heat, ring-worm, dry gripes, putrid fevers, biles, consaca, and bloody flux, to which human nature is exposed in this climate; also the musquitoes, Patat and Scrapat lice, chigoes, cockroaches, ants, horse-flies, wild-bees, and bats, besides the thorns, briers, the alligators, and peree in the rivers; to which we may add the howling of tigers, the hissing of serpents, and the growling of Fourgeoud, the dry and sandy savannahs, unfordable marshes, burning hot days, cold and damp nights, heavy rains, and short allowance, the reader may be astonished how any person was able to survive the trial. Notwithstanding this black catalogue, I solemnly declare I have omitted many other calamities that we suffered, as I wish to avoid prolixity, though perhaps I have been already too often guilty of it. I might have mentioned indeed lethargies, dropsies, &c. &c. besides the many small snakes, lizards, scorpions, locusts, bush-spiders, bush-worms, and centipedes, nay, even flying-lice, with which the traveller is perpetually tormented, and by which he is constantly in danger of being stung.

The reader may form some conception of the famished state in which we came hither, when I inform him, that the moment of our arrival, observing a negro-woman supping on plantain broth from a callibash, I gave her half-a-crown, and snatching the bason from her hands, I devoured the contents with a greater relish than I have ever tasted any delicacy before or since during my whole existence. I now observed to colonel Fourgeoud, how pitiable it was, not to regale his remaining soldiers with vegetables and fresh beef or mutton, besides providing them with hats, stockings, shoes, &c.; but he replied, that Hannibal had lost his army at Capua by too much indulgence. In short, he quoted not only Hannibal but Horace for his example, according to the advice given in a certain pamphlet,

"Ibit eo quo vis qui Zonam predidit ;"

and appeared fully convinced, that no persons will behave so desperately in action as those who are tired of their lives.

'On the 12th, Fourgeoud acquainted me now himself, that I was at liberty to go and refit at Paramaribo when I thought proper. This proposal I readily accepted, and that moment prepared for my departure, with some other officers, leaving behind us himself and a band of such scare-crows as would have disgraced the garden or field of any farmer in England. Among these was a Society captain, named Larcher, who declared to me he never combed, washed, shaved, or shifted, or even put off his boots, till all was rotted from his body.--At last arrived the happy hour, when, taking leave of my tattered companions, I and five more, with a tent-boat and six oars, rowed straight down for Paramaribo, still in good health and in a flow of spirits, and at the very summit of con

tentment.

'At Devil's Harwar I met a cargo of tea, coffee, biscuit, butter, sugar, lemons, rum, and 20 bottles of claret, sent me by my friends, directed to La Rochelle, which I again, notwithstanding the barbarous usage that I had so lately met with, gave all in a present to poor Fourgeoud, 12 bottles of wine excepted, which we drank in the barge to the healths of our wives and mistresses; nor could I help pitying colonel Fourgeoud, whose age (he being about sixty) and indefatigable exertions claimed the attention of the most indifferent: for during this trip, though but few rebels were taken, he had certainly scoured the forest from the river Comewina to the mouth of the Wana creek, dispersed the enemy, and demolished their habitations, fields, and gardens, and thus cut them off from all prospect of support.

'On the evening of the 13th, we supped at the estate Mondesire, and thence kept rowing down all night and day, shouting and singing till the 15th at noon, when, the tide serving, we went on shore at the fortress Amsterdam; whence crossing the river, we arrived before Mr. De Lamar's door at Paramaribo. I stept ashore among a crowd of friends, who all flocked round to see and to welcome me to town.

I next sent for my inestimable Joanna, who burst into tears the moment she beheld me, not only for joy at my still

existing (for it had been reported that I was no more) but also from seeing my very distressed situation.

'As a specimen of colonel Fourgeoud's justice I will only observe, that all the officers had now subsisted a whole year upon a private soldier's allowance of salt provisions. This accommodation cost me 30%.; but many of the officers were under the necessity of selling their effects to procure a subsis

tence.

'On the 1st of February, 1775, we, however, received notice that henceforth we should pay nothing, provided we could fast; but that if we could not, 101. yearly was to be the ne plus ultra of the expences for our salt beef and pork. On the 2d I received intelligence that lieutenant-colonel Becquer, scorning any longer to partake of Fourgeoud's bounty, had suddenly given up the ghost, by which in rotation I became possessed of his vacant company. This was some compensation for so much trouble and fatigue.

