vided into feveral tribes, differing in the degrees of their progreffive advancement from the ignorance and ferocity of a state of nature, from which they are but little removed. Those who inhabit the far interior parts of the country are but little, if at all, known; and indeed there are only four nations within the confines of Dutch Guiana, with whom the Europeans have any intercourse; these are the Carribbees, the Accawaus, the Worrows, and the Arrowauks. The latter are a friendly, hofpitable people, and from the vicinity of their refidence, and conftant intercourfe with the Whites, their manners are better known than those of any other tribe; and as they all agree in many particulars, in defcribing the three former nations, I fhall only mention their characteristic diftinctions and peculiarities, confounding the lefs fingular particulars, in their religion, manners, and customs, with thofe of the Arrowauks, for the fake of brevity. magiftrates. There is no divifion of land among them, every one cultivating in proportion to his wants and industry and as they are lefs indolent than the other tribes, they till much more ground than any of them, though a small portion fuffices even for them, as they cultivate very little, except plantains and caffava, or manioc: from thefe they make bread; and from thefe, by fermentation, they make a liquor fomewhat like ale. They live contiguous to each other, and by blowing a fhell, a thoufand of them may be collected in half an hour. They paint immoderately, chiefly with arnotta, or roucou. "The Caribbees are the most numerous, *brave, warlike, and induftrious of all the known tribes inhabiting Guiana. They refide chiefly on the fea-coaft, between Effequebo and the great river Oronoque. They are of a middle ftature, well made, with regular and agreeable features. They have a fprightly vivid countenance, and their complexion is the whiteft of all the four tribes, the Arrowauks excepted. Their language is manly, and very articulate; but is pronounced with a degree of fharpnefs and vivacity correfponding to their natural difpofition. They practife polygamy, and have warcaptains, though no fovereigns, or "Wars, hunting, and fishing, are the chief employments of the men; agriculture, and domeftic concerns, are abandoned to the wo men and children, who likewife fpin cotton by the hand, but flowly, for want of a proper machine; from this they weave hammocks, but in a very flow and tedious manner, for want of instruction to employ ther labour to advantage. Their manner of weaving is by winding the cotton, when fpun, round two fmall wooden sticks of fufficient length, placed at about feven feet diftance from each other, difpofing the threads fingly, parallel and contiguous to each other, till they extend a fufficient width, which is ufually fix or feven feet: the threads thus difpofed ferve for the warp: they then wind a quantity of cotton on a fmall pointed piece of wood, and begin their weaving at one end, by lifting up every other thread of the warp, and paffing the pointed flick, with the woof, under it: this they do until they have gone through the T ३. whole whole width of the warp, and then return in the fame manner, taking up thofe threads which they miffed before, and preffing the threads clofe together. When the weaving is completed, the hammock is ftained with juice of the bark of trees, difpofed fo as to form various figures, which are red, and ever after indelible. The trees which yield this juice, I am informed, are the wallaba and red mangrove. To weave a hammock in this manner, requires the labour of feveral months; and, therefore, all the other tribes, who have lefs in duftry, content themselves with hammocks made either from cotton yarn, or the twitted bark of the Sammee tree, connected by net work. They likewife form the teeth of fifh into fmall cylinders, which they perforate with a fmall hole from end to end, and then cut the cylinder into many fmall pieces, which compofe fo many white, fmooth, fhining beads, which are ftrung, and worn for ornament. "The Carribbee Indians are at perpetual variance with the Spaniards, and frequently commit hoftilities on their fettlements at the river Oronoque. They retain a tradition of an English chief, who many years fince landed amongst them, and encouraged them to perfevere in enmity to the Spaniards, promifing to return and fettle amongst them, and afford them affiftance; and it is faid that they ftill preferve an English Jack, which he left them, that they might diftinguifh his countrymen. This was undoubtedly Sir Walter Raleigh, who, in the year 1595, made a defcent on the coaft of Guiana, in fearch of the fabulous golden city of Manoa del Dorado, and conquered Fort Joseph, on the river Oronoque. "Their arms are either bows and arrows, poifon arrows, which "At the late infurrection of the are blown through a hollow reed, flaves in the colony of Berbice, or large heavy clubs, made of iron- these Indians were engaged by the wood, &c. which are large at one governor of Effequebo to fight aend, with fharp edges, with which gainft the Rebel Negroes, many of they divide the fkull