March.
Garden-Eden is an extensive sugar estate, belonging to Mr. T. Cuming, a
rich planter of much merit, and of great influence in the colony. It is
under the management of a Mr. Boyce, by whom we were received with
greetings worthy the prevailing hospitality of Guiana, treated with an
excellent supper, and Falernum wine, and accommodated in comfort until
morning.
Previous to our departure from this estate, I was requested to make a
visit at one of the huts in the negro yard; where, it was said, I might
witness a phenomenon, and be “convinced of a fact which overturns all
the sceptical reasonings of medical men,” regarding the influence of
imagination upon the conformation of the human frame, and its power of
conferring or altering the figure of the fœtus _in utero_.
The subject of our visitation was a mulatto man * * * * * twenty-eight
years of age, who is said to have been born with all his bones broken,
in consequence of his mother having been present at the infliction of a
horrible punishment. Perhaps, as one of the medical tribe, I may be
allowed to maintain my scepticism, even with this example before my
eyes; still, as the appearances of the object, and the circumstances of
the case, were peculiar, and some of them well authenticated, I cannot,
consistently with the plan of our correspondence, omit noting to you
what I heard related of the history, and what I observed with regard to
the figure of this very singular mulatto.
The father was a strong and healthy Dutch soldier: the mother a robust,
well-formed negro woman. They had four children, all of whom are now
arrived at the age of puberty: three of them are athletic and handsome
mulattoes, and remarkable for the symmetry of their figures; the fourth
is the subject in question.
The father is dead, but the mother is still living; and was brought to
me, that I might witness the form of her person, inquire into the state
of her constitution, and ask her any questions which the case before us
should suggest. She assured me that both herself and the father had
enjoyed general good health, and had considered themselves as having
been blessed with a happy exemption from disease: but that when she was
recently pregnant of this son, she had unfortunately gone to see the
execution of a man who was condemned to be broken upon the wheel; and
that upon witnessing this dreadful torture, she was so struck with
horror, as to be taken extremely ill, and was scarcely able to return to
her home. She represented the sensations of the moment as very
distressing, but was unable to convey any accurate description of her
feelings. For some time afterwards it was expected that abortion would
follow; but that not having happened, she was delivered, at the usual
period of gestation, of this broken and disfigured offspring. Her having
been present at the execution, and being so frightened as to be suddenly
taken ill, were confirmed by one of the gentlemen of our party, with
whose family she then lived. The circumstance of her recent pregnancy,
at the time, was likewise proved by the fact of her delivery afterwards;
but the precise period of it, at the date of the torture, I could not
accurately ascertain. She is now of advanced age, and somewhat lame, but
has still the remains of a well-formed person. Upon examining her I
observed an eruption of the cra-cra about the point of one elbow, and a
small irregular tumor upon the sternum; but these were explained to be
of late origin. In all other respects she seemed to possess health and
strength in proportion to her years.
The figure of the son cannot be described by words. His person appeared
as if it had been composed by throwing the materials into a bag, with a
loose congeries of broken bones, and shaking the whole together until
they assumed a shape approaching to that of a human being. It was not
the tortuous construction usually occurring from scrofula, or the
rickets. He had not the crooked twisted bones of disease. They appeared
as if they had literally been broken, and some of them badly united,
some not united at all. The common marks of a sickly constitution were
absent, and he enjoyed a state of general health fully proportioned to
the structure of his frame: indeed, from the minutest examination, I do
not feel myself authorized to consider this very peculiarly deranged
conformation as the effect of disease, but am rather inclined to regard
it as an extraordinary _lusus naturæ_.
His head was the only part that was well formed, and this, although of
natural size, appeared very large, owing to the great disproportion of
the body and extremities, which, from their distortion, had not grown in
due course with the head.
With regard to his mental faculties nothing peculiar was noticed. He
answered the questions which were put to him expertly, and was
considered in point of intellect to be quite equal to the generality of
the people of colour.
I placed my elbow at his side, when he was sitting as upright as his
figure would admit, and extending my hand upwards, found that his
height, from the seat to the crown of his head, was not quite equal to
the length of my forearm, from the elbow to the extremities of the
fingers.
Every rib, and every limb seemed as if it had been fractured. The long
bones of the arms, being divided in their middles, were loosely held
together by membranous or ligamentous unions. Those of the legs appeared
as if they had been broken, and the two parts (or rather the four parts
of the tibia and fibula) afterwards placed together in a direction
parallel with each other, and thus united into one broad flat bone, the
end of which projected considerably forward in the middle of the leg,
thinly covered with integuments, while the lower part of the limb was
thrown backwards, with the heel up towards the thigh, so that if he had
been placed in the erect posture, the points of the toes would have been
brought to the ground, instead of the flat part of the foot.
