting way. Some of the papers make me sorry that I cannot read Dutch. J. R. Mrs. Clementi’s Book.—The account of her trip to Roraima and ascent is valuable as a guide to others who may follow. Few ladies are brave enough to even think of such a journey, which however was fortunately wanting in such incidents as we find in earlier trips. There were no upsets, mouldy flour or ‘‘short commons,” for like one of the old fairy tales its ending was happy. As far as I know there is no other book that will be of the same value as a guide-book. J. R. Schomburgk’s Reisen.—This book (in German) has been a store- house for several writers on British Guiana, including Dalton. It is the best account of the colony we bave and writtenin a pleasant style. I am glad to know that Dr. Roth has translated it into English and that it is beiny published by the Government so that it will no longer be out of our knowledge if we don’t know German. J.R. A Naval Engagement off Barbados.—Many years ago, during the war, a number of French prisoners were confined in the old gaol of Bridgetown, Barbados. This building was in almost hopeless disrepair, and escapes over (and through) its walls were not altogether infrequent. On Tuesday morning, April 30, 1805, three French prisoners, escaping, seized a boat belonging toa brig in the bay and put to sea, Perhaps they were poor seamen or had Jost their bearings or were out of food and Occasional Notes, 157 water, but on the following morning they attempted to pull up a fishing- boat which they discovered in the offing. The Negroes, becoming aware that they were Frenchmen, hove to the boat and waited their approach, and as soon as they were sufficiently near commenced a most vigorous attack upon them with the ballast stones of the boat. The attack did not last long. The Frenchmen were compelled to call for quarter, and were then made prisoners and carried into Speight’s Bay. ‘It was a gallant victory.” The ‘“‘ Barbados Mercury,’ which reports the intelli- gence, adds: “ Although we have not heard that these Negroes have been rewarded for their praiseworthy conduct, we yet feel no doubt but that they will meet with the reward they merit for this very novel Naval vic- tory, which serves as a further proof that Frenchmen cannot, in any way, cope with us at sea !” J. G. C. Mrs. Wxterton’s Grandfather's Boedel.—The following is a very interesting relic of the olden time:—Sales of sundries sold by order of Charles Edmonstone, Esq., in cuality as Executor to the Estate of William Reid, deceased, Demerary, 28th April, 1800. Goods Purchasers Price in Guilders. . 500 acres land in Casseka Creek Ch. Edmonstone 140 500 or » Waratilla Creek J. Bordran 130 1 Coker frame 18 feet long 44 feet broad and 5 ft. high J. Walcott 150 A large punt 33 feet long and 9 feet wide C. N, Bollers 610 10,000 Wallaba Shingles W. Brummell 100 10,000 ditto Ditto 135 10,000 ditto Graft 120 10,000 ditto Bollers 125 10,000 ditto Graft 130 10,000 ditto Bollers 130 15,000 ditto Graft 165 Posts for an under part of a logie, 150 feet long, and 55 wallaba posts, 6 ft. square and 20 feet long, in Waratilla Creek C. Edmonstone 510 15 Wallaba posts, 28 ft. long Schoemaker 55 24 ditto 20 ft. long Edmonstone 100 The lots of land, No, 154, on Labourgade H, Wilson 740 The lott of land, No. 268, on Labourgade T, Cuming 400 1 Negroeman Cesar, his wife Betjy and | her child Fanny Edmonstone 2,000 | Negroeman Booman, his wife Mary and child Nancy Ditto 2,020 1 Negroeman Primo Haseman 910 Pe ditto: Lom Edmonstone 1,150 1 ditto Curry J. Knoop 800 — 158 Goods ditto Aron and his wife Polly ditto Moses ditto Pompi ditto Harry ditto William ditto Jack ditto Prins ditto Toney ditto Dundas ditto Ned ditto Codio ditto Dick ditto King ditto George ditto Neptune and his wife Jenny 1 ditto Gumbij 1 ditto Romio 1 1 fmt ft fed fet fed ft fed fet feet et fel fe fet pet ditto Coffy Negroewoman Hanna and child Kitty 1 Negroeman Philander 1 Negroe girl Mary 1 Negroeman, Hamlet 1 ditto Quasie 1 Mulatto boy Phenix 1 Negro boy, Dick ] ditto Jacob 78 Wallaba Posts 1 Horse A parcel old tools Purchasers Edmonstone T, Cuming J. Knoop Edmonstone Barbary Edmonstone J. Gifford Haseman Hdmonstone — Ditto Knoop Edmonstone Gifford Edmonstone Edmonstone Edmonstone Gifford J. Knoop Edmonstone Wishart Mutz T. Mewburn W, Overweg Florian Reid Bawman Jas, Samey (?) T. Cuming T. Walcott T. Cuming Total Price in Guilders, 2,000 760 1,030 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. Meeting, December 30th, 1919. Hon. Prof, J. B. Harrison, C.M.G., etc., President in the chair. The President expressed his regret at having to announce the death of Mr. John Cunningham, late Vice-President. He had served the Society as President, Honorary Secretary and Director for many years and was of much assistance. He moved a vote of condolence to his — widow which was unanimously carried. The financial statement for 1918 was adopted. On. proceeding to the election of office-bearers for 1920, the