R. n. SCHOMBURGK. 55 



women with children, or the brats astride the hus- 

 bands' shoulders, some with luggage and provisions, 

 and the little girls, anxious to perform their part, 

 each can-ied a squalling puppy in her arms ; thus 

 they trod the path in Indian file. 



In three hours and a half the broad Essequibo 

 was seen rolling before them ; it was hailed as the 

 sight of an old acquaintance, and the hut which 

 the travellers had erected about twelve months ago 

 at Primoss was still found standing. The result of 

 this passage from the Berbice to the Essequibo will 

 prove of importance to geography ; the short period 

 which is required to cross from river to river esta- 

 blishes undeniably, as has been justly observed 

 before, that the course of the river Berbice must be 

 farther to the westward than it is laid down on any 

 of our maps ; and it is probably the first time the 

 Berbice has been ascended from its mouth to 3 deg. 

 55 min. north latitude. The next point of conse- 

 quence is the non-existence of the river Demerara. 

 Where he crossed, he did not observe any appear- 

 ance of even a brook, between the Berbice and 

 Essequibo, with the exception of a dry bed of a 

 streamlet which had its outlet a little beyond 

 his camp. In all maps the sources of the river 

 Demerara are placed in the fourth parallel of lati- 

 tude, and about thirty miles south of those of Ber- 

 bice ; but, in his opinion, it rises in the mountain 

 chain between 4 deg. 30 min. and 4 deg. 40 min. 

 north. The soil between the Berbice and Essequibo 

 appears to be particularly calculated for the cultiva- 