He had not the power of moving from his seat without assistance, except
in a very slight degree, by a writhing, twisting, and most unseemly
motion, wholly unassisted by his limbs. During the day he remains always
in the sitting posture, and, from the distortion of his lower
extremities, these are brought into a position somewhat resembling those
of a tailor at his work. With some difficulty he could make the lower
arm reach the head, but this was effected more from a kind of flexure,
at the ligamentous union in the middle of the bone of the upper arm,
than from a direct motion of the shoulder joint, the action of which was
extremely limited, from the want of the fulcrum commonly afforded to the
muscles by the bone of the arm.
Having breakfasted, and made our visit to the poor broken-boned mulatto,
we took a long walk into the sugar-fields of the Garden of Eden, in
order to employ ourselves during the remainder of the time, whilst we
were waiting for high water; and as soon as the tide served, we went
into the boat to complete our expedition. Some beef and a roasted
chicken were added to our store of provisions by Mr. Boyce; and without
stopping to go on shore, we took our dinners upon the water, in order
that we might have the advantage of the whole tide, which, in this part
of our passage, was very strongly the friend of our cheerful and willing
slaves. Early in the afternoon of March 7th we arrived at the
landing-place (or Sterling) at Stabroek, having been absent eleven days,
during which time we had traversed the woods, visited a variety of
estates, and made an excursion of nearly two hundred miles.
No accident, nor disaster, had occurred to interrupt us. We travelled
with great convenience. The utmost harmony and satisfaction prevailed;
and we returned in good health and spirits, highly gratified with our
expedition. The journey was arranged and executed precisely as I could
have wished; and I am gratefully sensible of the politeness of my kind
companions, while I cordially thank them for the peculiar pleasure it
has afforded me.
Having made a similar excursion up the river Berbische, I frequently
hear it remarked, that I have seen more of the country, the forests, and
the waters of these colonies already, than almost any of the
inhabitants, although many of them have been here a greater number of
years, than I can yet count of months.
I took an opportunity before, of noting to you, the great stability of
temperature which prevails upon this coast; and I may now observe that
this is not much interrupted even at the distance of 200 miles from the
sea. In the cultivated part of the colonies, upon the immediate margin
of the ocean, the range of the thermometer has been mostly confined
between 72 and 85 degrees: at the remotest estates up the river, it at
no time exceeded 84, for, notwithstanding we felt an occasional
closeness in the atmosphere, still the wind was never entirely absent,
and its deficiency was made up by the greater dampness and evaporation
from the woods, so that the heat, at the falls, was not greater than in
the full and open breeze of the coast: but, in point of coldness, the
variation was more considerable, and we felt more sensibly affected by
it. At the Sand-hill we bad chilly sensations, although the mercury fell
only to 67 degrees. At the Loo, it was as low as 65¾, when the cold was
quite piercing, and I may now add, that the greatest range in high
situations up the river, far from the coast, has been from 65¾ to 84
degrees, while the utmost variation upon the flat and cultivated
territory near the sea, has been from 72 to 87.
The river is spacious, and not only an ornament of the colony, but
highly useful to it, in a commercial point of view. It is navigable for
vessels of considerable burden, nearly as far as the falls. Its lower
part, to the distance of many miles above the town, is muddy, and
strongly impregnated with the salt water of the Atlantic, but from the
Sand-hill to the falls it is less impure and remarkably clear. We found
by the thermometer that it was, at all times, a slight degree warmer
than the superincumbent air. In point of width, it varies at different
parts, not growing regularly broader as it approaches the sea. At the
falls the channel is so narrowed, that, unaided by a sling, I was able
to throw a stone across it. At the Post-holder’s it was much wider, and
it was only with great force, that I could shoot an arrow over, from an
Indian bow of middle size: at several places between these two points,
it was of greater expansion. Beyond the falls it was also broader, than
immediately at that spot.
The following rude sketch will convey to you some idea of the distance,
from the opening of the river to the falls. It is according to the Dutch
measurement, and the most accurate I could obtain:
From To Hours.
The Town of Stabroek The Plantation Garden-Eden 4½
Garden-Eden The Sand-hill 5¾
The Sand-hill Mr. Bower’s estate 3¾
Mr. Bower’s The Loo 1¾
The Loo Mr. Lunck’s 2¼
Mr. Lunck’s Amelie’s Waard 2¾
Amelie’s Waard Mr. Mansfield’s 2½
Mr. Mansfield’s The Post-holder’s 6½
The Post-holder’s The Falls 6½
———
Total Hours, 36¼
———
I should remark that this is the time required in journeying up the
river, with the tide, occasionally, against the boat. To return towards
the sea, with the advantage of tide and current would require less time,
by six or seven hours; which shows the extreme inaccuracy of this mode
of calculating distance, except upon still canals, such as those of
Holland, where the traveller, in more than a common degree, escapes the
influence of adventitious circumstances.
