r 



Capuchin Missions of the Caroni. 277 



tribe has retired into the lands of the Essequibo, whence they 

 communicate with Demarara. In fact, the padres seem to 

 have been in the -practice of going on hunting parties, in order 

 to collect recruits for their establishments ; and thus to have 

 entirely cleared this district of the native tribes, who might have 

 allured their proselytes to rejoin them in the forest. By their 

 regulations, the Indians worked alternately one fortnight on 

 their own provision-grounds and for themselves, the next for 

 the community, in other words, for their spiritual directors, 

 either in the cultivation of cotton and coffee, in making or re- 

 pairing the buildings, Sfc, or the like ; and, as a strict attend- 

 ance upon religious duties was enforced, their time was fully 

 occupied. When the Patriots first took possession, two years 

 ago, liberty was proclaimed to the Indians ; but afterwards the 

 demand of provisions for the troops in the field growing urgent, 

 they were required to give the half of their labour to the govern- 

 ment, until the complete establishment of the republic. The 

 padres took care, in return for their labour, to supply them 

 with clothing of their own manufacture, and with attendance in 

 sickness, besides the regular rations, which the abundance of 

 cattle afforded ; but, for want of proper superintendence, all 

 these matters have been neglected since the Patriots have had 

 possession ; and the cattle, the grand resource of the country, 

 shamefully wasted. The capuchins had 50,000 or 60,000 head 

 of reclaimed cattle, at the lowest computation, besides those 

 running wild in the forests and savannas : the present stock 

 does not exceed 15,000; consequently, much discontent pre- 

 vails among the Indian population, which has been aggravated 

 not a little by their imputing the fire to the contrivance of their 

 new masters. Should the war continue five years longer, I 

 much fear it would end in the entire depopulation of the pro- 

 vince. Respecting the communication with Demarara, I learnt, 

 that Piar, on his first conquest of this district, and before he 

 had possessed himself of Angostura and the channel of the 

 Orinoco, spent eight months in endeavouring to cut a path or 

 road to the Essequibo ; but having neglected the advice of tlie 

 Indians, and taken a wrong direction, he worked into the mid- 