of an enemy whom they killed, as appeared by at a fingle blow. They have, the number of hands which they how ever, ufually lived in harmony brought away, and for which they with the neighbouring tribes, un- received a confiderable reward. til of late they have been corrupt- But an adherence to truth obliges ed by the Dutch, and excited to me to inform you of a circumstance make incurfions on the interior In- relative to this expedition, which dians, for the fake of making pri- I am perfuaded you will read with foners, who are afterwards fold to difguit: this is, that they ate the the inhabitants of the Dutch co- bodies of thofe Negroes whom they lonies. Upon thefe cccafions, they killed on this occafion: an action furround the feattered houfcs of which is confidered by European thefe Indians in the night, while nations as fo horrid and unnatural, that 1 that the very existence of cannibals has been lately denied by feveral modern compilers of history, notwithstanding the repeated attefta tions of travellers to the contrary. For perfons, however, who have never quitted their native country, to determine concerning the manners of diftant unknown nations, and on the ftrength of plaufible appearances to impeach the veracity of travellers, and pofitively deny thofe things which, at moft, they are but permitted to doubt, is a culpable temerity, which well deferves reprehenfion. I muft, however, do thefe Indians the juf tice to declare, that they never eat any of the human fpecies, except their enemies killed in battle, to which they think they have as good a right as thofe animals, by whom they would otherwise be eaten." The characteristics of the other three Indian nations, are in like manner pointed out by our author, who gives the following account of the Accawau tribe, who are diftinguished by their art in the preparation of poifons. "The Accawau Indians are the moft interior tribe that have any communication with the Europeans, living near the fource of the rivers of Effequcbo, Demerary, and Berbice. Their fize and ftature pretty much refemble that of the Worrows, but their complection is lighter, and their features lefs difagreeable; they are all diftinguished by a circular hole, about half an inch diameter, made in the lower part of the under lip, in which is inferted a piece of wood, of equal fize with the hole, which is cut off externally, almoft even with the circumjacent skin; while the inner end preffes against The the roots of the fore teeth. air and behaviour of these people is grave and referved, and they have an unfual degree of art and cunning. Their language is folemn, and its articulations diftinct, but harsh. They are not numer ous, but are greatly feared by their neighbours, on account of their art in the preparation of poifons of the moft deleterious kind. The arrow-poifon, which they compound, is particularly fatal; and, befides that, they have feveral other kinds of poifons, which, given in the fmalleft quantities, produce a very flow, but inevitable death, particularly a compofition which refembles wheat-flour, which they fometimes ufe to revenge paft injuries, that have been long neglected, and are thought forgotten. On thefe occafions they always feign an infenfibility of the injury which they intend to revenge, and even repay it with fervices and acts of friendship, until they have deftroyed all diftruft and appréhenfion of danger in the defined 'victim of their vengeance. When this is effected, they meet him at fome feftival, and engage him to drink with them, drinking first themfelves, to obviate fufpicion, and afterwards fecretly dropping the poifon, readily concealed under their nails, which are ufually long, into the drink. Thefe accidents, however, are not frequent; and that they fhould fometimes happen is not fo furprizing, as that they do not oftener intervene in a flate in which there is no judicial punishment for crimes, nor any other fatisfaction for injuries but what is procured by violence. To violate the chastity of a wife, is almoft the only injury that draws down this T4 Satal fatal vengeance. They frequent- "The following is the recipe ly make incurfions on their inte- by which the Accawau arrow poirior neighbours, like the Carrib-fon is ufually prepared, and which bees, for flaves; and the vicinity of their refidence particularly expoles them to reprisals from thofe injured tribes. To prevent this, all the avenues to their houses are guarded by fharp pieces of hard wood, planted in the earth, and poifoned, except only one obfcure winding path,which they ufe them felves, and make known to their countrymen by private marks. "The poifon arrows are made from fplinters of the hard folid outer fubftance of the cokarito tree, and are ufually about twelve inches in length, and are fomewhat larger than a coarse knitting needle. One end of the arrow is formed into a fharp point, and invenomed in the poifon of woorara; round the other end is wound a roll of cotton, adapted to the cavity of the reed, through which the arrow is to be blown. The arrow, thus decked and armed for deftruction, is inferted into a hollow ftraight reed, several