'On the 16th, the news arrived that colonel Fourgeoud, with the remaining troops, having marched from La Rochelle, had been attacked by the rebels; and amongst others captain Fredericy, marching in the front, had been shot through both thighs. This brave officer, clapping both his hands on the wounds, and sitting in water up to his breast to conceal the bleeding, and prevent his misfortune from discouraging the troops, remained in this situation until the surgeon had dressed them, when he was carried in his hammock by two negroes.

'I now made another offer to join him in the woods; but instead of permission, he sent me orders to hasten to L'Esperance, in English the Hope estate, as I shall henceforth call it, situated in the upper part of Rio Comewina, there to take the command of the whole river during his absence; which being new to me, I repaired to this post with the greater satisfaction.

'Having provided myself with a complete camp-equipage, and purchased provisions, I was soon ready to depart for my new station. But before I leave Paramaribo, I must remark, that during my stay there no less than nine negroes had each

a leg cut off, for running away from their masters. This punishment is a part of the Surinam administration of justice, and is performed at the desire of the proprietor, and was exexecuted by a Mr. Greuber, the surgeon of the hospital. During this inhuman operation, the poor sufferers very deliberately smoaked their pipe of tobacco. For this service the surgeon received about 67. a limb: but, notwithstanding his great abilities, four of them died immediately after the operation. A fifth destroyed himself, by plucking away the bandages and bleeding to death during the night. These amputated negroes are common in this colony, and are employed in rowing the boats and barges of their masters. Others are seen deprived of an arm; and this is the forfeit for daring to raise it against an European.

"I embarked on the 17th of February for the Hope, in the river Comewina, on board a decent tent-boat rowed by six negroes, having once more bid adieu to my beloved Joanna. On the 19th, about noon, I reached the Hope; having found this river still more charming than the river Cottica, both being bordered with beautiful estates of coffee and sugar.

'Here the troops were lodged in temporary houses built with the manicole-tree; but the situation was so low and marshy as at spring-tides to be entirely under water. The officers were all crowded in one apartment of the same construction; while the planter's fine house, which might have been serviceable for the pleasure and health of these gentlemen, was made use of by nobody but the overseer of the

estate.

'About a cannon-shot higher up the river is the estate Clarenbeek; where I went, on the 22d, to examine the state of the hospital, and where I found the troops more disagreeably quartered than at the Hope, owing chiefly to the amazing number of rats, with which this place was infested, destroying the men's clothes and provisions, and running over their faces by dozens as they lay in their hammocks. The only mode of remedying this horrid inconvenience, was to break holes in the bottoms of quart bottles, and then string them like beads upon

the lashings of each hammock, both at head and foot; when this was properly done, their polish rendered it impossible for the rats to reach the canvas.

'I became daily more charmed with my situation; I was at liberty to breathe freely, and my prospects of future contentment promised amply to compensate for my past hardships and mortifications. Respected as the prince of the river; caressed by the neighbouring planters, who plentifully supplied me with presents of game, fish, fruit, and vegetables, I was scarcely the same man, and had very few wishes unsatisfied.

'One day (the 5th of March) during my residence here, I was surprized by the waying of a white handkerchief from a tent-boat that was rowing up the river; when to augment my happiness, it unexpectedly proved to be my mulatto, accompanied by her aunt, who now preferred Fauconberg estate, four miles above the Hope, to residing in town; and to this plantation I immediately accompanied them.

'Here Joanna introduced me to a venerable old slave, her grandfather, who made me a present of half a dozen fowls.--He was grey-headed and blind, but had been comfortably supported for many years through the attention of his numerous offspring. He told me he was born in Africa, where he had once been more respected than any of his Surinam masters ever were in their country. On the 6th of March I returned to the Hope, loaded with fowls, aubergines, brocoli, agoma, and a few Surinam cherries.

'I have already said that I was happy at the Hope; but how was my felicity augmented, when Mr. and Mrs. Lolkens came to visit me one evening, and not only gave me the address of Messrs. Passalage and Son at Amsterdam, the new proprietors of my mulatto, but even desired me to take her to the Hope, where she would be more agreeably situated than either at Fauconberg or Paramaribo. This desire was unquestionably most readily complied with by me; and I immediately set my slaves to work, to build a house of manicole-trees for her reception.