300 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[June 1, 1911. 



ule in a way that makes some of the twin-screw triumphs 

 of more pretentious lines look very inefficient. We first went 

 down the coast some live miles antl out to sea a little, then 

 turned into the mouth of the river, skirting the low-lying 

 mainland on tlie left and a long verdure-covered island on the 

 right. The shores were so low-lying with their fringe of man- 



swamps, the palm-thatched huts standing on stilts above the 

 river mud, and finally, Fort Island. Here was once the head- 

 quarters of the Dutch in this part of the world, and it was 

 then that miles of what is now jungle, was exceedingly produc- 

 tive sugar land. The old brick fort still stands a picturesque 

 ruin, its rusting cannon almost buried by grass and vines, and 



Georgetown Harbor. 



groves on either side that, except for an occasional opening, 

 giving a glimpse of an interior sugar estate, the scenery was 

 not particularly varied. Along the mainland side, set in the 

 shallow water some twenty feet out from the jungle, was a 

 row of telegraph poles which extended for miles, the wires 

 strung only a few feet above high water. The fact that such 

 engineering was possible spoke eloquently for the stillness of the 

 great river and of a very gentle rise and fall of tide. 



Tuschen was the first stop. All to be seen was a wooden 



Steamer "Guiana" on Mazaruni River. 



just beyond it a little settlement of a dozen houses and a huge 

 church. 



Soon after we entered the foot-hills, the swamp growths dis- 

 appeared and the beauties of the tropical uplands became 

 apparent. Small settlements and plantations on either side 

 of the river sent out boats for mail and parcels, and at three 

 o'clock we passed Bartica, the principal settlement at the en- 

 trance to the gold fields. 



Beyond, on the oppos'tc shore and a little way up the Mazaruni 



Rfl.v OF Uld Dltcii Fukt. Kvi-.-iivtK-AL, Mazaruni River. 



pier extending from the jungle-fringed land through half a 

 mile of shallows, terminating in a little steamer landing and 

 shed for storing goods. At eleven o'clock we were bidden to 

 breakfast in the main saloon. The passengers grouped them- 

 selves at one end of a long board table, the middle of which 

 was used for serving, while at the farther end dishwashing went 

 busily on during the meal. The food was wholesome and 

 abundant and all discussed it with good appetites. Then we 

 returned to the deck chairs to smoke and view the mangrove 



Public Buildings. 



river, is the Penal Settlement of the Colony. From the water 

 front it shows substantial wharfs, massive stone buildings, well- 

 tilled gardens, the whole protected from the river by substantial 

 stone coping. The (iuiaiia left us at their pier, which was 

 patroled by huge negro guards, who allow no one to land without 

 a special permit. 



A tent boat took us across the river from here, a half-hour 

 journey, which ended in a little bay, on the Shore of which stood 

 the wife of the Sisal Man, who warmly welcomed us to "The 