Presi- dent proposed His Excellency Sir Wilfred Collet, K.C.M.G., as President, remarking that it was the first time in the history of the Society that a Governor had so closely identified himself with it and he was of opinion that much benefit would be derived. The meeting unanimously agreed with the President and His Excellency having been duly elected the office-bearers for 1920 were also elected. In connection with the Museum and Timehri Committees the President said that as they were not provided for under the By-laws they could be chosen by the Direc- tors if found necessary ; they were therefore excluded. The thanks of the Society were accorded for the Princess Mary’s War Souvenir presented to the Museum. A cordial vote of thanks was given to the retiring President and other officers. Meeting, January 28th, 1920. His Excellency Sir Wilfred Collet, K.C.M.G., President, in the Chair. His Excellency, the President, gave the following address :— Ladies and Gentlemen,—I had great pleasure in accepting the invi- tation to be President of this Society for the year 1920, although I did not realize at the time that this would necessitate my making an inaugu- ral speech. The Society, although styled “ agricultural and commercial,” does not confine itself to agricultural and commercial matters. It is true that there are very few branches of science unconnected with agriculture or commerce but this Society is also the literary society of the colony. In its library there are many works dealing with literature, history, theology and like subjects and the student can in the Society’s building study Paley, Mill, Plato or Aristotle and the Society at its meetings receives addresses delivered on any subject, commercial, agricultural or otherwise. In fact for British Guiana this Society does or endeavours to do what all the learned societies in England endeavour to do for England. | 160 Timehrt. ADDRESSES DurinG 1919. In the year 1919 many members availed themselves of the cessation of hostilities to take long-deferred holidays and for this reason perhaps there have been fewer meetings than there otherwise might have been. Interesting lectures were, however, delivered by Professor W. Beebe, Dr. Nichols, and Col. Davson. Col. Davson’s paper was particularly interest- ing, as we obtained practically at first hand much information which was new tous concerning war-like operations. THE COLONIZATION SCHEME. During the past year, the Society inaugurated the movement known as the Colonization Scheme, with the view to obtain from India and else- where the immigration of families likely to settle permanently in the colony. Considerable work was done in collecting information and statistics, and a delegation went to England to further this object. A portion of that delegation i is now in India and telegrams just received lead me to hope that we shall during the present year receive a shipment of East Indian families. (Hear, hear). INCREASE OF MEMBERSHIP. During the year the membership increased from 491 to 528—the highest total ever reached, Amongst our Directors we have suffered the loss of Messrs, C. Wieting and J. Cunningham and amongst our members of H, H. Laurence and G. Bettencourt. The revenue of the year did not equal the expenditure, there being an excess of expenditure of $12.95. The colonization volume of ‘“ Timehri” has not been sold out and there was a deficit on that account amounting to $208.97. It is hoped that further sales will diminish that deficit. In view of the special nature of this publication and of the fact that many private, persons have sub- scribed to the expenses of the colonization movement, I will myself make up the deficit on this publication. This will leave a small balance on the wrong side of $68.93. The expenditure for books and periodica!s was respectively $607.42 and $455.50. Expenditure in this respect is increased on account of the war. ‘There is some increase in the rents received by the Society. UNCERTAINTY OF THE FUTURE, The whole world is at present in a state of unrest, and although there are daily signs of improvement, it is impossible for anybody to predict with certainty what is likely to be the course of events. The price obtained for sugar is high but on the other hand the cost of pro- ducing it has been steadily increasing. It will be necessary for all persons interested to co-operate in introducing such agricultural methods as will produce the best commercial results. The rice production is at present remunerative but I anticipate that prices will fall and that the rice industry will only be a commercial success if more suitable methods are employed in its production than is the case at present. Coconuts are Proceedings of the Society. 