feet in length, which being directed towards the object, the arrow is, by a fingle blaft of air from the lungs, protruded through the cavity of the reed, and flies, with great fwiftnefs and unerring certainty, the diftance of thirty or forty yards, conveying fpeedy and inevitable death to the animal from which it draws blood. Blowing thefe arrows is the principal exercife of the Indians from their childhood; and by long ufe and habitude, they acquire a degee of dexterity and exactnefs at this exercife, which is inimitable by an European, and almost incredible. I have procured from several of their peii's, or phyficians, at different times, who all exactly agreed in the number and identity of the ingredients, but with fome variation in their quantities, which, indeed, they have no method of either expreffing, or afcertaining, with exactnefs. Take of the bark of the root of woorara, fix parts; Of the bark of warracobba coura, two parts; Of the bark of the roots of couranapi, bakete, and hatchybaly, of each one part: "All these are to be finely fcraped, and put into an Indian pot, and covered with water. The pot is then to be placed over a flow fire, that the water may fimmer for a quarter of an hour; after which, the juice is to be expreffed from the bark by the hands, taking care that the skin is unbroken: this being done, the bark is to be thrown away, and the juice evaporated over a moderate fire to the confiftence of tar; when it is to be removed, and flat pieces of the wood of cokarito are dipped therein, to which the poifon, when cold, adheres, appearing like a gum, of a brown reddish colour. The pieces of wood are then put into large hollow canes, clofed at the ends with skins; and in this manner the poifon is preserved until it is wanted to invenom the point of an arrow; at which time, it is either diffolved in water, and the points of arrows dipped in the folution; or the wood to which it adheres, is held over the fire until it melts, and the points of arrows are are then fmeared with it. The fmallest quantity of this poifon, conveyed by a wound into the red blood-veffels of an animal, caufes it to expire in lefs than a minute, without much apparent pain or uneafinefs; though flight convalfions are fometimes feen near the inftant of expiration. "The poifon, when thus infpiffated, is liquifiable by heat, and diffoluble in water, in alcohol, in fpirit of fea-falt, and in a volatile alkaline spirit; as alfo in blood, faliva, &c. except only a very fmall part, which fubfides both in a fpirituous and aqueous menftruum, and probably confifts of earthy particles foreign to the compofition. It unites with acids without emotion, or change of colour. On mixing it with alkalies, no ebullition is perceptible, but the colour changes from a reddish brown to a yellowish brown. A few grains, mixed with as many ounces of human blood, warm from the veins, entirely prevents a feparation of ferum and craffamentum, and the whole mafs continues united in a state of fluidity, fimilar to that in which it is drawn, until, after fome days, it putrifies. "I ought to have before informed you, that the feveral ingredients mentioned in the recipe for compounding the Accawau poifon, are all nibbees of different kinds; but whether all, or indeed any more of them than the woorara are neceffary, or whether the efficacy of the poifon might not be farther improved, I am uncertain: it is, however, already too fatal to be trusted in the hands of any people, but those who are in a state of nature, in which cri minal paffions are feeble and languid. How the inftantaneous fatal effects of this poifon can result from fo fmall a portion, as may be fuppofed to be left by the point of an arrow immediately extracted, is inexplicable: that it has the power of diffolving the fluids, is certain; but I am far from thinking that its fatals effects are pro, duced by any fuch diffolution. The Indians conftantly moiften the points of their poison-arrows, when over-dry, with the juice of lemons, which tends to produce an oppofite effect; and blood drawn from the jugular veins, and carotid arteries of animals, at the inftant of their expiration by the effects of this poifon, affords no uncommon appearance: and, after ftanding, regularly feparates into ferum and craffamentum, with a greater degree of cohefion than is ufually obferved in fcorbutic cafes: but yet the animals expired, as it were, by an infenfible extinction of the vital flame. Can fuch inftantaneous fatality refult from any change in the texture of the Auids in fo fhort a space? I doubt whether they are fufceptible of it: nor do I believe that these fudden deleterious effects can arife, except from an immediate injury offered to the fenfible nervous fyftem, or the fource of the vital functions. Mr. Heriffant thinks it contracts the veffels; but fays, it does not ufually alter the appearance of the fluids, though he once or twice obferved the blood to affume a brownifh colour. "Against this poifon there is no certain antidote difcovered; and its effects are are so fudden, that I doubt whether any thing taken by the aliamentary paffage, can act |