The upper part of the river would be very interesting and diversified,
were its heavy forest thinned, and the banks enriched with cultivation;
but, from being closely bordered, on all parts, with crowded trees, it
exhibits a degree of sameness which becomes excessively fatiguing to the
traveller. At various points are inlets of smaller rivers, or creeks,
which form so many dark channels, into the still darker woods. In
passing up the river these are not seen to any extent of their course,
but they commonly appear only as deep black holes, at the edge of the
forest.
The Indians very seldom erect their houses upon the immediate banks of
the river, and whenever they happen to fix upon a situation near to it,
they are careful to leave some of the bush standing, for the purpose of
concealing the building. More frequently they establish their dwellings
upon the borders of the creeks, or within the woods at some distance
from the river. From being mere sheds, their habitations are readily
constructed, at any spot where they may chance to take up their abode:
in the selection of place, concealment, and convenience of embarkation,
seem to be the grand desiderata: the latter would appear to be
essential, as they often pack up every thing that belongs to them, in
the family canoe, and suddenly depart to seek another home.
On the subject of scenery, but little occurred worthy of remark. From
the uncultivated state of the country it exhibits a rude sameness. No
rich, nor striking point can be found: no varied prospect presents
itself from any quarter. The palm of pre-eminence lies in a manner
undecided, while water, and crowded woods form the universal scene.
Whether in a valley, or upon the hills the view is still the same, being
confined by the trees immediately around. No opening, no luxuriant nor
extended landscape is discovered; all is river and forest: or, if you
chance to open upon a plain, it is only a flat and wide surface—a vacant
savanna, still surrounded with _the bush_, and wholly devoid of
picturesque variety.
The Sand-hill was, perhaps, the only exception to this languid scenery.
There, the prospect was somewhat more animated, and from one bank of the
river being much elevated, and divested of trees, it commanded a view
across the water, to a considerable distance over the woods of the
opposite shore: still it comprehended merely the smooth water, and the
level green surface of the unbounded forest.
If I speak of the soil, it can be only in vague and general remark; but
it appeared to us that after the land became hilly, and irregular, it
was poor, and not such as seemed capable, under all the circumstances of
climate, &c. of being cultivated to much profit. In some parts it was
rocky; in others sandy; and, in all, very unlike the rich exuviæ which
form the flatter lands of this fertile coast.
I might notice it as a happy exemption that, during our excursion, we
were almost free from the tormenting annoyance of insects. In the
deepest woods their absence was remarkable. To me the musquitoes
constitute, perhaps, the greatest evil of the climate, and my bitten
limbs were peculiarly sensible of the respite they obtained during this
expedition. After we had passed the estate of Mr. Selles, where we spent
the first night, I observed only four of these insects.
It is remarked that neither in the rudest, nor in the best cultivated
parts of these countries do insects most abound. A state of the soil,
between high improvement, and wild neglect, or that sort of climate
created by partial cultivation, is most congenial to these noxious
tribes; and thus does the pestiferous atmosphere of half-cleared woods,
and half-cultivated fields seem to be at once the poison, and the
pabulum of animal life: operating with a twofold power, it generates the
minor, while it destroys the higher objects of creation.
On reaching the town we were hailed most cordially by our friends, who,
in our protracted return, had anticipated all the evils of sickness and
misfortune; and it seemed matter of surprise that so large a party
should have concluded such an extensive excursion, all in good health,
and without having met with any kind of accident or disaster. To some of
the gentlemen, the change from their ordinary habits and mode of life,
was great, and it would not have been surprising if, in this climate,
under such circumstances, troublesome effects had ensued; but, happily,
from the time of my losing the threatening sensations which oppressed me
at the period of our embarkation, not an individual among us suffered
any indisposition.
We derived much gratification from the expedition, and although our
collections from the animal, and mineral kingdoms, were but
inconsiderable, we profited of the vegetable world very amply; and it is
probable that the remembrance of our excursion will be perpetuated: for,
in the course of a few years, its effects will become conspicuous, from
a valuable assemblage of the plants and fruits of the forest enriching
the sugar estates, and cotton fields of the colonists.
Of the animal world a few monkies and Amazonian parroquets constituted
the whole of our collection; and of minerals all we had an opportunity
of procuring were two or three coarse specimens of common whinstone,
which we broke from the bed of “the Falls,” and the rocks in their
vicinity. Of the implements and apparatus of the Indians we obtained a
liberal store.
Much had been said of the multiplied perils of the forest, and we had
heard of fierce tigers, enormous snakes, poisonous serpents, runaway
negroes, ferocious savages, and various other dangerous inhabitants of
the woods and the waters, but it did not happen to us to be interrupted
by any of them: although tigers, serpents, Bush-negroes, and wild
Indians, doubtless, exist in these regions, the peril to be apprehended
from them, bears no proportion to the extravagant alarm pictured by the
fearful imaginations of stay-at-home travellers. In many parts the
profound stillness of the forest conveyed the idea of a lifeless
solitude; indeed from the utter silence which prevailed, it might have
seemed that we had wandered beyond the limits of animated creation.