161 likely for a long time to be very remunerative. The export of bauxite is likely to be greatly increased. The colony has this advantage, that all ‘its eggs are not in one basket, and that if there were a set-back in one direction, it would not mean a set-back in the whole colony, NEED OF CO-OPERATION. i Co-operation is more absolutely necessary on the coastlands of British Guiana than almost anywhere else, Works of sea defence, drain- age and irrigation can only be a success where a sufficient number are joined together to make the cost of works not too burdensome for the area cultivated. Itis impossible for any single cultivator to carry on his Operations irrespective of other people. Hach must help the other. In this I believe the society can exercise considerable influence. The society also will be entrusted with the management of any exhibition in which the colony may take part either locally or elsewhere, and the reputation of the colony will, I feel sure, be safe in its hands. In the archives of the society are to be found the record of notable things that have from time to time been done by persons whose names survive in connection with their work although they themselves have passed away and I doubt not that in future years there will be occurrences equally worthy of record accounts of which will be accessible in the Library of this Society for the instruction of a later generation. I wish the Society every prosperity during the term of my presi- _deney. (Applause). The financial statement for 1919 was laid over to be audited. A Government letter was read conveying the thanks of H.M. the King and the R.H. the Secretary of State for bound copies of the Colo- nization Volume of “ Timehri.” | A recommendation from Mr. U. R. White that Dr. Nunan be elected an Honorary member was referred to the Directors. A Government letter asking the views of the Society on a British Parliamentary paper on British and Foreign Legal Procedure was left over for consideration. Meeting held April 19th, 1920. His Excellency Sir Wilfred Collet, K.C.M.G., President, in the chair. Dr. J. J. Nunan was proposed by the Directors as an Honorary Member. The Secretary reported that the Directors proposed that in order to raise funds sufficient to increase the salaries of the staff on the scale recently granted to Government servants, members of the Society be cir- cularised as to their willingness to agree toa 20 per cent. increase of subscriptions. It was for the members to express their opinions ; notice of motion might be given. Capt. Martin-Sperry suggested that the By-Laws be altered to admit of increases from 1st January of the current year, but it was objected that two-thirds of the members had already paid for 1920. 162 Timehr. After some discussion it was agreed to circularise the members and bring up the necessary amendments of By-Laws at next meeting. The following amendments of By-Laws and a Rule were laid over for next meeting : By-Laws— Chap. V., 17. Additional By-Law— Ordinary members may compound for all future payments by paying in advance the sum of one hundred dollars if residing in the colony, and fifty dollars if absent or non-resident, such Life members enjoying all the privileges of membership when paying visits even if non-residents. Chap. VI., 2. Amend to read as follows :—- 2. Honorary Members, when in the colony, shall have the same privileges as Ordinary Members. Corresponding members shall also have the same privileges, with the exception of voting at the meetings of the Society, admitting visitors and taking outa smaller number of books. RULES— Schedule B 2. Amend to read— 2. On Sundays and Public and Bank Holidays the Rooms to be open from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m., excepting on Good Friday and Christmas Day when they will remain closed. In connexion with Rule B. 2. the Rev. J. B. Hill gave hae of a motion to close the Reading Room on Sundays and Holidays. 3 It was reported that a new volume of ‘‘ Timehri”’ had been authorised by the Directors. Donations: Photo of Governor D’Urban’s tomb from Dr. Nichols and Ligon’s History of Barbados from Mr. Fred Bankart. The Financial statement for 1919, having been audited, was adopted. In connection with Governor D’Urban’s tomb the Librarian gave the following notes :— Inscription on the Monument in the old Military Cemetery, Papineau Avenue, Montreal, Quebec. Erected by the Officers of the British Army Serving in Canada, to their late lamented Chief His Excellency Lieut.-General Sir Benjamin D’Urban, G.G.B. KC... K-CUTS., Commander of Her Majesty’s Forees in British North America, who died at Montreal, 25th May, 1849. “Aged 72 Years. He died as he lived in the faithful discharge of his duty to God and his Sovereign. yd a2 Hey Proceedings of the Socvety. 163 Sir Benjamin D’Urban was the first Governor of British Guiana after the union with Berbice. His name is commemorated in D’Urban Street and until lately we had the D’Urban race course. In South Africa where he was also Gover- nor of the Cape the capital of Natal was named Durban. He lived at Camp House, where the round house of the Sea Wall now stands, but the building was demolished and the site washed away by the sea. He was the leader of the more intelligent colonists of his time and the President of a Philosophical Society, which did not survive long after his departure. Lady D’Urban started several charities including free schools, also what is now the Diocesan Society. _ Governor D’Urban arranged the details for the union with Berbice, but in the early years there was a slight agitation for repeal, because the Berbicians did not like to sink their government and become an append- age to Demerara. During his long (double) term the Public Buildings were finished, and many improvements in the social conditions of the colony inaugurated. The parishes were settled, clergymen arrived and missionaries were encouraged, but he put down the scurrilous press which in Governor Murray’s time had become virulent, especially ,after the East Coast Insurrection of 1823. General Meeting, July 30th, 1920. His Excellency Sir Wilfred Collet, K.C.M.G., President, in the Chair. Dr. J. J. Nunan was elected by ballot as an honorary member. Amendments of By-laws were passed. In connection with Rule B. 2. the Rev. J. B. Hill moved that it be rescinded, so that there may be no opening on Sundays and Holidays. After some discussion the motion was carried. The Honorary Secretary gave a short statement of the position in regard to the proposed addition of 20 per cent. on the salaries. Circulars had been distributed, requesting donations to allow of the increase and many members had responded favourably. For the current year no addition to the subscriptions was possible, but for 1921 it was necessary to amend the By-Laws to allow the addition. The amendments were then proposed and passed without opposition as follows :— : Chap. V.—Admission and Subscription of Members, 2. Ordinary Members ..,... to pay Twelve Dollars...... , not residing in Georgetown ...... Nine Dollars and Sixty cents . . . in Berbice and Essequibo Six Dollars. 4. Associates shall pay Six Dollars. 164 Timehrr. 12. Any Lady by paying the Subscription of an Ordinary Member. .. .. +. Delete Ten Dollars, Chap. V. 17.—Additional By-law. Ordinary Members may compound all future payments by paying in advance the sum of one hundred dollars if residing in the colony, and fifty dollars if absent or non-resident ; such Life Members enjoying all the future privileges of Membership when paying visits even if non- residents. Chap. VI 2.—Amend to read as follows :— 2. Honorary Members shall have the same privileges as Ordinary Members. Corresponding members shall also have the same privileges, with the exception of voting at the meetings of the Society, admitting visitors and taking out a greater number of books. RULES. Schedule B, 2:—To be expunged. Thanks were accorded to the Government for a War Trophy, to Dr. Nunan for 8 books and several pamphlets, to J. G. Cruickshank for ‘Life and Adventures in the West Indies ” and to Capt. Martin-Sperry for ‘‘ Records of the Demerara Turf.” General Meeting, December 30th, 1920. His Excellency Sir Wilfred Collet, K.C.M.G., President, in the Chair. ' His Excellency proposed the Hon. R. E. Brassington as President for the coming year ; he and the other officers were duly elected. _ His Excellency then presented a cheque for $1,000 to Mr. J. Rodway the result of the “‘ Argosy Fund,” as a small token of the affection of the people of the colony. Mr. Rodway thanked His Excellency and the promoters of the fund, which showed that he had more friends than he formerly supposed. The Hon, Secretary spoke of the position of the Society and thought it waS more prosperous than it had been for several previous years. The membership was larger than ever before and the rough balance sheet showed a credit of about $800. He hoped they would have lectures and other functions in the coming year. In closing the meeting His Excellency wished them all “‘ A Happy New Year.” | LECTURES. November 27th, 1919.—Dr. W. G. Nicholls of the s.s. Chaleur gave a lantern lecture entitled ‘A Talk on Canada,” under the presidency of Proceedings of the Society. 165 His Excellency the Governor to a good audience. His Excellency expresyed his appreciation and called for a vote of thanks with a hearty response. December 4th, 1919.—R.A. & C. Society with Chamber of Commerce. Lt.-Col. Davson gave a lecture on “‘ Commercial Aviation and Its Possibil- ities in British Guiana” which was much appreciated by a large audience. February 38rd, 1921.—R.A, & C, Society with Chamber of Commerce. Address by Lt -Col. Ivan Davson on “ West Indian Currency.” An interesting lecture was followed by a resolution in favour of a change that will bring the money of account and the currency into more conformity with each other. April 7th, 1921.—Mr. G, R. Reid, S.M., gave a lantern lecture on Egypt and Palestine from personal observations, to an appreciative audience. His Excellency the Governor presided. NKOrs Advertisements. He AK & * Advertisements. FIRE! 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